Hiring a babysitter can be an easy way to get some time off. But as a parent, you need to ensure your babysitter knows the basics of child care before leaving your children with them. Here are five baby care techniques your babysitter should know about:
Feeding and Burping the Baby
Feeding and burping the baby is a crucial part of taking care of your infant. Your babysitter should know how to do this properly, as it can help prevent several problems.
If the babysitter is feeding your infant formula or breast milk from a bottle, they should know how to hold the bottle for your baby. The babysitter needs to make sure that they are holding it at a 45-degree angle when feeding and never tilt it downwards, which can cause choking or ear infections.
When the babysitter is lying down, they should use one hand to support the baby’s head and neck. When sitting up, the babysitter should hold your baby with their arm under their bottom, using their other hand to gently pat or rub them on the back until your child burps.
Equally, your babysitter needs to be well acquainted with various ways of relieving baby congestion.
Checking the Body Vitals
The babysitter should know how to check the baby’s pulse rate, respiration, and temperature. Checking these vitals will allow them to monitor and detect if your child is experiencing any health problems or discomfort that they may not communicate verbally just yet.
The faster you know of a problem, the more likely you can manage it successfully before it gets out of hand. For example, infants’ body temperatures have less leeway before becoming dangerous, so knowing what feels normal and determining when something isn’t right is imperative in preventing injury or illness from occurring.
Soothing/Lulling the Baby
Your babysitter must know how to soothe the baby. They should know a variety of different techniques and be able to use them at any time accordingly.
The first technique is swaddling, which involves tightly wrapping the child in a blanket or cloth that is appropriate for their age and size. Swaddling helps babies feel safe, as if you are still holding them. In addition, swaddling can help with both types of problematic behaviors: fussy behavior or self-soothing behaviors.
Another way a babysitter might try soothing the child is by using a pacifier. This is a great technique to help soothe the baby, but it can be difficult if they are not used to using one already. Your babysitter must know when and how much pressure should be applied.
In addition to these two techniques, create a calm environment with dim lighting and soft lullabies playing in the background, massage therapy may also prove effective for soothing/lulling an infant into sleep mode!
Playing With the Baby
Your babysitter should know how to play with your baby. This means they should be able to understand the basics of what makes them happy and replicate this in different scenarios to keep your child’s moods high while you’re out at work or on vacation.
Playing peek-a-boo – Babies love surprises! They will get a huge kick out of it when someone throws a blanket over themselves then pops back up like magic. Peekaboo also builds trust between the babysitter and your baby by showing no monsters hiding under the bed.
Playing with toys – Babies are never too young to start playing! They love it when things move, so rattles and mobiles are excellent choices for babysitters who want to keep them happy.
Integrating the Baby With Siblings
When you have a newborn, it can be hard to find time for yourself. Consider getting a babysitter who will help integrate your newborn into the family as well as helping take care of other children in an efficient way. If you have an older child, it’s a good idea to let them help choose the babysitter. This will make your children feel more comfortable around their new caregiver and give them a chance to get acquainted with the routine before the baby comes home!
Conclusion
The babysitting job is critical and requires an understanding of how to keep your children safe. You may have thought about what different skills you would look for in a sitter. These techniques are fundamental for the babysitter to know. So, it would help if you were sure that your sitter is familiar with them before hiring them. If they do not, it may be time to look elsewhere!
No comments:
Post a Comment