How to Babysit a Toddler

Co-authored by Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH

Last Updated: November 10, 2024 Approved

Babysitting a toddler is different from taking care of children of other ages. They require a lot of work, but also can be quite fun to babysit if they behave. Be ready to have fun and take care of his or her every need. This article will teach you everything you need to know about caring for a toddler.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Babysitting Basics

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Don't even leave the room for a second. You would be surprised what kind of mess a toddler can make in the time that you take to use the bathroom. If you are going to get something then take the toddler with you. Keep anything dangerous away from his/her reach. ^{[1]
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Research source} Toddlers love to get into mischief (terrible two's) and you never know what they will do if you leave the room.
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Give them snacks in between meals. Toddlers need to eat more often than adults, because of them growing, so give them a snack if they need it. You might give them a drink of juice, water, or milk. Some kids might eat animal crackers or fruit snacks. Watch them when they eat. Learn how to get things out of little children's mouths if they are choking. ^{[2]
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- Don't let the child graze on snacks the whole time you're watching them. They still need to eat three regular meals a day, with two snacks in between. Talk to the parents if you're not sure what or how much to feed them. ^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH
  Board Certified Pediatrician & Board Certified Integrative Medicine Doctor
  
  Expert Interview. 6 May 2020.}
- Do not feed the child anything they are allergic to. Their parents should tell you beforehand if they are allergic to anything. Make sure that the snacks are not too big that they could choke on, nor too small that they could swallow without chewing it. If the parents don't mention anything about allergies, ask them about it.
- Because of their limited experiences, toddlers sometimes mistake boredom or sadness for hunger. To determine whether a toddler is genuinely hungry or mistaken, entertain them. If they forget about food, then they were just bored, but if they keep demanding food, then they're genuinely hungry.
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Check their diaper regularly: Change it promptly if it needs it. The smell is usually a strong indicator. If the child is recently toilet trained, ask regularly whether he or she needs to use the bathroom and watch for signs of needing to go. If you wait until the child tells you they have to use the bathroom, it might be too late, and then you have a mess to clean up. ^{[4]
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- Signs that a toddler needs to use the bathroom include holding their privates (if they need to pee) or their butt (if they need to poop). Being squirmy or distracted can also be a sign, though it's not a given, since many toddlers are naturally squirmy with short attention spans.
Get your own first aid kit, and cover it with stickers and supply it with fun colorful band-aids. If you can't get those, offer to color on the band-aids when a kid gets hurt. Make sure you have all the important stuff. Call this box the Boo-boo Box. Don't make a big deal about an injury, just say, "Uh-oh! Let's get you a band-aid!" This way, they will laugh and be happy.
Keep important numbers like the child's doctor, the poison control center, and the parents' cell phones by the home phone. These are vital in an emergency. Only call the parents if necessary or in an emergency, though. You don't want to cause them stress or bother them if they're doing something important. ^{[5]
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Take a babysitting class with the Red Cross, a local community center, or local community college. They will teach you CPR and useful information if something bad happens. They can also teach you a lot about how to deal with kids effectively and play with them well. These classes are usually cheap and will look impressive to any parents looking to hire a babysitter. ^{[6]
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Try to learn as much as you can about the rules the parents have set both for the child and for you. Don't break any rules the parents have, such as bed times and whether or not they can have junk food before bed. Not only is this bad for the kid, but you might even get caught if the child knows how to talk at all. If the child claims "Mommy or Daddy always let me _________" don't believe them. Children like to test limits to see if they can get their way, so they may lie about what their parents allow as a way of testing limits. ^{[7]
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If the child needs to be disciplined, make sure you've worked out with the parents ahead of time how that discipline should be handled. Different parents have different rules. Even if you think it's okay to spank, for example, the parents might not believe that and you should respect their wishes.
Don't go digging in the fridge. It's their food that they buy. They invited you over to watch their child, not for dinner. You should also be respectful of the rest of their home, and not go digging in drawers, cabinets, or closets. You never know when a family has a nanny-cam too, so be careful!

