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Checklist for Babysitters

 

Having a babysitter checklist is the perfect way to make sure your sitter has all the information they’ll need at their fingertips. When taking care of children—knowledge is power. What and when should they eat? When is bedtime? How much screen time is appropriate and who should be called in an emergency? You know how long it took you to learn what works, and it’s important to pass this on to caretakers to have peace of mind that your kids are safe and having fun while you’re out.

A comprehensive and helpful checklist will give you something to go through with the babysitter when he or she arrives. Whether you are leaving your kids for an evening or a long weekend, you can use this checklist to make sure everything is set in place while you are away:

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the following list of information should always be left with a babysitter:

  1. Parents phone numbers
  2. Neighbors phone numbers
  3. Pediatrician
  4. Fire/Rescue
  5. Police
  6. Poison Help Line (1-800-222-1222)
  7. Home phone
  8. Home address

Checklist for Parents:

  • Meet the sitter and check references and training in advance.
  • Be certain the sitter has had first aid training and knows CPR.
  • Be sure the babysitter is at least 13 years old and mature enough to handle common emergencies.
  • Have the sitter spend time with you before babysitting to meet the children and learn their routines.
  • Show the sitter around the house.
  • Point out fire escape routes and potential problem areas. Instruct the sitter to leave the house right away in case of fire and to call the fire department from a neighbor’s house or cell phone.
  • Discuss feeding, bathing, and sleeping arrangements for your children.
  • Tell your sitter of any allergies or specific needs your children have. Leave a note with your children’s dates of birth and approximate weights in case these are needed by medical professionals.
  • Have emergency supplies available including a flashlight, first aid chart, and first aid supplies.
  • Tell the sitter where you will be and when you will return.
  • Be sure any guns are stored unloaded in a locked cabinet, and lock and store the ammunition in a separate place..

Provide and install appropriate car safety seats and booster seats if the sitter will need to drive the children in a car.

Checklist for Babysitters:

  • Be prepared for an emergency.
  • Always call or text for help if there are any problems or questions.
  • Never open the door to strangers.
  • Never leave the children alone in the house – even for a minute.
  • Never give the children any medicine or food unless instructed to do so by the parents.
  • Be patient with a child who is unhappy or who cries when the parents leave. Try a different activity, read a book to the child, or suggest playing in the yard. 
  • If a baby is crying and cannot be soothed, it is OK to put the baby in a safe place, like a crib, and walk away for a few minutes.

More Checklist Tips:

Contact information for you and your partner

Have your sitter put your and your partner’s cell phone numbers in his or her phone. If you’re a single parent, provide your sitter with the phone number of someone trusted and local who they can call if you can’t be reached. If you don’t text, let your sitters know so they don’t send you messages and then wonder why you don’t respond.

Emergency contact information

Post a list somewhere obvious – like on the fridge or by your landline phone, if you have one – with fire, police, doctor, poison control, and hospital numbers. If your children have specific medical insurance numbers, provide those as well. If you’re going out of town or won’t be accessible, it’s smart to designate one or two neighbors, friends, or relatives as local contacts. Leave their names, numbers, and addresses. That way your sitter has someone to turn to in case of minor mishaps, such as a pet that gets loose or a power outage. Also, leave your street address (including floor and unit, if you’re in an apartment) to give to fire, police, or medical personnel in an emergency.

A mapped escape route

In case of fire or some other crisis that requires hasty evacuation, your sitter should be aware of all the possible exits from your house. Also make sure she knows where to find the fire extinguisher, the first-aid kit, the circuit breaker, the water shutoff, and a flashlight.

Medical information about your baby

If your child has any allergies or other medical conditions or needs to take medication, tell your sitter about it in advance. Also spell out any additional health problems – such as a bad case of diaper rash or a tendency to spit up food. Also, just in case you or your contact person can’t be found in an emergency, leave a healthcare authorization form that allows your babysitter or childcare provider to get medical attention for your child.

Food and drink list

Don’t leave this to chance. Your sitter may not be aware of foods that pose choking hazards. Leave specific instructions outlining what your baby can and can’t eat and drink. And if the sitter will be preparing formula or giving your baby expressed breast milk, explain exactly how to do it.

Activity schedule

Your baby will feel more comfortable sticking to his usual routine, so let your sitter know what time he eats his meals, when he goes to bed, and how his bedtime routine works. If you usually read to him from a particular book, for example, let them know and leave it out where it’s easy to find.

