Responsibility!

Take your babysitting responsibility seriously. Part of that
responsibility is protecting you as well as the children for whom you
will be caring. Know your employer before you take the job. Check
references if this will be the first time working for this person.

Before accepting the job, get specific instructions about the number and
ages of the children, bed times, foods, medicines, and other information
about personal habits and what is expected of you. Parents typically
feel more assured with a babysitter who asks questions and who is
concerned with the care of their children.

When you accept a job, arrive early to confirm all of this information.
Get any additional instructions such as where the parents are going,
when they will return, and how they may be contacted. Determine which
relative or neighbor can be called in an emergency in the event the
parents cannot be reached.

Knowing first aid procedures before you take on babysitting jobs will
help prepare you for emergencies and may save a life.


When you are babysitting:

  • DO NOT allow strangers into the house unless your employer specifically informs you to expect a mail delivery, a repairman, etc.
  • DO NOT tell a caller that you are the babysitter alone with thechildren. Take a message and tell them that the person will return the call as soon as possible.
  • DO NOT go outside to investigate suspicious noises or activities. Turn on outside lights and call the police using 9-1-1. Be sure that all doors and windows are locked.


Babysitter Checklist:

  • Name, address and phone number of employer:
  • Directions to job location:
  • Arrange your transportation to get to location and return home:
  • Location and phone number of where employer can be reached in case of emergency:
  • Alternate person to contact for emergency if employer cannot be reached:
  • Special instructions from employer:
  • Locations and instructions on use of safety equipment such as fire
  • extinguishers, first aid supplies, etc:
  • Walk through house with employer to ensure all doors and windows are locked:
  • Turn outside lights on:
  • Have emergency numbers and note taking materials by the telephone:
     

For additional information about burglary prevention, and other crime
prevention measures, call the
Baton Rouge Police Department (225) 389-3800 or the East Baton Rouge
Parish Sheriff's Office (225) 389-5000

Home Safety Tips

When sitting at a home for the first time, the babysitter should obtain
important fire and life safety information as well. Make
sure the address is clearly posted outside. Write down the address and
post it near the telephone. Walk through the home to familiarize
yourself with the locations of all rooms. Determine which bedrooms
children will be sleeping in and make sure there are two exits from
each. Locate all exits from the home.

Each year, at least one pediatric drowning in Baton Rouge can be
attributed to a babysitter who answered the telephone or spoke
with friends while a toddler slipped into the family swimming pool,
toilet, bathtub, etc. Injuries may occur to children when the
babysitter's attention is elsewhere. A toddler may fall or pull a hot
pot off the stove when the babysitter isn't watching. An unnoticed child
may take the opportunity to play with matches while the parents are away.


Be Safe

Never leave children alone. When they are alone, they can have
unintentional injuries with matches, gasoline, the stove, water,
poisons, falls, drowning, and choking.
 

  • Keep matches and lighters locked up and away from children.
  • Trade sharp or electrical objects for something safe to play with.
  • Move portable heaters away from play areas. Keep the heater away from curtains and furniture, too.
  • Do not smoke on the job. Many children have been killed in fires which started as a result of their baby sitter smoking.
  • Keep cupboard doors shut to keep children out of dangerous household products and/or poisons.
  • Do not allow children to play around the stove or oven if you are cooking.
  • Never allow children to put objects into their mouths. Foreign objects can easily get lodged in a child's throat and cause the child to choke.


Cook Safely

  • Supervise children when they are in the kitchen.
  • You should wear tight sleeves during meal preparation.
  • Loose-fitting clothes tend to catch fire more easily than tight fitting clothes.
  • Turn pot handles inward on the stove so children can't pull them down.
  • Smother a pan fire with a lid. Never use water.
  • Roll up appliance cords so they can't be pulled down.
  • Put the baby in the playpen if you have a hot pot or drink in hand, so he/she will not get burned.
  • If you know you will be cooking, ask your employer to provide a kitchen fire extinguisher and make sure you know how to use it. Place itaway from the stove so you can easily get to it in the event of a stove/oven fire.



First Aid

For emergency help, call 9-1-1. Call the parents if you have questions
about lesser emergencies. Notify the parents about small injuries when they return.

  • For minor cuts, stop bleeding by applying gentle pressure with a clean cloth. Wash the wound and apply a bandage.
  • Learn CPR. An emergency could arise where your knowledge of CPR may be needed.
  • If the child swallows something poisonous, call 9-1-1. Have the container ready so you can read it to the 9-1-1 operator on the phone.
  • In Louisiana the phone number to the Poison Control Center is 1-800-256-9822
  • Show children how to stop, drop, and roll in case their clothes catch on fire. Rolling smothers the flames. Use a blanket or rug if one is on hand to help smother the fire. Call 9-1-1.
  • Put cool water on a burn. This slows skin damage. If the skin is already blistered, dead white, brown, or charred, you need emergency help. Call 9-1-1.
     

Fire Escape Planning

  • Check smoke detectors, make sure they are working properly.
  • Plan ahead. Know how to get children out of the bedrooms if smoke or fire blocks the front or back doors.
  • Make sure you know in advance what all your escape options are.
  • Smoke kills. Shut doors to stop it from advancing.
  • Show children how to crawl under smoke to get better air near the floor.
  • If there's a fire, get everybody out and then call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house.
  • Don't go back to the burning house. Many people are killed returning to a burning building.

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