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Babysitting may look like an easy job that even an unexperienced teenager can manage, but just in a second, it can turn into a lifesaving emergency task. The main responsibility of the childcare giver would be to entertain, educate, and feed the kids while safeguarding them, but depending on the age and child’s needs, there would be tough situations in the meantime.
Accidents happen.
The child may hurt themselves while playing, eating, or even sleeping. Babysitters must always be prepared; it is part of their job! Even if this kind of situation never occurs, knowing what to do can make a huge difference in their own confidence and the peace of the kid’s parents. We strongly recommend everyone who wants to become a babysitter first take a CPR or first aid course in advance.
CPR and First Aid training
When taking care of a toddler or a teenager, you need to be prepared for the worst situations. If you are a teenager yourself, you can’t have a nursing degree.
However, first aid and CPR training are options for everyone. They will prepare you to recognise and administer critical situations, for example, the need for rescue breathing and chest compressions. It will also teach you how to respond to specific types of injuries such as burns, cuts, and falls.
These skills will make you look more reliable and preferred. You can find lots of different courses online, but our advice is to make sure to put your time and money into a reliable course. If needed, contact hospitals or legit organisations to ask for their recommendation.
First Aid Kit
Every home with children should have a first aid kit. Make sure to ask in advance where it is and check carefully what is inside. If the parents didn’t prepare this kind of kit or you feel more calm having yours, create it before you start this job. The first aid kit must contain bandages of different sizes, alcohol and antiseptic spray, gloves for your hands, tweezers, and a mouth guard to use in case of CPR.
You need to be aware of all the health needs of the kids – do they have any diseases or allergies, do they feel any discomfort at the moment? In those cases, make sure you know the location where the parents keep all medicine and antibiotics. It is important to be prepared and not waste any time in an urgent situation.
In case of an emergency, do this:
We hope you will never use this advice, but in the case of an emergency, do not panic! Yes, it would be very frightening and frustrating, but if you lose your mind over the situation, it will be impossible to take proper action. So stay calm and if you didn’t see what happened, get all the information from the kid or someone else who saw it.
If there is a bad injury or the kid is unconscious, and you are not sure how to help, call 911. Tell the dispatcher what happened, all the injuries you can register, and also give them the exact location, so they lose no time searching for you. They will probably ask you for your name and the age of the child. Be fast and give all your attention to the kid.
Speak with them, try to distract them from the pain by telling stories or asking some entertaining questions. Make sure they keep the same position, not moving the body and head, just in case of any unsuspected trauma. The dispatcher may also give you instructions on providing any first aid needed after explaining the injuries. You need to listen very carefully and follow those orders until the emergency services arrive. Going through a first aid course will definitely help you perform better in that kind of situation.
