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Babysitter for School Age Kids

Do you have school-age children? Do you have children entering school for the first time this year? For many families, September is a time for change: change of seasons, change of schedules, or a change of routines.

At this time of year, the most common request for child care is after-school care, or before and after-school care. Working families are faced with children going to school most days, so a full-time nanny isn't required, but need childcare for coverage after-school and before the parents return from work.

While this is very common, it isn't always the easiest position to fill. Many nannies are only interested in providing full-time care, and those that are available for part-time care may find that the 2-2.5 hours afterschool is too little for what they need.

• Have realistic expectations of what the caregiver can do in the short time they are there - let them focus on the kids unless they are willing to do more.
• Be flexible and try to help the caregiver. If you can, offer additional hours to do housekeeping or meal-prep for the family. If this doesn't work, try to arrange your family schedule so you can be home for this time.
• It's possible you'll pay a premium for this care because of the short hours, so be prepared for this.
• Use a variety of resources to find care: neighbourhood bulletins or stay (or work) at home parents, in addition to searching with our service.
• Have a plan should the caregiver not be able to work one day.
• Find a family to share the caregiver with, whether the kids are together or the nanny goes from one house to the other for shifts.
• Be as prepared as possible by setting up playdates or activities so that it is clear to the caregiver what's happening that day.

Finding this type of care can be tough, but it can be done. Get creative and you'll find a solution that suits your family.

Posted by @ 5:42:09 PM

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SHOULD BABIES and TODDLERS WATCH TELEVISION?

So much television programming is aimed at young children. Much of it appears to be educational: teaching the ABCs and life skills. When is it appropriate to introduce a baby to television, and what do parents need to know about this topic?

A great deal of research has been done on the effects of television on children’s lives. The first step in making the decision is to get the facts. Because nearly all of us have one or more TV sets in our home, and since most of us watch some TV nearly every day, we may not want to hear what research tells us, but these are things parents need to know.

• Experts suspect that babies younger than two years old view TV as a confusing array of colors, images, and noises. They don’t understand much of the content. Since the average TV scene lasts five to eight seconds, your baby or toddler doesn’t have enough time to digest what’s happening.
• Cartoons and many children’s shows are filled with images of violence. If you find this hard to believe, surf the TV on Saturday morning. The realism portrayed in today’s cartoons has moved light years beyond the Bugs Bunny type of violence. Many children’s shows almost are animated versions of adult action films. Research shows that exposure to this type of programming increases the risk of aggressive behavior and desensitizes children to violence.
• Babies and toddlers have a very literal view of the world. They can’t yet tell the difference between real and pretend, and they interpret what they see on TV as true life. Research has demonstrated that many young children believe that TV characters actually live inside the TV set. This can confuse young children’s understanding of the world and get in the way of their learning what’s right or wrong. It can paint a picture of a frightening, unstable, and bewildering world ¾ and your little one does not yet have the faculties to put what he sees into proper perspective.
• Television watching can be addictive. The more that children watch, the more they want to watch. Even toddlers can become drawn to the set. Once addicted, turning off the TV can become a daily battle. Children who watch TV excessively often become passive and lose their natural creativity; they eventually have a hard time keeping themselves busy, and they lose valuable time that should be dedicated to “play” ¾ the foundation of a healthy childhood and the primary way that very young children learn.
• Parents sometimes unwittingly begin to use TV more and more as a way to keep their children happy and quiet. It takes a strong will and dedication to avoid the easy route provided by this free and easy ¾ yet sometimes dangerous ¾ babysitter.
• Children experience unparalleled physical, mental, and emotional growth in the early years of life. Time spent watching television is time taken away from more healthful activities that nurture growth and development.
• Children who watch a lot of television during their early years are at risk for childhood obesity, poor social development, and aggressive behavior. They often have trouble adjusting to preschool or kindergarten. According to a study by Yale Family Television Research, teachers characterized children who watched excessive television as less cooperative, less imaginative, less enthusiastic about learning, and less happy than those who watched little or no TV.
• Due to all the above reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents not allow children under two to watch any television.

