Little Things That Help a Lot!

Nannies, au-pairs, and sometimes even babysitters can often spend long hours with the children they care for. So, many times they might finish off a box of cereal, use the rest of the diaper wipes, use the last diaper, run out of milk or formula etc.  It would be really helpful for the parents if the child care provider could just jot down a list throughout the day of any food or supplies that are running low or have completely run out.  If the parents get home at 7:00 p.m., they may not have a need for milk until morning, so they won't know it's gone until they need it.  This is very frustrating.

Also, if the child has soiled or stained his clothes, the babysitter should let the parents know.  The sooner the mess or stain is treated, the easier it will be to clean.  And, if the child soils his clothes and the childcare provider just rolls them into a ball and tosses them into the hamper, the smell can be so overpowering by the time the parents do laundry that you can almost guarentee they will be more than a little upset about it.  Many stains that are left on clothing for several hours or more can set and become permanent.  If the nanny, au-pair or babysitter doesn't know what to do with stained clothing, she should at least report it to the parents so they can take care of it before it's a bigger problem.

These are just a couple of little things that would be greatly appreciated by the parents if the childcare provider just takes a few seconds to let them know,

Lisa McLellan

Child Care Expert