It’s a relief to be with your children all the time, to watch over them with your own eyes, to be by their side day and night, and to hear them laugh or even cry. Parents and their children are meant to be together. Mothers, after giving birth to their offspring, are excited to see their new blessing and don’t want to be kept away from them. Fathers are as blissful and loving.
As the babies grow by days, weeks, and years, every moment gets more precious. However, there are some family situations and goings-in that urge parents to ask someone to take care and look after their kids. In many cases, a relative or a close friend is chosen, but in a lot of instances, parents hire a babysitter who’s not related to their family in any way.
There are many strategies to choose a babysitter for your kids. That person could be referred to you by someone you know, could be an applicant from the post you uploaded in a moms’ online group, could be a neighbor’s former nursemaid, someone from a company you have looked at online, such as sosgarde, and the list goes on.
Without a doubt, finding a babysitter is a big challenge for parents because it is difficult to entrust your young ones to somebody else, especially to those you are still bound to personally knowing. There really are just some important reasons to employ one for your kids and you as well, so as you search for the right childcarer, be careful and wise!
In case you already have a babysitter right at the moment you are reading this piece, be reminded that it is very crucial to know whether or not you picked a trustworthy nanny. There are good babysitters and bad ones too. Ascertain that the one you have hired is not among the latter.
To help you detect a bad babysitter, here are 8 warning flags that you must watch out for!
1 – ALWAYS SHOWING AN INTENTIONAL FROWN
Being judgmental is not a good human characteristic, but in times like this when you are looking for a person you can rely on about your babies, you need to scrutinize people well with the right sense of judgment.
Of course, the first thing that catches one’s attention is the physical appearance. That will tell you a lot about the sitter in your house. Be aware of the way he/she reacts, responds, and expresses himself/herself in front of you and of your kids.
A babysitter who’s always showing a frown might be someone you should not completely depend on. What could that imply? It might be because they actually hate being told of what to do, they are not receptive to instructions, they don’t want any constructive criticism, or they don’t really want any responsibility. That’s being awfully disrespectful.
All the above-mentioned possibilities are completely not favorable since they might take it out on the children you are leaving with them. The nanny’s unlikeable facial expressions might signal about their bad temper. If that person is frowning and seemingly unhappy with the directions and requests you, parents, make, imagine how they might coldly treat your innocent kids when you are not around.
2 – AVOIDING COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS
It’s automatic that parents will ask the nurser about their children, like how they were throughout the day, school assignments they accomplished, meals they took, and other important information that parents need to know because they deserve to.
An unreliable babysitter does not share enough details with the parents. Why? It could be because he/she did not properly look after the kids or is not just valuing the importance of good communication. You need updates about your child, so if he/she is not talking well with you, shouldn’t you be thinking twice about still having that person in your home?
Communication between you and the childcarer you hired is highly essential. Even after the babysitting hours, you will know if you got nice babysitters if they still chat or text to wish you well and to ask how the kids are doing, just like a thoughtful friend does.
3 – OBVIOUS LACK OF PAYING ATTENTION
As hired babysitters, they are to accept demands and rules you, parents, set at home, and the pointers you give them to remember. You establish these directives to foster harmony and to guide them as they attend to your kids.
Inefficient sitters show an apparent lack of paying attention. They often commit mistakes, which are sometimes huge, because they fail to understand and heed to what you say. It’s different when they just need assistance and when they are obviously irresponsible. Gestures and responses will exhibit how they ignore or neglect to follow and obey.
4 – USE OF GADGETS OVER CHILD SUPERVISION
One of the most head-aching babysitter problems is when you hire someone who spends a lot of time using their phones. This is commonly noticed in younger childcarers.
When the sitter is holding onto his/her mobile phone or a laptop more often and focused than he/she is supervising your kids, you better be looking for a new one.
This is when accidents happen at home, like the kids falling off the bed, breaking home items, and spilling harmful liquids. Because the nanny’s attention is somewhere else, watching a movie, chatting online, talking with a friend on the phone for so long and the like, the kids’ needs are not met, and the house is put to a mess.
5 – DIRTY APPEARANCE OF YOUR KIDS
You hire a child-minder so your kids are fed well and groomed well while you are at work or in an important event. It’s worrisome if what happens to your children’s physical look is worse than when they are left all by themselves.
That might mean your babysitter is not working cleanly to keep your kids sanitized and hygienic. Your children’s health and lifestyle will be affected by the concern and work quality of the person you count on to be with them for a while.
6 – NEGATIVE CHANGES IN CHILD BEHAVIOR
Young kids learn from adults. Your young ones will learn from their babysitters too. If they learn the good, that’s awesome. If they learn the opposite, that’s bothersome.
The way the nurser handles your kids will reflect on the attitudes and behaviors they demonstrate. If you notice negative changes in them, it might be dangerous. Changes like what? Words they should not be saying, tantrums they don’t usually have and anger issues they recently show.
Since the babysitter is the person beside your kids most of the time while you’re busy outdoors, he/she will surely influence your kids’ personalities. Beware of bad babysitters that might make your babies grow bad.
7 – YOUR KIDS CRY A LOT
Do your kids tell you not to leave him/her alone with the nanny you assigned? You might find it normal because kids want to be with their parents. It’s a different matter if they cry a lot and plead to you. It might be something that needs your alertness.
It could be because they do not like how they are treated. They don’t feel the concern and care from the sitter. Worse is that they might be experiencing physical, emotional, and mental distresses. Be very watchful!
8 – UNEXPLAINED INJURIES ON THE CHILD
Good parenting includes proper discipline. Sometimes, depending on culture also, there are some scolding that involves spanking and pinching. Of course, there must always be a limit, not letting one’s angry emotions get in the way. Responsible parents know that.
But when other people discipline your child as if they are the parents, do you that’s right? When they do that more than a good parent should, would you be fine with that? Definitely not.
If you see some frequent injuries, cuts, bruises, scratches, and the like on your children, you should investigate immediately. Ask your kids. Let them be honest. You easily know when they are lying or afraid to speak up. Some wounds might not be from careless playing and running around. There might be physical abuse happening when you are not around.
You can always seek legal help and charge legal action regarding matters like this. Aside from the police, there are family lawyers, child protection programs, and law experts to aid and inform you. When you have enough evidence of the destructive babysitter, don’t hesitate at all. Fight for your kids’ rights and safety. Nobody deserves to hurt them.
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TRUST RIGHT
Babysitters are helpful for busy parents and on occasions when the kids need to be left at home. Just be very cautious about hiring one. If you notice any of the above-mentioned signs on your hired nanny, better move immediately to make things right.
Get a sitter who loves not only his/her job and self but also taking good care of young ones. Even while you are away, you can breathe happily and calmly that your kids are in safe hands.
Even when you have a nurser, make up to your kids for the times you are not with them. Still, the presence of parents is matchless. While you make sure that your babysitter is not bad, don’t forget to be the parent your children need.
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