You may have noticed that all of these points demonstrate the negative aspects of letting babies and toddlers watch TV, and you’re wondering if there are any positives. There are a few, but I’ll be honest: I had to be very creative to come up with this list, since published research doesn’t demonstrate many good points for putting a young child in front of a television. But we need to be realistic and acknowledge that most of us aren’t going to put our TVs in the closet until all of our children start school. Here are some of the good points of television for children:

• Quality children’s programming can teach your child basic academic skills, such as the ABCs, counting, addition, science fundamentals, basic language skills, manners, and even early reading skills.
• Your child can view things she might not otherwise see in daily life: exotic animals, distant lands, musical instruments, historical places, and diverse lifestyles. Your child can learn about the world beyond her home and neighborhood.
• Your child can learn basic social skills from watching wholesome programming: how to play with other children, how to use good manners.
• Using extraordinarily careful selection and restraint, a little bit of television can provide a parent with much-needed down time, or time to catch up on tasks that need adult-only attention.

TV watching tips for parents of babies and young children

The following tips may help you minimize the negative and maximize the positive effects of television watching for your little one:

• Hold off introducing television ¾ even videos ¾ to your baby as long as possible. If you wait until your child’s second birthday, you can consider yourself incredibly successful in starting your little one off well and with the kind of real-life interaction that is so important for his development. If you decide to allow TV before your child turns two, choose programming carefully, limit viewing time and skip days when possible. (Daily viewing easily becomes habit.) The less watching time, the better! Set a goal, such as no more than 30 minutes or an hour per day, or one favorite show, so that you’ll not be tempted to turn the TV on too frequently.
• Watch programs yourself before you allow your baby or toddler to watch them. Just because a network markets a show to young children doesn’t mean it will reflect your own family’s morals and values. You will be amazed to discover that many programs aimed at children contain violence or topics that are inappropriate for your child. Don’t assume that your baby can pick out the moral message from a program that features violence or conflict on the way to an important lesson.
• Pay attention to commercials ¾ surprisingly, an excellent children’s show will sometimes feature commercials that depict the exact things you don’t want your little one to see!
• Choose programs that are developmentally appropriate for your child. For you, this means shows that are slow, boring, and probably somewhat goofy. But choose programs from your child’s perspective, not your own.
• Invest in a collection of appropriate and educational videos for your child so that you won’t be confined to network programming schedules when you are ready to let your little one watch something.
• Watch along with your child when you can so that you can monitor your child’s reactions to what he’s seeing. Invite questions and discuss what you are watching so that you can understand your little one’s take. Point things out and talk about what is being taught to get the most of out of educational TV. You may even follow up with some lessons afterwards.
• Avoid keeping the TV on when no one is actively watching. Many people do this and are used to the background noise the set generates, but your child will almost surely be exposed to programming that is inappropriate for her.
• Make a conscious decision about how you will use television in your family; don’t watch it by accident or default.

This article is a copyrighted excerpt from Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

Posted by @ 11:25:22 AM

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AIR MILES® reward miles Now Offered!

CanadianSitter.ca is pleased to announce that we are now offering AIR MILES® reward miles with memberships to CanadianSitter.ca.

Consider purchasing a 1 year membership to CanadianSitter.ca and receive 20 AIR MILES® reward miles.

A 1 year membership is just $79.95 and gives you 24/7 access to babysitters across Canada. Looking for a part-time or occasional babysitter? Post an add and access university and college students that are looking for babysitting work during their education years. Need someone for next Friday night? Post an add and see if anyone is available!

Parents and sitters across Canada have found CanadianSitter.ca to be the solution they are looking for. Now, sweeten the deal by earning reward miles with your membership! Limited time offer – act fast!

Go to www.canadiansitter.ca and register, purchasing a 1 year membership and entering your AIR MILES collector's number. We will apply reward miles after you register!

® TM Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc and Canadian Sitter Inc.

Posted by @ 4:47:56 PM

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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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