Sitter Secret #15: Soothing Voice

It's hard to soothe a scared baby, because they can't understand what you say! But they CAN understand voice tones.

Talk to them in a low, soothing voice, and say things like "There, there, it'll be okay." You can also pat them on the back gently, or rub their tummy.

Sitter Secret #14: Paper Basketball

A great way to keep older kids entertained is to work on their basketball skills, inside!

Just grab a wastebasket, and some paper. Give each kid the same amount of wadded-up paper balls, and let them see how many baskets they can make.

Sitter Secret #13: Dance!

Dancing is an awesome way to keep kids occupied!

Plus, it works with all ages! Sway an infant to music, hold a toddler's hands and twirl them around, and play freeze dance with the kids. 

Sitter Secret #12: Where's The Ball?

If you have a small ball ( but not small enough to choke a baby! ) and a bored baby, Where's The Ball? is a great game to play!

Roll the ball to the baby, and say "Look! There's the ball! Can you roll it back to me?". If they can't, then guide their hands to roll it back to yourself. Soon, they'll catch on. 

Sitter Secret #11: Reassure Them

Sometimes A lot of times, kids will overreact when their parents leave. A great way to fix this is to tell them that their parents will be home soon.

A lot of times, kids think that their parents are gone FOR GOOD and they're never coming back. Tell them that whenever they wake up in the morning ( or at a certain time ), their parents will be right back at home. 

Sitter Secret #10: Get To Know The Kids

Whenever the parents leave, get to know the kids! How can you get to know them?

Ask them about their toys, what they like to do for fun, their favorite songs, what they want to do while their parents are gone, or pull out a few toys from your babysitting bag. If you get to know them, they'll be more an more comfortable with you. 

Sitter Secret #9: Compromise

If a kid says their parents always let them have hot chocolate in bed, and you say no to that immediately because you're afraid of accidents, this might happen..

To avoid this, COMPROMISE. Maybe they can.. have milk or juice in the kitchen while you clean up or read them a bedtime story? This should avoid a lot of problems in the long run. 

Sitter Secret #8: Keep Watch On Kids

This is a BIG one. If you want clients to call you back, don't spend your time on Instagram, on a video game, or even watching the T.V.

Instead, play some games with the kids. Bring things for the kids to play (click here for ideas). Parents shouldn't pay you to play video games. 

Sitter Secret #7: Clean Up

No parent EVER likes coming home to a mess.

So, after each babysitting job, make sure you clean up! TIP: You can even get the kids to help! 

• Play a game- who can get the most things cleaned up?
• Sing while you clean!
• Play "King". The kids take turns being "king" and tells everyone what to pick up in one room. Then, the next person gets to be king for the next room. If you have girls, you could change it to "Queen".

Sitter Secret #6: Wear Nice Clothes

If you would like to look professional in front of your clients, outfits do matter! No, you don't have to dress up. But denim shorts and a t-shirt with stains from your last babysitting job won't cut it, either.

Try wearing nice (not ripped up) jeans, and a clean shirt. That outfit combination looks professional, and you can still crawl around with the kids. 

Sitter Secret #5: Bring A Bag

Every time that you get a babysitting job, you should always pack a bag full of fun things for the kids.

This includes:

• DVDS
• Books
• Balloons that aren't blown up yet (balloon volleyball!)
• Stuffed animals
• Notepad & pen, so you can take notes (See this Sitter Secret)
• Go-Away-Monster Spray (See this Sitter Secret)
• Video games for the older kids
• Board games
• Dolls
• Coloring books
• Crafts

And so on! Make sure to change the items in your bag every so often, so kids can have fun seeing "what's new".

Sitter Secret #4: Carrot Trap

This is very similar to my first sitter tip. If you have kids who are scared of monsters, get a carrot and a plastic bag. Put the carrot in the bag, and place the bag in their room for a few minutes.

Tell them that monsters LOVE carrots and that they'll shrink inside the bag to get the carrot. Tie up the plastic bag, and throw it away. Kids should sleep soundly after that!

Sitter Secret #3: Keep Notes

Parents love the babysitters that keep a small notepad and take note of things that happened while they were gone.

Some things to put in your notes:

• What food they ate
• What games you played
• What they watched on T.V.
• Any temper tantrums
• Time you put them to bed

And so on. Remember, you don't have to write down every little thing, just key points!

Sitter Secret #2: Funny Faces

If you ever babysit for siblings, they probably won't always be perfect angels. If they fight, and they can't work it out, here's something that'll make them end up laughing. Sit them across from each other, and have them make the UGLIEST faces at each other.

Soon enough, they'll end up laughing!

Sitter Secret #1: Go Away Monster Spray

Kids are pretty scared of monsters. How to deal? Try packing a spray bottle full of water in your bag next time.

When bedtime comes around, tell them that it's "Go Away Monster Spray" and that it makes monsters disappear whenever you spray it. They should sleep soundly after that!