Finally, it’s wise to let your sitter know about any special words for favorite toys or security objects.



Ask The Crib Mattress Specialist: Why doesn’t Colgate offer an organic mattress?

Colgate Mattress™️ created the “Ask the Crib Mattress Specialist” series in response to frequently asked questions from our valued customers. Through this blog series, we hope sharing our thoughts on these topics will help you better understand why we handcraft our products with your baby in mind using the highest industry standards.

If you have a question you’d like included in the series, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected].

Question: Hello, Crib Mattress Specialists! 

I know and trust the Colgate Mattress name — in fact, it’s the brand most recommended to me by friends, family and even Google. But I really want to make sure my baby’s crib mattress is organic and you don’t seem to have an organic crib mattress offering? Why is that? 

– Curious Caroline

 

Hello, Caroline! Thank you for your question.

The term “organic” is frequently used across different industries to describe various types of products — ranging from foods to cleaning products to bedding and everything in between. But such common usage of the term can make it difficult to discern when items truly are in fact organic (meaning certified by an industry authority) and when they’re not.

Additionally, there isn’t one universal “clearinghouse” across all industries that sets the standard for when and how the term can be used. And so “organic” can be defined differently depending on the product — and at the discretion of the manufacturer.

The Global Organic Textile Standard provides certification for products such as sheets and mattresses. However, it’s still common for some manufacturer and retailers to set their own standards for what they’ll sell with an organic label.

For example, some manufacturers call a mattress organic even if only one component is organic. Colgate does not consider a mattress organic unless the entire product and all of its components are organic. If we use an organic cotton cover on a foam mattress, for example, we will say that the cover is organic but will not call the entire mattress organic.

“Last we checked, there’s no such thing as organic metal innersprings or organic foam. We choose to call our natural products “eco-friendlier” in order to be transparent with our customers,” says Dennis, Colgate’s Crib Mattress Expert.

Here at Colgate, integrity is paramount. So, while some manufacturers use the term “organic” generously in their marketing, we choose to be more judicious with how and when we do so. As a family-owned and operated business for three generations, we take exception when companies intentionally mislead consumers and market products that aren’t truly organic — that’s an ethical line we don’t cross. We proudly handcraft all of our mattresses here in the USA using the highest quality components.

Learn more about all of our products here.

Colgate Mattress Supports Atlanta Furniture Bank 2018 Race for Rest with The Zen of Running Campaign

We are proud to once again sponsor the Furniture Bank Race for Rest with “The Zen of Running: Buy One, Give One” campaign. In its eighth year, the Race for Rest is a fund-raising event that benefits The Furniture Bank, the only agency in metro Atlanta whose mission is to provide free furniture to families in need.

For the 2018 event, Colgate is matching the first 20 crib mattress purchases with an in-kind crib mattress donation for families in need. Parents, grandparents and friends can support the Furniture Bank’s mission with a crib mattress purchase plus receive a 10% discount! Use promo code ZENBOGO when checking out.

It’s widely known that running is great for both physical and mental health. Running provides time to escape the stress of life for a while and tension goes by the wayside as the miles fly by. So it’s no surprise that runners attribute this alone time as their go-to “State of Zen”.

For new parents, the peace and quiet found on the trails can help foster a more harmonious relationship with baby. Studies continue to show that mothers-to-be who exercise have better overall mental health and have a reduced the risk of gestational diabetes. Jogging has also proven to be a great mood booster and can help new moms suffering from postpartum depression regain confidence.

Colgate understands that new parents are on a never-ending quest for balance, which is why we created our award-winning zenBaby Collection. With its unique water-based coating design, the zenBaby™ Collection offers the highest level of temperature optimization to help baby sleep peacefully. Colgate’s most innovative collection to date, zenBaby™ is designed with rich and natural textures to provide your baby with a calming and cozy environment. In fact, the zenBaby Hybrid 2-in-1 crib mattress was named a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Innovation Award Winner earlier this year.

In keeping safety first, the zenBaby™ Collection is engineered to provide the ideal firmness for baby’s sleep environment. Plus, all Colgate products are GREENGUARD® Gold certified and meet CertiPUR-US® standards for content, emissions and durability. The Collection is proudly handcrafted in the USA by Colgate, the Crib Mattress Specialist®, a family-owned and operated business dedicated to baby’s safety since 1955.

Hello tranquility and peace of mind. Because everybody deserves a little Zen.