by Barbara Mccutcheon

Created on: January 29, 2009

A family's house rules help its members know what to expect and what is expected of them. For very young children changing these rules for any reason can be confusing, but some rules may need to be adjusted to accommodate safety and separation issues. If the babysitter is a teen, she probably won't have as much experience with unexpected situations as you do. An older babysitter may have a lot of experience, but also is likely to be somewhat set in her ways. In either situation, requiring the sitter to follow all your family rules is likely to cause more problems than it solves. In fact, there are some rules that definitely should be changed.

1.
Guests: Your children should not be allowed to have guests while a sitter is caring for them unless you, the sitter and the guest's parents all agree regarding each specific guest. This is a veto issue, not a vote issue. Respect the sitter's reluctance to accept additional responsibility as well as the guest's parents' concerns about potential safety problems.

2.
Outdoor play: This is particularly important when the sitter is a teen or a person with physical limitations. Depending on your specific situation, you should either reduce the distance the child is allowed to be away from the house, make the return home time earlier, or even restrict your children to the house entirely. Children will try to test limits with a babysitter and could run into problems the sitter might have difficulty handling.

3.
Food: Having a sitter should be a fun time for your children and permitting some special foods can go a long way to reducing separation anxiety. These don't have to be major changes, but allowing them sprinkles on some ice cream, pudding, or other snack food can be enough for younger children. Older children will want more, so consider allowing them to help the sitter with some fun recipes. Many sitters have a few favorites, so ask ahead of time and have the ingredients ready. One caution, if you know that one or more of your children has a problem with food, be sure to tell the sitter and plan a treat that all your children can safely enjoy. This includes requiring low- or no-sugar snacks for children who tend to become hyper after eating sugar.

Relaxing or tightening rules should be done on a case-by-case basis and depends on balancing safety and fun with your babysitter's abilities and limits. One thing absolutely necessary is to make your children understand that the sitter is in charge and has been instructed to put

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>