There are many mothers today like you and me, who may have been working before they had children, and now miss earning an income. But today you still want to earn, and cannot leave your home, then babysitting from home is an ideal way to make some money. Starting a day-care for infants or a ‘creche’ is a business which you can operate, according to the timings and days that suit you best. You can choose to take care of babies when the parents go to work or after school hours till they come and get them.
Getting Started
The most important thing, before starting the babysitting service from home, is to childproof your home. Take all sharp objects away from the area like glass tables or crystal vases, pens, scissors etc.
Spread the word by getting your newspaper boy to deliver putting flyers in the doors of the nearby society buildings or maybe even starting our own website.
Decide beforehand what age group you will prefer to babysit, as each age group comes with their own set of responsibilities. Mixing the age groups of children will not be a wise idea, as each age needs special care and sitting.
Once you start getting in clientele, ask all the questions that are important, like what is the number of the child’s paediatrician, what is he allergic to, what food to feed him, medicines to be given and make a folder for each child.
Take down the numbers of where the parents or other relatives can be reached. Also it is important for the babysitter to enrol in an emergency care course, or learn CPR beforehand in case of any accidents, that may occur.
Setting up a schedule with the parents and determining the fees at the inception is important and needs to be made into a contract, to avoid overburden or confusion of any sorts. This contract should be signed by both the parents and there should be an understanding of not taking undue advantage of the sitter’s service.
You can choose to take care of babies when the parents go to work or after school hours till they come and get them. The US model of babysitting functions on the basis of hourly rates that works out to be more lucrative for the babysitter. However, there are a few things to look into before you can think of making US model of babysitting come alive in your house.
