Leaving Your Baby At The Babysitter’s Place

Have you considered leaving your baby at the babysitter’s place?

Yes, babysitting can be done both at your own residence, or at the babysitter’s place, here in Singapore! Before you go ahead with this decision, let us advise you on certain considerations.

Why leave your baby at the babysitter’s place?

Budget is one key consideration – leaving your baby at the babysitter’s place is usually cheaper in the long run, compared to having the babysitter conduct babysitting at your own place.

Environmental changes may be a reason too. For instance, on-going renovations and loud noises at your own residence may make babysitting at your own residence unsuitable.

Moreover, exploring babysitting at the babysitter’s place widens your range of care arrangement options! You can choose between a larger pool of available nannies to select the most qualified and experienced one by doing so.

Or, maybe your regular babysitter or nanny is no longer able or willing to babysit at your place, but you remain reluctant to let her go. Then, a possible alternative is to negotiate the babysitting to be conducted at her residence instead!

What to consider before leaving your child at the babysitter’s place?

Inherently, leaving your kid(s) at another place is a slightly different arrangement compared to having a babysitter take care of them at your own place. In our article below, we discuss these differences so you can best decide if this is the right arrangement for you!

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Consider these 4 factors so you can know what to prepare and expect when leaving your baby at your babysitter’s place:

• 1) Number Of Kid(s)
• 2) Logistics
• 3) Location and Distance
• 4) Environmental and Safety

1) Number Of Kid(s) At Babysitter Place

Firstly, at your own place, parents are always comfortable knowing who is at home or not at home. However, at the babysitter’s place, this might not always be the case!

Thus, it is pertinent for parents to find out from the babysitter who else would, or might be, at home, during the babysitting period.

In particular, find out how many babies – one or more – would be at the babysitter place! Also, do not assume that all babies would be taken care of by the babysitter all the time, at the sitter’s location. For example, your chosen babysitter might be a mother of 3. Out of her 3 kids, one goes to secondary school, another is taken care of by a grandparent, and the youngest is being cared for by herself. As such, when you send your baby to her house, essentially, your babysitter is taking care of 2 babies at the same time. Simply put, we are looking at the babysitter to baby ratio of 1:2.

2) Logistics At Babysitter Place

Secondly, never assume that the babysitter’s place is a perfectly well-equipped place for all kids and babies!

Although some parents might feel that the babysitter’s place must be similar to a childcare center environment, or perhaps similar to their own home, they are often proven wrong.

Depending on our child’s age, he or she would require various logistics to be present during the babysitting. For example, a toddler may require his or her own potty and drinking water bottle around always. Also, staple logistical items include diapers, feeding apparel (eg. milk bottles, teats, milk powder, sterilizers), and sleeping items (eg. mattress/cot). Remember to get down to every detail (eg. don’t forget the shower accessories, towels, baby tub, etc) – by referring to our detailed list of items your baby may require here!

In essence, before leaving your baby at the babysitter’s place, you would need to have a checklist of what items are already present and usable at the location, and what items you would need to prepare and bring over.

3) Location and Distance

Thirdly, in most cases, parents or caregivers need to bring their kid(s) to the babysitter’s place via their own arranged transport mode.

Hence, it is crucial to consider the location of the babysitter’s place and the distance and time required for traveling. At MEIDE Babysitting, we recommend setting a criteria based on 2 ideas:

• A distance in terms of X kilometers radius from your own location;
• A possible location within X meter proximity en route from your place to workplace (or equivalent).

For the former, this is especially helpful for families who have their own vehicle. By setting this criteria, you can send and pick up your baby from the babysitter house at your own convenience. With a predictable time and distance, this makes planning your own time and schedule easier!

For the latter, this is useful for parents who need to bring your kid to the babysitter’s place before heading off to work. Then, they can also pick up their child after work conveniently. For example, Miss Lee travels from Boon Lay MRT station to Bishan MRT station daily for work. Hence, as long as the babysitter’s house is located within walkable distance from any MRT station en route (eg. along the East-West Green line or Circle Yellow Line), it makes it simpler for Miss Lee to convey her children to the babysitter’s place before and after work.

4) Environmental and Safety Considerations

Fourthly, this is one of the most important considerations before leaving your baby at the babysitter’s place. Ensure the environment is appropriate and safe!

Pets and Other Persons

To start off, check if there are any pets or animals in the babysitter’s house. Additionally, you can inquire if these pets pose any danger, and whether they can be muzzled, kenneled or isolated. Pets may not be suitable to be around young babies all the time. Nevertheless, there are also parents who love exposing their children to little furry friends and like it when there are pets around in the babysitter’s place. Then, simply check if any domestic animals around have been duly vaccinated and vetted for safety!

Next, check if there are other family members, tenants, or occupants around. These persons may or may not interact with your baby and/or babysitter. However, with attention to health, try to avoid having smokers near your baby. We elaborate on such criteria here too.

Your Baby’s Health

Then, remember too that your baby is learning and growing! With a foreign or new environment, he or she may need time to adapt. Be patient and conscientious about changes with regards to your baby’s habits. Convey such habits and observations to your babysitter too, so that he or she can assist in helping your child adapt. For instance, a toddler being potty trained may face difficulties and constipation during this transition.

The Babysitting Environment

Last but not least, ensure that the babysitter’s place is as BABYPROOF-ED as possible! Talk to your babysitter, request for photos or videos, and even consider doing a site visit. Or, you can talk to any of our coordinators here at MEIDE, and we will evaluate it for you!

Remember, not all houses are renovated and furnished similarly. Some places may be too dangerous for your baby to roam around. Do not assume that your babysitter’s residence is already baby-proofed.

Wondering what is “babyproof” or how to babyproof environments? Check out our article here on how to babyproof the surroundings to make it safer for your dear little ones.

Conclusion About Leaving Your Baby at Babysitter’s Place

In conclusion, leaving your baby at a babysitter’s place can be a norm for some, but daunting and new to others.

Yet, it remains a very viable care arrangement for busy parents!

There are many reasons to consider leaving your baby at the babysitter’s place. However, there are also considerations and items to check and prepare beforehand. Did you know? As of this point of writing, there has yet to be very stringent governmental rules about babysitting at the babysitter place. However, MEIDE Babysitting is keenly aware of potential pitfalls with our extensive experience. Hence, why not tap upon our expertise and contact us right here for help?

With these factors in mind, you can now set your expectations and decide what is acceptable, or not. We hope these learning points help you decide whether to leave your baby (or not) at the babysitter’s place!