Babysitter Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

By | August 30, 2023
Babysitter job description, duties, tasks, and responsibilities
Babysitters provide care to children on their parents’ behalf when they are away.

This post provides detailed information on the job description of a babysitter, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they typically perform.

What Do Babysitters Do?

A babysitter is one who cares for people’s children in their various homes.

For some people this term refers to caring for a child only for a few hours, while for others, it entails caring for children most hours of the day.

The job description of a babysitter entails performing certain menial housekeeping routines like scrubbing the floor after the baby must have spilled her juice.

The responsibilities of babysitting also vary from changing diapers, watching the sleeping child, preparing meals, and playing games.

It is the duty of the babysitter to ensure the safety of the child as long as they are in her care, no matter the circumstance.

Depending on the particular family you are working for, as a babysitter you might need to get involved in performing additional tasks.

This sort of job requires that the babysitter reports for duty very early and could close late also. This is because many people hire babysitters because they can’t be really be there for their children most of the times.

A babysitter is to partner with the parents of the child in their care in matters concerning the child’s well-being.

The role of a babysitter requires knowledge of child safety and first aid and its appropriate use, and a good skill in diaper changing.

Babysitter Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The job of a babysitter varies and usually depends on their agreement with the parents, their needs and expectation.

Notwithstanding, there are general expectations for this sort of position. Below is a list of duties, responsibilities, and tasks expected from a babysitter by most clients:

  • Plan and prepare meals for the children
  • Perform children’s shopping in partnership with, or according to directives from the parents
  • Bath the children and dress them up, constantly changing and washing their sheets and clothes. This means keeping the children at all times
  • Organize play activities for the children and accompany them to activities outside the home environment
  • Discipline children using methods approved by the parents
  • Monitor children’s activities during rest periods and meals as told by parents
  • Keep the kitchen and its environs neat and in good condition during work hours
  • Responsible for planning and organizing events in the family as directed by the parents
  • Responsible for maintaining some family accounts and paying of bills
  • Overseeing other workers and staff
  • Professionally respond to calls from employers on checking up on their children to be rest assured that they are okay
  • Take charge of feeding the pets during work hours
  • Responsible for taking children to school and back

Babysitter Job Description for Resume

The sample job description shown above can be used in making a resume for the babysitter position.

The job description states the major duties and responsibilities of babysitters, which can be modified and used to complete the work experience section of the resume. This section tells the employer that you have the relevant experience to babysit for people. See detailed babysitter resume writing tips and example here.

Babysitter Skills, Expectations, Qualification, and Requirements

To excel on the job as a babysitter you will need to have the following skills and qualities, which employers usually require, and which you can also use in your resume:

  • A good level of English speaking
  • Having a driver’s license gives an advantage
  • A substantial period of experience in the field
  • Exceptional bathing skill, coupled with planning, dressing, and arranging the home environment
  • Exceptionally skilled in care giving; always conscious of personal hygiene
  • Ability to efficiently perform simple household activities without supervision
  • Ability to teach the children, especially subjects having to do with personal cleanliness and hygiene
  • Skilled in entertaining kids and keeping them company by playing with them; couple with proven ability to engage children in creative and learning activities
  • Demonstrated ability to care for newborns, infants, and toddlers
  • Ability to keep records of daily activities and possibly health information of children
  • Ability to put the kids to bed without engaging inappropriate measures, like scolding
  • Ability to efficiently control the activities of children
  • Should be fairly intelligent to help the children with their homework
  • Ability to act calm in situations of medical emergencies
  • Ability to handle kids; being patient with them
  • Ability to maintain a clean and healthy environment inside the home

Help pass this around: If you enjoyed our babysitter job description sample and skills, which can serve as a template in making job descriptions, as well as in making babysitter resumes, please help share it with friends on your favorite social media channel, many thanks!