Surviving a night of babysitting can feel impossible and extremely overwhelming.

Children of all ages can be demanding and quite confusing if you aren’t prepared. A night of
babysitting can go in many different directions. You can easily run out of energy long before
bedtime or you could find yourself comforting the child who dreadfully misses their parent (both
of these usually happen to me in one night). Each family is different and you will quickly develop
a strategy based on the children, but here are some tips that I have found helpful to survive your
night of babysitting.
Physically and mentally preparing is key. Know what you are getting yourself into and
find the motivation to go anyways. This might be obvious but wear something comfortable. You
can’t have dance parties and build forts in a skirt or something uncomfortable. This will also just
be another thing that is annoying you. So, just wear something comfy that you can feel relaxed
in. Now that you are physically prepared, you need to mentally prepare. Be prepared to walk
into a house full of screaming, energetic children that will most definitely get on your nerves at
some point in the night. Take a moment to collect yourself, take a few deep breaths, and tackle
the adventure like there’s no tomorrow.
Get on the child’s good side. Make them know you’re their friend, but don’t let them walk
all over you. You are there to have fun, not to be the bad guy. Make the night an adventure and
find that balance between authority and just being a child yourself and letting go. If there are
things a child doesn’t like to do, find a way to make it fun. If they don’t want to go to bed, offer
them a piggyback ride to bed and maybe throw in a good bribe of an extra bedtime story. Be
creative and find what makes that child motivated to do something. This makes the night so
much more enjoyable for you and the kids. It also makes the night go by much faster. Besides if
they like you they will tell their parents and this leads to them asking you to come back.
Don’t let yourself get too stressed out or overwhelmed. Taking care of children is a very
important task, but there is no need to get excessively stressed. A small amount of stress is
normal and in a life or death situation, get worried. But, you don’t need to be worried all the time.
Make them something easy for dinner, if they absolutely refuse to brush their teeth it’s not the
end of the world. Pick your battles and don’t sweat the small stuff. Go with the flow and just
know that there is no such thing as a plan. Try your best and I’m sure the parents will
understand if you don’t get them to bed right at 8. Give yourself some wiggle room to make
mistakes and try not to get too overwhelmed. That is my biggest piece of advice. Take a deep
breath.
Whether you really like kids, or you’re in it for the money, babysitting can be tough.
Figuring out a way to have fun, have authority, do what the parents ask, and most importantly
keep the children alive can be extremely stressful and puts on a lot of pressure. But, don’t lose
yourself in the chaos. Go with the flow and have fun. I know it sounds crazy, but babysitting can
be fun. Get creative and be a kid again. Don’t take yourself too seriously and let go. Through the
screaming children, know that the night will end eventually and you will leave with a heavier
pocket. Take a deep breath and don’t sweat the small stuff. Good luck and make that moolah
without losing your mind.