Part 2

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Entertaining the Child

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1
Make a list of activities: Keep them occupied. Kids love to play. Make sure you have loads of toys, building blocks, bring crafts it depends on age, rattles, books, and even spoons. Be creative! Sometimes bringing over some of your old toys will keep them happy. The toys may be old to you, but the toddler will be excited to have toys that are new to them. ^{[8]
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- Be prepared to change games multiple times. Kids at that age have a very short attention span.
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Go on a walk or get some exercise. Take them for a walk, in a stroller. Point out different things on the sidewalk or the road. Make a game out of crossing the street safely remember to say to the toddler, "Look left and right. No cars, we can cross!" Eventually, you'll have the toddler saying it with you! You can hold hands and go for a walk too if they're able to walk, but this should not be for much more than to the end of the street and back. ^{[9]
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- Another option is to run around and be crazy with them, but this should be done strategically. You have to spend hours doing this if you're going to do it before putting them down for bed. Doing just a little bit of crazy play before bed makes them more hyper. Doing a lot for an extended period of time will make them hyper very briefly before they just collapse from exhaustion.
- Bring out your artistic side. Color with crayons. Ask the kid to draw a picture of their family, pet, or their favorite toy. They will enjoy telling you about the things that they like. You can also give the child building bricks or blocks. Help them learn to build different kinds of towers and knock them down, or he or she may act upset if it falls down, but just help them, a little, to build it again.
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Read them a book. Small children, even the very active ones, usually love to read books. Sit on the floor or couch with a book, blanket and a stuffed animal, and read with them. Put the toddler on your lap to read the story. They love cuddles! Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, and Are You My Mother? are good book choices for most toddlers. ^{[10]
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- Show pictures in a book that has pictures of farm or zoo animals. Say, "Do you see the doggy? I see the doggy! Where's the horse? There's the horse!" Kids love to show what they know, and will soon be pointing them out to you.
- Describe an animal and ask what sound it makes. Examples could be cows, horses, and pigs. Start being a little bit silly. Make animal sounds or noises for any books with animals. Get the child to make the sounds too.
Sing a classic nursery rhyme, or something that they would know. Maybe they can even suggest one! Kids love songs, especially songs with lots of clapping and moving around. Old MacDonald, Hokey Pokey, Wheels on the Bus, Incy Wincy (or Itsy Bitsy) Spider, and anything from Raffi's extensive collection of children's songs are great for small children.
If the child is a slightly older toddler, you can teach them how to sort toys by kind, size, color, or what it does. Sort again by a different rule.
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Teach them colors. If there or solid color shapes or toys, when the child picks up one of them say the color excitedly like it's a game: "Red!",... "Blue!",... "Green!" When they start to get it, say something like, "Can you put all the reds together? What toy is red? Show me." so that they can practice identifying colors.
- Call-out the color when you put one in a group and when the child puts one in, or takes one, or works with them or messes up a pile.
Count toys up to 5 or 6 if they seem interested in numbers. Encourage them to count even it it is mixed up. Don't make a fuss about mistakes. Give them lots of examples of each number, by making several piles of two or three toys.
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Don't overload them with options. Present the toys one at a time, when playing with toys. This helps because if there are many toys to choose from at once, they'll only play with the pile for a few moments and get bored and the house will be messy. Ask the toddler to help you clean up, and make a game out of it. Thank them for helping, this will make them feel good and want to help again. ^{[11]
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- If there is only one toy, they'll stick with it until they get bored, and you can hand them another one, but later offer 2 or 3 related toys because sometimes they tend to play with more than one toy at a time.

