Create a Babysitter Folder

You have concert tickets, the babysitter is on her way and your county just got put under a tornado watch (conditions are favorable for tornadoes) – what do you do?

No judgment – we went to the concert.

We felt comfortable because we had prepared our babysitter for what to do if the county went under a tornado warning. Here’s what I had prepared for her, and you can do this, too.

Prepare a Babysitter Folder

Any kind of emergency could happen while your children are under someone else’s care – tornado, earthquake, fire, or car accident. Before you leave the baby-sitter in charge, make sure he or she knows what to do in those situations. The easiest way is to create a babysitter folder, like a mini-emergency binder, for your sitter.

In the folder, include:

• Your street address and home phone numbers (in case they need to tell them to emergency responders)
• Your child(ren)’s daily schedule
• Your child(ren)’s medical information – especially allergies
• Emergency contacts (names, addresses and phone numbers of neighbors or relatives who live close by)
• Medical consent form (you can find samples of these on the Internet or ask your children’s doctor for one)
• “In case of…” sheets (detailed instructions for what to do in case of specific emergencies, such as fire, tornado warning, earthquake)

Take the time

Have the babysitter come early or schedule a time to go over the information with her and give her a tour of the house. Show her where flashlights, fire extinguishers, and other key emergency items are located. Point out the safest places to go during a tornado warning or earthquake.

Also, leaving phone numbers and addresses of where you will be. It is easy in this world of cell phones and Internet to assume the babysitter will have access to this, but a power outage or uncharged phone could leave her without this information.

We also often leave a vehicle with the car seats in it at home and give the babysitter the keys – just in case she needs to take them somewhere safe.

What other suggestions do you have to help make sure your babysitter is prepared for emergencies? Let us know if you make a folder for your sitters!