What important information should a babysitter have?

The care window and where you will be, two contacts in the order to try them, any allergy or medicine with what to do, food and drinks, the sleep and settling routine, who may collect the child, and the house basics such as doors, alarms and the first-aid kit.

Where can I find a free babysitter information sheet?

There is a blank printable one on this page. It needs no email address, account or download, and prints on a single sheet you can fill in by hand.

What should you leave off a babysitter information sheet?

Door codes, alarm codes and where keys are hidden, along with anything sensitive that would not change what someone does in the moment. A printed sheet can be dropped, left in a coat or read by whoever picks it up, so write it assuming a stranger will see it.

How often should you update it?

Check it whenever a routine, contact or medicine changes, and at least every few months. An out-of-date sheet is more dangerous than none, because it will be believed.

Free guide and printable

Babysitter information sheet: what to include

A good babysitter information sheet answers the questions your sitter would otherwise text you about — before they need to ask. Here is what belongs on it, a printable blank template, and a way to keep it alive when the day doesn’t go to plan.

What a complete babysitter information sheet covers

Care window and locationThe exact start and end of the sitting, and the address where care happens. Obvious to you; the first thing a sitter checks twice.
Who to contact, in orderYour number first, then a named backup with their relationship to the child. One clear order beats a list of maybes.
Allergies and medicationFor each child: what to avoid, what the child carries, and exactly what to do on contact. If there is no allergy, say so — a blank is not an answer.
Food and drinksWhat to serve and when, anything that is a treat-only, and where to find it. Include what is not allowed.
Sleep and settlingBedtime, the wind-down steps that actually work, and what comforts each child — the lamp left on, the exact teddy.
Collection rulesWho is allowed to collect each child, by name — and what to do if anyone else arrives. The safest sheets name the rule explicitly.
House basicsDoor locks, gates that must stay closed, anything the sitter needs access to — and nothing they don't.
What can change, and what must notWhich parts of the routine can flex if the day runs late, and which are fixed no matter what. This is the difference between a note and a plan.

Printable babysitter information sheet

Care window

Date, start and end timeAddress where care happens

Contact first

Parent name and phoneBackup name, relationship and phone

For each child

Name and ageAllergies — what to avoid and what to do on contact (write “none” if none)Medication — what, when, where it is keptFood and drinks — what to serve and whenSleep — bedtime and what helps settlingComfort — the exact teddy, light or phrase

Rules of the house

Who may collect each child, by nameDoors, gates and anything that stays lockedScreens and treats — what is allowed

If something unusual happens

Ring the parent first; in an emergency ring your local emergency number

This is a blank template: once you fill it in, keeping it accurate is on you, and a printed sheet is believed long after it stops being true. Care Handover generates the same thing from a plan you have approved, so it cannot silently go out of date — and your carer sees what is happening now rather than what was true when you printed it.

Babysitter checklist for before you leave

Walk the sitter through the sheet out loud — two minutes, at the door.
Show where the first-aid kit and any medication live.
Confirm your phone is on loud and the backup contact knows they are the backup.
Agree the collection rule and lock the door behind you.

Paper can’t answer “what now?”

A printed sheet is a snapshot. Care Handover turns the same answers into a private live plan your babysitter opens from one link — what is happening now, what comes next, and the changes you approved for when the nap runs late. You review everything before it goes live, and you can revoke the link at any time.

Create your handover See a live example

Common questions

What important information should a babysitter have?: The care window and where you will be, two contacts in the order to try them, any allergy or medicine with what to do, food and drinks, the sleep and settling routine, who may collect the child, and the house basics such as doors, alarms and the first-aid kit.
Where can I find a free babysitter information sheet?: There is a blank printable one on this page. It needs no email address, account or download, and prints on a single sheet you can fill in by hand.
What should you leave off a babysitter information sheet?: Door codes, alarm codes and where keys are hidden, along with anything sensitive that would not change what someone does in the moment. A printed sheet can be dropped, left in a coat or read by whoever picks it up, so write it assuming a stranger will see it.
How often should you update it?: Check it whenever a routine, contact or medicine changes, and at least every few months. An out-of-date sheet is more dangerous than none, because it will be believed.

What to write in your babysitter notesThe note you leave on the counter — what to put in it, in the order a sitter reads it.
An emergency contact card for your childOne card a carer can read in seconds, or hand to someone else — and what not to put on it.
Allergy and medication information for a carerHow to write down what your doctor told you so a sitter can follow it exactly.
Leaving your child with a sitter for the first timeWhat to cover before the first time, and what is worth saying out loud at the door.
Leaving your child with grandparents overnightWhat to say before the first overnight, including what to do at 2am.
Babysitting siblings with different routinesBriefing a sitter for two or more children whose evenings collide.
Questions to ask a babysitter before you hire themWhat to ask before you leave your child with someone, and what the answers tell you.
What to tell a wedding or hotel babysitterThe hardest handover: a sitter you have not met, in a room your child does not know.

This guide helps you organise your own instructions; it is not medical or safeguarding advice. In an emergency, ring your local emergency number — 112 or 999 in Ireland, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US.