My question has 2 parts:
First: a friend of my parents will be starting to watch our preemie/newborn twins at her home in April. She's wonderful - 30+ years of childcare experience and is one of the sweetest women i've ever met. She's watched kids in her home before, but currently doesn't have any. She doesn't really need the money, is just watching our babies two days/week because she really really wants to.
I know it's a silly question, but I'm wondering what we should call her?? Nanny seems the most appropriate, but isn't that when someone comes to your home to watch them... also it seems like such a fancy term for lower-middle class family like us. But caregiver seems so impersonal and babysitter doesn't do her justice! What would you call her?
Secondly: I want to make sure i send them with everything they need... she has a pack-n-play and that's about it. We're giving her 2 bouncers that we got extra at the shower and 2 high chairs (the compact kind to strap on the chair) that we got as hand-me-downs and don't need here. I figured i'd send a few diaper bags every day - diapers, wipes, extra clothes, burp cloths, milk/formula, bottles, toys, blankets and their feeding/diapering log that we keep at home (it has our phone #s, emergency contact #s & the pediatrician #s on it too) Is there anything else you'd suggest that i'm forgetting??
Thank you to everyone for the responses!!
You definitely had some great ideas that i will work into the plan - leaving a bag there with some necessities so i don't have to lug as much back and forth. Getting an extra first aid kit for her, extra formula, maybe some diapers (we're using cloth so maybe easier to send back and forth).
Plus we were worried about what to do with the carseat bases - but turns out when i looked into it the carseats can be strapped in without one! (not as easy, but possible!)
And sending the stroller to her those days is an excellent idea!
Thank you all for the ideas!
First, just call her by her name. She is a babysitter. Secondly, I would
send case of diapers, wipes, formula, bottles. This way you do not have
to lug that stuff every time you take them. Give her extra onesizes and
several comfortable outfits for emergencies. Getting out will be so much
easier without having to worry about what you packed. Good luck.
just in case they run a temperature, i would pack infant tylenol and infant motrin. she can call the pediatrician for dosage if and when she needs it.
J.,
I think Nanny would be find, or you can ask her. They kids will probably give her a name of their own :) they usually do anyways. Don't worry about it.
What I used to do was buy a big bag of diapers and a wipes box and leave it at the house (my mother use to watch them). I would have blankets, pillows, onecies, change of clothes, bibs, cream, powder, shampoo, etc. (of course you will only need the shower gel, shampoo etc. if she is willing to bathe them at her house, not everyone is willing and not every parent likes that) all in one bag so she could use as needed. I would take everything to wash at the end of the week and start all clean again on Monday. Take an extra can of formula and just leave it there with bottles and any food they eat. Monday's would be the day to bring everything, or you can split it in two days, use Mondays to bring the washed clothes, and Wednesday to bring the food and other things. You need to check with her first and see if she doesn't mind having all that stuff in her house. Always keep in the bag a thermometer and Tylenol or Motrin, just in case.
If you have a double stroller that you can leave there it would be helpful too, in case they need to go out or even go for a walk. My mother doesn't drive, so they would walk a lot and she would take them to the park in the mornings or early afternoons when all the bigger kids were in school :)
Will she ever take them on a walk? If so, can you leave your stroller with her for the day (or leave on Monday, take on Friday).
If there ever was an emergency where she needed to take them to the ER, what is the plan on how she could do it? I assume she won't have any car seat bases to transport them in her car...? Would she call you? Call an ambulance?
All you need to do is leave a couple of outfits, a package of the correct size diapers, a huge package of wipes, and a large can of formula at her house. Ask her each week if she needs more of anything. I had so many parents bring everything except the kitchen sink, one even brought 2 diaper bags, for a newborn...we put them in a cubby in another room because we didn't have room. We never opened them either.
Your diaper bag should have a couple of clean bottles in it, one of course will have the formula she is drinking while bringing her there and others for formula during the day. A binky, a couple of toys that are soft and small. Keep it simple. don't bombard her with everything your child might possibly want.
As for what to call her, ask her. She may just want you to call her by her name instead of a pet name. We called the kids babysitter when they were younger "Nana L" , as for her title, she is your child care provider.
It's a hard call what to say when someone is watching your child and they aren't licensed as a home child care provider. I would just call her a babysitter to anyone outside the family so someone doesn't turn her in for running an unlicensed child care business.
We supply diapers and wipes as needed. Basically, I just give her half the box of diapers I buy and one package of wipes. When she is getting low; I resupply. I also let her keep extra bottles, sippy cups etc. Packing every day all the essentials is a bit of a pain. Our son has a travel bag with an extra set of clothes and sweater and maybe a new toy he has to have when we leave for the day.
We call our sitter just 'Miss (her name)'.
As for supplies. Our sitter had us bring a full bag/box of diapers, wipes, a can of formula if the sitter will be making the bottles or you'll be sending them. The sitter will also need a spare can of formula as backup.
The diapers, wipes, etc. stayed at the sitters house. The diaper bag travels back and forth daily.
M.
We have always refered to my childrens in home daycare provider as Ms _____(christie in our case). As far as what to pack it seems like you have listed everything you could need.
The best trick I ever learned: 2 ziplock bags with complete changes of clothes... from jackets down to socks... **to stay there** in case of "emergency"... one for each baby... in addition to the back and forth bags.
From infancy until a year past potty training accidents the "whoops" ziplocks have saved so many headaches, I can't even begin to count them. As anything gets used, you just replace them. With infants replacing every 6mo works great... for older kids replacing the whole kit once a year works fine.
Yes, you definitely want a full infant first aid kit there. Infant motrin, Infant tylenol, mylicon, children's benadryl, thermometer, etc. Maybe even a small thing of baby wash and some baby washcloths. Also, she may need a baby monitor as well. And maybe two carseat bases incase she should ever have to leave the house unexpectedly.
our "babysitter" prefers to be called a "nanny" so that's what we call her in reference to her job but the kids call her "amber". :o)
I think you listed just about everything she might need, but as someone who takes my child to someone's house for childcare I would recommend that you get a box or a bag or whatever and put the stuff in to keep at her house all the time. For the first month or two I was toting washcloths, bibs, change of clothes, etc back and forth. It's just a pain and inevitably I would forget something the day she needed it. She just washes the bibs and washcloths when she does laundry and then I don't have to take things back and forth. It was so much easier for me to just grab his bottles (I pumped breast milk, so I had to take them each day), put him in the car seat and go. If your caregiver doesn't have toys you could put some toys in the bag/box too for the twins when they are there. Infant tylenol, a thermometer, and diaper cream are also good items to throw in.
Our sitter also likes to take the kids for walks and has a double stroller. I'm not sure if you could get a stroller for her to use or not, but outside time each day really helps my son's temperament. If you do think they will spend a lot of time outside then I would also pack hats and sunscreen (depending on how old they are).
As a side note, someone mentioned what to do about carseats (although if there is an emergency I would think she should just call an ambulence), if they are still in an infant seat many of them can be used without the base. We had a graco snugride that can be used with just a seatbelt. Check your manufacturer's instructions to be sure.
