Parenting Advice From Experts
Most parents will place their child in someone else's care at one point or another. Whether it's selecting a day care for when you go to work or hiring a babysitter so you can go out to dinner, every parent needs to know a few key planning and safety tips to protect the health and well being of their child.
How to choose the right day care
The right day care for your baby is one where he or she will be safe, happy, and receive plenty of nurturing care. Home-based day care providers are common, as are commercial day care centers. Either of these types of day care offer advantages and disadvantages which you must carefully evaluate before making final decision.
Licensing – Always check to be sure a potential day care is properly licensed and has passed its health and safety inspections.
Adult to child ratio – There are varying rules about how many children a single adult can care for at once, usually categorized by the ages of the children. The lower the ration between adults and children, the more personalized and individual attention your baby will receive.
Nurturing care – Babies need warmth and nurturing to flourish, so look for a day care where the provider(s) genuinely enjoy caring for their charges. There should be smiles, laughter, cuddling, and positive words of encouragement. If the provider(s) have scowls on their faces and grumpy attitudes, it's probably not a very nurturing environment.
Cost – Day care is, in a word, expensive. Very expensive. As with many things, however, the better quality day cares typically cost more money. There are exceptions to this, of course, but always be wary of a day care where the rates are substantially lower than the average for your area.
Nutrition – Your baby will need to be fed while at the day care, so find out about their nutrition program. An infant will likely still eat from a bottle and later take in prepared baby food, but as your child gets older the day care will most likely provide snacks and lunch. Check to be sure all food is prepared according to proper health practices and that it is nutritious.
Convenience – This is an important factor to consider when selecting a day care, but should not necessarily be the deciding factor. It's great to have a day care that's close to home or conveniently located along the route of your commute, but never compromise quality of care for the sake of convenience. It's much better for your baby (and your peace of mind) to go a little bit out of your way to get the best possible care.
How to choose the right babysitter
The time has come to hire a babysitter, so what important factors should you consider? Let's take a look at what the experts say.
Age & Experience – It's quite common for teenagers, especially girls, to earn extra money by babysitting for friends and neighbors. Before leaving your baby with anyone, find out how old they are and what kind of babysitting experience they have. Ask for references and don't be shy about checking them. The general rule of thumb is the younger your baby, the more experienced your babysitter should be.
Hourly Rate – Each babysitter will set his or her own hourly rate, so be sure to ask about it in advance. If you have more than one child find ask about any additional costs that might be involved. You'll probably find that there are a few very good babysitters in your neighborhood, that their services are in high demand, and that their hourly rate tends to be higher. Any experienced parent will tell you a good babysitter is sometimes hard to find, so once you have found one it is well worth it to pay a little bit extra. This will help ensure he or she is happy to babysit for you whenever the opportunity arises.
First Aid Training – Always ensure your babysitter has the proper first aid training. Your local Red Cross chapter most likely offers babysitter training and certification classes, so find out if your babysitter has participated in one. You might even consider paying the class fee for your favorite babysitter to attend.
Nurturing Care – Make sure the babysitter you choose provides loving, nurturing care for your baby. A good way to determine this is to hire the sitter for a couple of "test runs" before leaving for any length of time. Bring in a sitter to watch your baby while you do household chores or otherwise stay busy around the house; this allows you to keep an eye on how the two of them do together and spot any potential problems with the sitter. One of the best indicators of loving and nurturing care occurs when, after using a babysitter several times, your baby is happy and excited to see him or her arrive at your house.