The first night with a new sitter goes best when nothing lives only in your head. Fill in one page, stick it on the fridge, and walk them through it before you leave. Here's a free printable to start from, and what to tell a sitter that the sheet can't.

Download the sheet: Babysitter information sheet (PDF). One letter-size page, free, no sign-up. Print it and fill it in by hand.

What's on the sheet

  • Emergency, at the top. "Call 911 first," then you. Your address and nearest cross street, because a sitter under stress may not know them, and a line for your poison centre's number.
  • How to reach you. Both parents' phones, where you'll be, when you'll be back, a nearby adult who can come over, and your family doctor.
  • The kids. For each child: age, allergies, any medicine with what, when and how much, bedtime, and the comfort item or routine that makes bedtime work.
  • Tonight. Dinner, what they're not allowed to eat, screens, bath, homework, lights out.
  • House rules. Tick boxes for friends over, playing outside, pets, driving and answering the door.
  • Around the house. Where the first aid kit, fire extinguisher, flashlight and spare key are, the Wi-Fi password and how to lock up.
  • Pickups. Who may pick the kids up, and one line in bold: nobody else, unless you've called first.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the same core list: your numbers and a neighbour's, the doctor, emergency services, poison help, your address, and each child's allergies and needs (HealthyChildren.org). In the US the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. In Canada each province has its own poison centre, so look yours up and write it in.

What to go over in person

The sheet is the reference. These are the things to say out loud, ideally with the kids in the room:

  1. Walk the house. Show them the exits, the smoke alarms, the first aid kit and anything that's off limits.
  2. Allergies and medicine, twice. If there's an EpiPen, show where it is and how it works. The AAP says a sitter should give no medicine unless you've told them exactly what and how much.
  3. The tricky bits of bedtime. The song, the light left on, the child who'll swear they're allowed a second snack.
  4. When to call 911 before calling you. Not breathing, unconscious, a serious injury, a fire. Say it plainly so they don't lose a minute trying to reach you first.
  5. The door. Whether they answer it, and that no one takes the kids anywhere without a call from you.
  6. Check-in. Whether you want a text at bedtime, or only if something comes up.

How old should a babysitter be?

There's no single legal answer. The American Academy of Pediatrics says a sitter should be at least 13 and mature enough to handle common emergencies, with first aid training and CPR (HealthyChildren.org).

Babysitting courses start younger:

  • Canadian Red Cross Babysitting: for ages 11 to 15, or anyone who has finished Grade 5. About seven to eight hours, also available live online, covering first aid, preventing unsafe situations, feeding, diapering, child development and the business side of babysitting (Canadian Red Cross).
  • American Red Cross Babysitting Basics: online for ages 11 and up, about four hours, $45, with a certificate good for two years (American Red Cross).

A course doesn't make an 11-year-old ready to look after a baby alone, but it's a good sign in a young sitter, and worth asking about. A few provinces and states set ages for leaving a child alone or in charge of others; we've collected them in how old a child can stay home alone.

Before you hire anyone

If the sitter came from an app, don't rely on its background check alone. Care.com says a check "is not a substitute for conducting thorough in-person interviews" (Care.com), and Sittercity warns that checks "can provide a false sense of security" (Sittercity). Meet them, call references, and book a short trial while you're home. We compared the best babysitting apps in the US and Canada, and the pay side is in how much to pay a babysitter.

When the sitter does the pickups too

A sheet on the fridge covers tonight. It can't tell your sitter that Thursday's pickup moved to 2:30, or tell you they can't make Friday. That's what Kid Pickup does. Invite your sitter with their own free account under your plan; they see the pickups that are theirs or still open, tap I'll do it or Can't make it, and get a reminder before they leave. Your emergency contacts are in the app for whoever is at the gate.

FAQ

What should I leave for a babysitter?

Your phone numbers and a nearby adult's, your address, the doctor and poison centre, each child's allergies, medicine and bedtime, the house rules, and where the first aid kit is. Our free one-page sheet has a space for each.

Is there a free printable babysitter information sheet?

Yes. Kid Pickup's is a free one-page PDF, letter size, with no sign-up. Print it and fill it in by hand.

What age can you start babysitting?

There's usually no legal minimum. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests at least 13. Red Cross babysitting courses start at 11 in both Canada and the US.

Should I give my babysitter the Wi-Fi password?

Most families do. Put it on the sheet with your screen rules, so the kids' rules and the sitter's are both clear.

What's the poison control number?

In the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. In Canada it depends on your province: look up your provincial poison centre and write it on the sheet.