This weekend, my partner and I are planning a date night, and it will be our son’s first time with a babysitter—well, sort of. While I’m at work, my sister usually watches him, and other times, it’s been family taking care of him. This time, though, it’s a friend of mine who’ll come to our house, learn about my son, and stay with him until we return. I trust her completely, but as a first-time mom, I’m feeling a bit anxious about this transition.
There are so many things I want to share with her! For example, he loves being held tummy-down across your arm. He’s learned how to pull himself up using furniture, but he gets nervous about how to get back down. He enjoys having his back rubbed in circles, munching on Cheerios (although he enjoys tossing them all over the place!), and he has a favorite blue blanket that he likes to sleep with, but only from the knees down. If he lets you rock him, you know he’s getting sleepy.
I want to tell her about his fascination with flashlights and how he’s figured out that pressing buttons on the microwave brings a smile to his face when it lights up. His plastic balls—especially the one with the puppy—are his favorites. And diaper changes? Get ready for a mini wrestling match because he never wants to stay still! He hasn’t quite mastered the sippy cup yet, but he loves “drinking” water from a spoon. Oh, and he makes the cutest little “mm…mm…mm” sound when he’s enjoying his food.
But in reality, I probably won’t share most of that. The insights I want to convey aren’t necessarily what she needs for the evening. Sure, they’ll have fun, and she’ll learn to interpret his cries, but those intimate details are hard to hold back.
Instead, I’ll stick to the essentials: how to reach us, where we’ll be, emergency contacts, his bedtime, feeding instructions, and bedtime routines. That’s the distinction between being a parent and a babysitter. A mom knows all the nuances, while a babysitter just needs the basics. I truly appreciate good babysitters, but there’s no place I’d rather be than being his mom.
What do you usually share with your babysitter about your child?
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In summary, communicating with your babysitter about your child can be a balancing act between sharing personal anecdotes and essential information. Focus on the practical details, but don’t forget to cherish those special moments that only parents truly understand.
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