Top 16 Babysitter Skills to be best on the Job

Top 16 Babysitter Skills to be best on the Job

To be one of the best babysitters in the industry, you will need to develop certain skills that will enable you to perform the tasks of the job effectively.

The babysitter responsibilities, which include preparing meal for the children, keeping children amused, bathing, doing chores, disciplining, and offering first Aid, are quite challenging.

However, having the right skills and qualities for the job will help you to effectively handle any child or situation

16 Babysitter Skills and Qualities to be Best on the Job

1. Negotiation Skills. Every babysitter has to use a non-violent approach to convince the children she is taking care of. You can’t force anyone to do anything, so you should always use words such as “please” or “sorry”. Remember that most employers need people with this skill set.

2. Patient. Babysitters need to exercise patience with the children they look after. When the children are asked to do the chores, they should also be given time to get it done. Even when they refuse up to two to three times, keep reminding them how they need to do that to make their parents happy.

3. Customer Service. There is no job that doesn’t involve customer service, even babysitting. Though you don’t deal with customers directly, you still have your colleagues involved mostly when dealing with situations within the workplace.

4. Problem Solving. This is the ability to find problems and explore similar information in order to implement solution. The problems could arise from either your customers or your employees, but the complexity of any problem you may face cannot weigh you down when you have problem solving skills.

5. Attentive and Loving. A babysitter that is always busy with her phone checking for emails or text messages will not be effective on the job. Babysitters need to have attentive and loving skills. A good sitter would listen to the child and interact with him/her in a gentle and loving way.

6. Experience. The work experience of a babysitter includes how he/she helped with chores, prepared food for the children, cleaned the house, and changed diapers. Experience can teach a lot in this profession, but only for those with the skills. Sometimes, the voluntary work you did in the past can give you the experience you need as a babysitter.

7. Creativity. The sitter should be creative enough to keep kids entertained for hours. The ability to think out ways to make kids happy comes out of a creative mind, and can be used to win future interviews.

8. Competent. The babysitter must be competent enough to handle various housekeeping duties, and also cook for the family. If he/she always shows signs of weakness, he/she will be regarded to be incompetent for the job. So, you need to maintain competence in your position so that you can stay long working as a babysitter.

9. Punctuality. The babysitter should always arrive on time. If there is need to be late, he/she should call the parents to notify them of late arrival. The babysitting job can be as delicate as every other position, meaning that you could lose that position if you do not sit up.

10. Communication. As a babysitter, you need to discuss many things with the parents of the baby you are looking after. Meals, snacks, naps, unwanted behavior of the child, frequency of check-in calls, and the limited movements of the child, are to be discussed. You will be seen as an excellent babysitter with good communication skills.

11. Good Health. The babysitter must be healthy to avoid spreading of disease. A babysitter with a cold or contagious disease had better not take the job. Treat yourself before sending your application, to avoid any disgusting situation.

12. Knowledge about Children. Children develop in stages, so, to be a good babysitter, you need to know all you can about child development; as well as children behavior. You also need to know the basic techniques of feeding, bathing, diapering, dressing, and playing with younger and older children.

13. Conflict Resolution. Some of the children in your care might engage in a quarrel or real fight, and it is you the sitter who has to resolve the issue using amicable approach. You need to first stop the fight and listen attentively to any complaint they might raise. Make sure that you are not biased in your judgment.

14. Time Management. The ability to manage time is very essential in this career, as this increases your productivity in a particular given time. Without proper scheduling of your time, you might clutter up your usual activities, meal preparation, and appointments.

15. Kid Entertainment Skills. This involves your ability to entertain and keep the kids company by playing with them. Sometimes, the sitter might engage the kids in creative and learning; as well as entertaining activities.

16. Teaching Ability: As a babysitter that desires to be best on the job, you need to be able to teach the children a number of things especially about personal hygiene and cleanliness. They need to know how to keep both their body and the environment clean, and to have respect for the elderly people in general and not just for their parents.

Babysitter Skills for Resume

If you are making a babysitter resume, you can apply the skills and qualities shown above in completing the core competence section of the resume.

The competence section of your resume gives you the opportunity to show the recruiter that you possess the right skills and qualities for the babysitter position.

Conclusion:

If you are a babysitter who wants to be best on your job, having the skills and qualities discussed above will certainly improve your effectiveness on the job.

For someone looking for a good person to employ as a babysitter, using the above skills in your hiring process will help you find the person.

Is this post helpful to you in becoming a better babysitter? Please make a comment in the box below. You may also share additional babysitter skills that you know.