Safety Considerations to Impart to Your Babysitter
When you hire a babysitter, you have to consider a worst case scenario. Sure, you’ll only be gone for an afternoon or night, or even just a few hours, but the unexpected is always waiting to happen. This is why it is very important to hire a babysitter whom you think is ready to handle an emergency or a difficult situation in your absence, and is able to keep your children safe.
Of course, you can’t expect every babysitter to know instinctively what to do. If your sitter is a teenager, she may have had no personal experience in dealing with emergencies. You should do your part and guide them.
First of all, consider health emergencies. Make sure you have the hospital or ambulance number listed near the phone, where she can see it. Also make sure that your medicine cabinet is stocked. Let her know where that is, as well as the first aid kid. Your child may have a condition like asthma. Tell your babysitter what to do in case of an attack.
Then, consider a scenario in which an intruder penetrates your house. If there is a burglar alarm, let her know where it is. Show her the panic room if there is one, and make sure she knows the number for the police department.
In case of fire, let her know where the fire exits and extinguisher are. She should have the number for the fire department as well. Tell her basic considerations as well, such as avoiding breathing in the noxious fumes, and rolling in a blanket if one accidentally gets set on fire. Stress that there is to be no smoking in the house and teach her the proper use of the stove or oven.
If she has gone through disaster preparedness training, it is a bonus. If not, give her some background on what to do in case of typhoons, blackouts, floods, or earthquakes. If you have battery-operated emergency lights, charge them and let her know where you keep them.
It may seem pessimistic, but it is always best to be ready. You might be thankful that you reviewed these things with a babysitter- it might make that little necessary difference that brought about your child’s survival.
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