 	        			You are a busy and devoted mom, and love watching
every new thing your son or daughter does. It is
important, however, to set aside special time for
you and your partner, or just time for yourself.


Choosing and Using a Babysitter


Planning time away from your new baby means that
you will need to find a trusted babysitter to care
for your baby like you would. That may seem
impossible, but knowing what qualities you need in
a babysitter will help you to find the best person
to take care of your child. The National Women\'s
Health Information Center (NWHIC) recommends
taking the following steps to familiarize a new
babysitter with you, your baby, and your home.
Also, we have provided a babysitter checklist to
remind you of the information the babysitter will
need while caring for your child, such as numbers
where you can be reached in an emergency.

Tips for Familiarizing a New Babysitter with Child

Safety and Your Home

Safety/First Aid:

    * Ask if the babysitter knows infant/child CPR
and Rescue Breathing.
    * Remind the babysitter that infants should
not be placed on an adult bed of any kind.
    * Remind the babysitter to place the baby on
her/his back to sleep.
    * Be sure that the babysitter knows the signs
of illness in an infant including: changes in skin
color, sweating, nausea or vomiting, and
diarrhea.
    * Show the babysitter where the fire
extinguishers are kept, and explain how they are
used.
    * Be sure to show the babysitter where the
first aid supplies are kept.
    * Remind the babysitter to keep all balloons
or plastic items away from the baby.
    * Instruct the babysitter that children should
never be unsupervised in the bathtub. He/she
should take them with him/her if they must answer
the telephone or the door bell.
    * Remind the babysitter to keep the bathroom
door closed, and the toilet seat and lid down when
not in use.

Familiarity with your House:

    * Before leaving, be sure to give the
babysitter a tour of the house.
    * Ensure that all windows have been closed,
and that the babysitter knows to keep them
closed.
    * Show the babysitter how to operate your
child safety gates, and indicate where they need
to be kept.
    * Also show the babysitter where the
flashlights are located.
    * Make sure that you have put away all sharp
items including scissors, knives, and any other
objects that can cause injury.

Click here for more information on first aid for
babysitters:

American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training Course



Baby-Proofing Your Home


Choosing and Using Child Care

Many moms today work and rely on child care for
their children. Relatives or family members
sometimes take on child-care duties, or children
are enrolled in child-care programs. All parents
wish the best start for their children. Child care
is more than just a service that allows parents to
work. It is a world that will affect a child’s
development in many ways – physically,
emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Finding
quality child care that is affordable can be
challenging. Many parents need inexpensive or
cost-free day care where they know their children
are safe and are being helped to grow and develop.
Parents can contact their local social service
agency (listed in the phone book) for information
about government-sponsored programs such as Head
Start and Early Head Start and other community
programs. The National Women’s Health Information
Center (NWHIC) recommends taking the following
steps to choosing quality child care. Also, we
have provided a Child Care Provider Checklist for
evaluating possible child care providers.

Steps to Choosing Quality Child Care

    * Look. Visit several child care homes or
centers. Visit the home or center more than once
and stay as long as possible so you can get a good
feel for what the care will be like for your
child. Continue to visit even after you start
using the home or center.

    * Listen. Make sure the place is cheerful and
not too quiet, which can mean not enough activity.
Happy-sounding children means they are involved
and busy.

    * Count. Count the number of children in the
group and the number of staff members caring for
them. The fewer the number of children for each
staff member, the more attention your child will
get.

    * Ask. Adults who care for children need
knowledge and experience. Ask about the background
and experience of all staff that will have contact
with your child in the home or center.

    * Be Informed. Find out more about efforts in
your community to improve the quality of child
care. Ask if the home or center is involved in
these activities. Consider getting involved
yourself.

There are many organizations that have developed
guidelines for choosing child care. NWHIC has
provided the following links to child care
resources.

    * http://nccic.org
    * http://www.childcareaware.org
    * http://www.headstartinfo.org/recruitment/child_hs.
htm
    * http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/daycare.html
    * http://www.aap.org

The following resources can help answer other
questions you may have choosing babysitters and
childcare:

    * Daycare and Babysitting

Daycare and Babysitting
Publications

   1. 
   Baby-Proofing Your Home  - This publication
suggests things you can do with dangerous items in
your home to prevent your baby from suffocating,
choking, drowning, being burnt, and falling.
     

   2. 
    Day Care: Choosing a Good Center (Copyright
© AAFP)  - This fact sheet provides general
information steps to take when choosing a
childcare provider.
      
   3. 
   Federal resource  For Kids Sake, Think Toy
Safety (English)  - A guide to choosing, buying &
maintaining toys for children & infants. Includes
info on toy labeling & the Child Safety Protection
Act.
      
   4. 
   Questions to Ask About
Caregiving/Baby-sitting (Copyright © Safer Child,
Inc.)  - This publication discusses how to find a
safe, responsible babysitter and what type of
questions you need to ask when choosing a
childcare provider.
      
   5. 
   Questions to Ask About Daycare (Copyright ©
Safer Child, Inc.)  - This publication discusses
the questions parents should ask themselves and to
the daycare provider when considering placing a
child in daycare.
      
   6. Questions to Ask at a Prospective Daycare
(Copyright © Safer Child, Inc.) - This publication
discusses questions parents should ask of a
daycare center when choosing services.
      

Organizations

   1. Federal resource  Administration for
Children and Families. http://www.acf.dhhs.gov

   2. Federal resource  Child Care Bureau, ACYF,
ACF, HHS
     
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ccb/index.html

   3. Federal resource  National Child Care
Information Center, CCB, ACF, HHS
      http://nccic.org/
      
   4. National Network for Child Care
      http://www.nncc.org/
      
   5. YMCA of the USA
      http://www.ymca.net/


This page last updated: October 2004
Source: Womenshealth.gov