How to Start Babysitting Business

Babysitting is defined as the work of a baby sitter; caring for children when their parents are not home. Babysitting can be paid for all ages. Babysitting is a job that anyone can enjoy doing, find fulfilling, plus it also provides a decent income. Babysitting can be a business. The only thing that matters in this how much time and effort you want to devote to it. Childcare is a common money-making idea because kids will always be around and they will always need to be taken care of. Starting a babysitting business is great because it can pay well, it doesn’t have to come with a commitment in the same way a regular job would (i.e.  set hours, payroll, etc.).

The qualities before starting a babysitting business are as follows:

• Organized
• Punctual
• Mature
• Respectful
• Attentive

Babysitting provides business experience and insight that will pay off throughout your professional career. In this article, you will know how to start a babysitting business step by step.

Type of Business

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietor is a person who fully owns and manages this type of entity. A sole proprietorship usually does not have to be incorporated or registered. It is the simplest form of business structure and the ideal choice to run a small business or medium scale business. For babysitters, the best choice should be a sole proprietorship. It saves a lot of the paperwork and legal fees associated with starting a business. A sole proprietorship does not have a separate law to govern it. And so there are not many special rules and regulations to follow.

Corporations or LLCs (Limited Liability Companies)

A limited liability company (LLC) is a business structure for private companies, one that combines aspects of partnerships and corporations. Limited liability companies benefit from the flexibility and flow-through taxation of partnerships and sole proprietorships while maintaining the limited liability status of corporations. These legal entities help to protect their owners from liability.

Importance of Taking a Babysitting Course

• Leadership - People who hire babysitters rely on them to be the leader and keep their children safe.
• Childhood Characteristics and Behaviour - In this they know about the stages of development for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, babysitting for children with disabilities, assistive devices, and service animals.
• Creating Safe Environments and Personal Safety - Children learn to be safer when home alone. The points include dealing with strangers, answering the door, answering the phone in a way that doesn’t put them at risk, what to do in the event of a fire. Also know about personal safety and security, online safety and bullying behaviors, information about community safety, street safety, bicycle and scooter safety, water safety, and rural babysitting.
• Caring for Children – A young babysitter needs to understand the importance of supervision, what information they should get from the child’s parent or guardian before they are left alone with the child. Other important points include home safety, poison prevention, and giving medications, suffocation and choking, how to change a diaper, how to feed babies and children of all ages, safe toys, and activities for each age group. They will learn about dressing, sleeping, playing, comforting, safe vs. unsafe touching, and misbehavior.
• First Aid Skills and Handling Emergencies – In this learn first aid skills, accident prevention, checking for hazards, choking, CPR, asthma, anaphylaxis, minor cuts and scrapes, splinters, life-threatening bleeding, nosebleeds, bumps and bruises, burns, head, neck and back injuries, broken bones, seizures, poisons, insect stings, sudden medical conditions or other medical emergencies.

Promote Your Babysitting Business

There are many ways to find babysitting work. There are various approaches to fund work as a babysitter:

• Network –Your friends and family know that you are available for babysitting. Then tell your parents to tell their friends. If there are families with young children in your neighborhood, then hang out at the playground and introduce yourself.
• Get a referral – If you know someone who is already doing a babysitting job ask them to get a referral.
• Check with your school – Try your guidance office or college career office for a list of babysitting jobs.
• Job sites – Register with sites like SitterCity and care.com. Jobs posting are specific, detailing the hourly wage and strict requirement and rules regarding things like cell phone usage, driving requirements, meal preparation, help with homework, and more.
• Sign up with apps – As well as websites there are apps aimed at connecting parents with babysitters such as Bubble, Sitter, Bambino, and so on.
• Check on social media – You can also check for posts looking for babysitters on sites like NextDoor.com, Facebook, and so on. You can also post on these sites to let people know you are available to work as a babysitter. In the post, you mention your qualifications and availability.
• Post-Ads Online
• Create Babysitting Flyers – A good babysitting flyer lets the reader know exactly what service you're offering and what they should expect. Mention any special services that you might offer, such as overnight or weekend babysitting, after school care, or transportation that you provide.
• Make Your Website or Babysitting Blog – Creating your website is quite easy nowadays. Include all of the information on your website that you'd normally put on a flyer or other type of advertisement. Remember to include your city and specific details about your services on your site.
• Use Newspaper Ads – Your local newspaper is another place to advertise your babysitting business. Newspapers can be a cost-effective way to advertise.
• Join A Babysitting Website – There are websites out there specifically devoted to helping match up babysitters with families that are looking for them.
• Partner With A Local Daycare – You can check with a local daycare in your area to see if they'd be willing to refer some of their clients to you.

How to Be a Good Babysitter

Being a good babysitter takes a lot of work, care, and ingenuity. You need to know the rules, how to keep the child entertained, and what to do when an emergency arises.

• Understand your comfort level
• Keep an open line of communication
• Be prepared for everything
• Be well-informed
• Be organized
• Be active and have fun
• Reinforce rules and limits
• Be watchful
• Be open to criticism
• Be gentle and caring
• Be flexible

How to Set Prices for Your Child Care Business

Child care is a vital service and demand will only grow as more parents join the workforce. You love children and providing quality care for them is your idea of the perfect business. One aspect that impacts a child care center is the limit to the number of children you can accommodate.

The amount you charge to accommodate each child in your center will be based primarily on five factors:

• Overhead
• Labor
• Supplies
• Profit
• Maximum Capacity
• Setting Prices

When setting prices for your child care business, you’ll need to consider the following; costs, profit, local going-rates, and what the market can afford. Your fees need to be reasonable for your area, affordable for parents, and also fair to you.