Free guide and printable
Leaving your child with a sitter for the first time
The first time is rarely about the sitter being capable. It is about them not knowing the hundred small things you have never had to say out loud — and about you being able to sit through dinner without checking your phone. Here is what to do beforehand, what to say at the door, and how to handle the first hour.
Before the night itself
- Have them come once while you are still thereHalf an hour, with you in the next room. Your child sees you hand over calmly, and the sitter learns the house while there is somebody to ask. It is the single thing that makes the real night easier.
- Write it down rather than say itYou will explain everything at the door and they will remember about a third of it, because they are also taking off a coat and meeting a toddler. Anything that matters should exist on paper or a screen.
- Decide what you actually want to be rung aboutMost first-time sitters ring too late, not too early, because nobody told them what counted. Say it explicitly: “ring me if she is still crying after twenty minutes” is a rule someone can follow.
- Agree the end time honestlyIf you might be back at eleven rather than ten, say so now. A sitter who is watching the clock is not watching the child.
At the door
- Walk them through the sheet out loud — two minutes, not twenty.
- Show where the first-aid kit, medicines and spare clothes are.
- Point out the comfort object and say what it is called.
- Say your phone is on loud, and that ringing you is welcome.
- Say goodbye properly and leave. A long goodbye is harder than a short one.
Printable first-time checklist
Tonight
Where we are, and when we will be backParent name and numberSecond contact, relationship and numberAgreed check-in timeThe child
Name, age, and what they answer toAllergies and medicine (write “none” if none)Food — what, when, whereBedtime and the wind-down, in orderComfort object, by nameWhat to ring me about
Ring me straight away if…You do not need to ring me if…The house
Doors, alarm, first-aid kitWho may come to the doorIn an emergency
Ring the parent first; in an emergency ring your local emergency numberThis 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 Care Handover generates the same thing from a plan you have approved, so it cannot silently go out of date — and your carer sees what is happening now rather than what was true when you printed it.
The first hour after you leave
- Expect a message. Answer it quickly, even if it is nothing.
- Resist ringing repeatedly — it tells the sitter you do not trust them and the child that something is wrong.
- Agree one check-in time in advance so nobody is guessing.
- Afterwards, ask what was unclear. That answer is your sheet for next time.
The second time should be easier than the first
Most of what you write tonight is still true next month. Care Handover keeps it, so the next booking is a few edits rather than starting again at the kitchen table — and your sitter opens a link showing what is happening now rather than reading a page from last time.
Common questions
- How do you prepare for a babysitter the first time?
- Have them come once while you are still in the house, write down anything that matters rather than saying it at the door, and decide in advance what you actually want to be rung about.
- What should you tell a babysitter before you leave?
- Walk them through the sheet out loud in about two minutes, show where the first-aid kit, medicines and spare clothes are, name the comfort object, and say plainly that ringing you is welcome.
- Should you check in on a first-time babysitter?
- Agree one check-in time in advance rather than ringing repeatedly. Frequent calls tell the sitter you do not trust them and the child that something is wrong.
Other free guides
- 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.
- Babysitter information sheetEverything a sitter needs in one sheet, with a free printable template.
- 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, and Care Handover does not place, vet, employ or insure carers. In an emergency, ring your local emergency number — 112 or 999 in Ireland, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US.