This Free Printable Babysitting Notes shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. I’m partnering with Kidfresh and Collective Bias today to bring you this free printable to use on your next date night! #KeepingMomsCool #CollectiveBias
If there’s one piece of advice that I could give moms with only one kiddo, it is this:
Take advantage of every babysitting offer that comes your way. Once you’ve expanded your family to two, three, or four kids, the offers are few and far between (if they come at all!).
I learned this lesson the hard way. Securing a babysitter for my one daughter eons ago was easy. People would call and offer to babysit. Now that I have the boys, it’s quite the different story. And sleeping over at Grandmas? Forget about it! My daughter sleeps over at her grandparents house, but the boys have never slept anywhere but home. I can completely understand this part. It’s difficult to room-proof for three mischievous boys. On the rare occasions that my husband and I go out in the evening, we always have my mother or someone come to our house to babysit.
No matter who is here in the evening, I always leave a note with the basics for the boys. From food to bedtime routine, things are constantly changing, and I want to make sure that I haven’t forgotten to give some nugget of knowledge to my relief for the night. This free Babysitting Notes printable covers the basics. And for those nights when I just need to leave a tip or two, I also have a smaller note printable.
When heading out for the night, don’t forget:
-To leave your cell phone number with the babysitter. This seems obvious, but even Grandma can have a senior moment and forget numbers.
-To let the babysitter know what the kids MAY and MAY NOT do. Even the smallest of kids can be sneaky. For instance, my boys convinced my mother last week that they were allowed to have cinnamon rolls with lots of icing before bed. They convinced her that I do it all the time. Umm…total falsehood! So if there is something that you feel strongly about the kids doing or not doing, write it down. Let the babysitter know that the kids may watch a 30 minute cartoon or that they may not have iPad time.
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-To let the babysitter know what the kids may eat AND where it’s located. Unless it has to be frozen or refrigerated, I lay snacks and food out on the counter beside of the babysitting note. For cold items, I write on the note where they are located. I’ve even written down a description of the food container in the past. This helps the babysitter know exactly what you want the kids to eat, and they do not have to waste valuable child-watching time rummaging around looking for the apple that’s underneath the lettuce.
-To let the babysitter know the bedtime routine. If your kids have a specific routine, let the babysitter know. Does little Johnnie like to sleep with the blue blanket instead of the green one? Write it down! My boys get stressed out by a change in routine. For example, my mom forgot to turn the monitor on in their room. It has a little green button that glows, and the boys know that glow means that the monitor is working. One of my boys would not go to sleep until I had came home and turned on the monitor.
-To keep a stash of easy meals for babysitters to make. I have sneaky kids who smell the scent of inexperience. The last that I want is for a babysitter to have to spend too much time in the kitchen making snacks or meals. I always keep easy fruit and ready-to-make items on hand to solve this problem. My kiddos love fruit, and I have plenty of that always. I’ve also recently discovered the Kidfresh meals at Target.
With varieties like Kidfresh Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese, Kidfresh Super Duper Chicken Nuggets, and Kidfresh Muy Cheesy Quesadillas, there is something for all my picky eaters. The meals are made with up to 1/2 cup of hidden veggies and with no artificial colors or ingredients. And they are ready to eat in 4 minutes!
-To use the below free printable to leave reminders for your babysitter. Whether the babysitter is 16 or 60, we all need reminders! To grab either the free printable Babysitting Note or small note, right click the below image to save it to your computer. Print using your computer software and home printer. The large page is sized to print as an 8.5″ x 11″ while the small note is more of a sticky note size.
Grab Kidfresh meals in the Kid Favs section at Target!
Love the printables! Kidfresh is a great meal idea for when you have a babysitter too. So convenient!
I love the idea of babysitter notes, it would help me rest a little easier leaving my kids with someone else.
These meals are the perfect fit for babysitters! You’ve thought of it all for the babysitter notes, too. I like being able to outline everything so there’s no question about the routine.
Perfect for babysitter nights!
Such a great resource! Easy to follow and useful for when the babysitter can’t recall what you mentioned!