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Should my babysitter be my Facebook friend?

Social media is a great way to connect with old friends and share photos with our distant family members. I love being able to connect with my old high school and university friends, and am able to keep in touch with my brothers and sisters that live across the country.

While Facebook is great for this purpose, it might not be the best idea to ‘friend’ the parent’s you work for, or the babysitter that works for you. As an employer, do you really want to know what she was up to last Friday night when she wasn’t working? Do you want to see the photos from her Mexico vacation with her friends last winter? Babysitters probably don’t want their employers seeing this either, as they likely hold a professional attitude while at work, and have a different attitude when they are with their friends.

Sometimes, we forget who we are friends with on Facebook. Then, we post some photos that could be offensive to someone, or be taken out of context, which could affect your relationship with that individual. The best thing to do is not to go there in the first place. Just don’t connect with each other using Facebook and other social media venues.

Consider this when you become friends with people online. People will naturally judge you based on the pictures you share and the comments you post. Remember that not all your Facebook content is appropriate for your employer to see; you do look after their children after all. Your activities may not mean you are a bad person, but it could be interpreted as such.

Posted by @ 5:26:43 PM

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2010 Vancouver Olympic Babysitting

Wow! 29 days left until the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. We’re thrilled that the Olympics are coming to Vancouver! We know that with the Olympics, many families from across the country and beyond will be visiting Vancouver in February and looking for reliable Vancouver babysitters. If you’re bringing the kids with you, do you know what they’ll be doing during your events? CanadianSitter.ca has just the answer!

We have polled the sitters from the Vancouver area and have received a wonderful response! Over 40 sitters have expressed their enthusiasm to help out during the winter games. Plus, over 100 nannies from CanadianNanny.ca want to help out too. That’s close to 150 people that are specifically interested in providing short-term care during the Olympics.

Olympic Visitors! – Now is the time to secure child care using the company you trust, CanadianSitter.ca!

To start your search, please register online at CanadianSitter.ca for a 3-month membership for $41.95. Be sure to list this important information when registering:

• List where you’re staying in Vancouver, not your home location
• In your description, describe that you’re from out-of-town looking for care while you’re at Olympic events visiting Vancouver
• In your job posting, list the specific dates/times you need care for with the title “Olympic Child Care Needed”

Email us at admin@canadiansitter.ca to let us know you’ve registered for Olympic care. We’ll email your specific needs directly to the 150+ people who are interested, and they’ll email you directly if they’re interested. We anticipate the rates will be $15-18 per hour, and strongly recommend that you do a phone interview prior to your trip.

For more information or if you have any questions on this special Olympic offer, please email us at admin@canadiansitter.ca

Olympic Visitors! – Now is the time to secure child care using the company you trust, CanadianSitter.ca!

Posted by @ 1:12:45 PM

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New Year's Celebrations

As the end of 2009 approaches, families are starting to organize New Year’s activities and celebrations.  Babysitters can expect to have an extra long night ahead of them, especially if caring for older children.  Canadian Sitter has a few tips for babysitters for keeping the kids busy throughout the evening:

• Watch a New Year’s television show to count down to the New Year
• Have the kids draw their New Year’s resolutions
• Bring out pots, pans, and wooden spoons to ring in the New Year, especially for older children that can stay up until midnight
• Check with the community for local celebrations for families

If the parents are going to be out for the entire evening, you can consider documenting the evening through pictures and videos.  The children can then share their New Year’s activities with their parents the next day!

Do you have suggestions for New Years activities?  Post a comment and let us know!

Posted by @ 4:57:51 PM

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Babysitter Wish List

The season for bright lights, decorations, and Christmas trees is upon us.  With the holiday season fast approaching, shoppers are starting to hit the stores in hopes of beating the holiday rush. 

Canadian Sitter is surveying babysitters across Canada to find out what is on your holiday wish list.  Post a comment telling us what you’d like to receive from your employer this winter!

Posted by @ 4:41:54 PM

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Drop-side Crib Recall: What Canadians Should Know

Health Canada has released a joint recall with Stork Craft and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission of almost one million Stork Craft Drop-Side Cribs and Stork Craft Drop-Side Cribs with the Fisher-Price logo, which includes cribs manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009.

The recall was ordered as a result of 15 reports of entrapment involving the cribs and 20 reports of falls from the cribs.  Investigators have determined that plastic components of the drop-side of the crib weaken over time, which can cause the drop-side to detach.  If it detaches, a space is created between the drop-side and the mattress; the space can be large enough for a toddler to fall into and become entrapped and in some cases suffocate.

Although the company in the middle of the recall, Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., insists that past incidents have been a result of improper use, the company is providing repair kits to the public to make the drop-sides stay immobile.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum warns, however, that these kits may not be sufficient to ensure safety.

The federal government is not currently able to initiate recalls without voluntary participation by the manufacturers or distributors, but legislation is being reviewed to give Health Canada this power. 

For more information on the recall, please visit http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=888.

Posted by @ 12:47:32 PM

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Babysitting a Sick Child?

Last week, I received this question from one of our babysitters in Vancouver . I thought I would open up the question to my valued readers for your opinions, and provide a forum to discuss this. The question is:

If the child I'm caring for has flu-like symptoms, should I care for them as usual or should the parents opt to stay home? Some parents are unable to miss work and therefore it may be difficult to stay home with a child. However, as a babysitter, my job depends on my being healthy enough to care for someone's child. If I get infected, then I am forced to stay home sick and suffer the financial loss of those days, yet I wouldn't have gotten sick if I hadn't cared for the sick child. If I am forced to stay home sick, the parents will have to find alternative childcare. So, should I stay home while the child is sick, making the parents stay home from work, or should I go into work and care for the child and risk getting sick myself?

What do you think? If you are a parent, how you would handle this situation? If you are a babysitter, what would you do?

Post your comments here. Next week, we’ll post our recommendations based on the comments.

Thanks for your input!

Posted by @ 12:04:33 PM

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Posted by @ 3:40:43 PM

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