Part 3

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Acting Correctly

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1
Be kind. Don't say harsh things or get angry. Don't be sarcastic, because you will only confuse the child, if they are old enough to understand some words. It is okay to "pretend anger", playfully, as if insulted or pretending amusement, etc. Be a clever actor, but not too silly, be kind of serious, and use the pretending to teach. ^{[12]
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- You can show hurt feelings from a child's actions or words, however. Realize that though they may say anything, they usually don't mean it (since many toddlers like trying to shock adults), and they usually get over it very quickly. Just pretend shock, giggle and chuckle at their smarting off or their cute actions, they should cooperate (better than if you were to have a war of wills and serious words).
- Happily explain what you really mean, in a gentle way, but don't be surprised that they make a game of touching things and looking at you to see how you react, just say "no-no". Try to give an alternative activity.
Never call the child names. Toddlers are great at picking up words and you never know what they'll repeat to their parents! Also, some families might believe some words are rude when you think they are not. For example, instead of " Stupid", try "Silly" instead. ^{[13]
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Be comforting at bedtime. If the toddler wakes up and starts screaming or crying for their mom or dad, just sit with them and softly say, "shhhh" and tell them, "It's okay; I'm here." If they mention wanting Mommy or Daddy, tell them that when they wake up, their Mommy will be there. They need to know that everything will go back to normal soon.
- Don't bring up their parent if they don't though. That will only upset them. ^{[14]
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- You can also try singing them lullabies and rock them on a rocking chair.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How often should I feed a toddler snacks when I'm babysitting them?

Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH
Board Certified Pediatrician
Dr. Andrea Rudominer is a board certified Pediatrician and board certified Integrative Medicine Doctor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Rudominer has over 15 years of medical care experience and specializes in preventive health care, obesity, adolescent care, ADHD, and culturally competent care. Dr. Rudominer received her MD from the University of California, Davis, and completed a residency at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Dr. Rudominer also has an MPH in Maternal Child Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Member of the American Board of Pediatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a Member and Delegate of the California Medical Association, and a Member of the Santa Clara County Medical Association.

Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH

Board Certified Pediatrician

Expert Answer

I recommend that children still have 3 set meals a day, with 2 additional snack in between. A snack doesn't have to be very large, and can be something like fruit, healthy crackers, or a low-sugar yogurt. They can also have one or two 6-8oz cups of milk throughout the day, and one cup before bed.

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Tips

Don't open the door for anyone while babysitting unless the parent gives consent. ^{[15]
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Be friendly to the kids and treat them like you would your friends, then they will want you to come back.

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Keep the kids distracted by something at all times or they will mess the house up

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Bring a "kid kit" — fill a box with fun things like coloring books, small toys, puzzles, and favorite movies or shows. Having activities ready makes playtime easier. But don't rely solely on screens to entertain them.
If the toddler gets upset about mom and dad being gone, say reassuring things like "It's okay, I'm here" and "They'll be back after you wake up." Distract and comfort them rather than bringing up the parents more.
Ask the parents what snacks and drinks are okay. Never share your own food without asking first, as the child may have allergies. Offer water regularly since toddlers often don't recognize thirst signals well.
When it's potty time, say "Let's go use the potty now!" instead of asking if they need to go. Toddlers will usually say no even if they need to. Watch for signals like holding themselves or squirminess.
Make discipline clear with the parents first. Most toddler discipline involves distraction and simple verbal corrections. Never yell or name-call. If real trouble arises, inform the parents right away.
Have a first aid kit on hand with fun kid bandaids, and know some toddler CPR basics. Remaining calm in an emergency reassures the child things will be alright.

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Warnings

Keep the toddler away from tables they can hit their heads on and sharp dangerous things.

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Toddlers like to know that someone is in control and taking care of them. If they cry, pick them up and say things like "It's okay" and "You're alright." They want to know someone is there for them. And remember the toddler stage is the most active stage of a child's life.

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Learn how to get things out of toddler's mouths if they start to choke.

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If you just put on the TV the whole time, the toddler will get bored. Try different activities like listening to music, having a snack, playing with a pet, going in the backyard, or playing a game like patty-cake.

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Avoid giving toddlers rounded foods like grapes or hot dogs. Most toddlers don't chew food very well. Cut them into non-rounded shapes. Also, avoid nuts, very chewy meat (meat should be very soft and tender) and chips/crisps.

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Toddlers also love to color so bring some crayons and some coloring sheets that have a picture of something they enjoy (ex. princesses, cars, trains or fun characters from shows).

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Don't feed them anything you think they can be allergic to.

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Ask the parents first before bringing any of your friends over.

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Never give a toddler a toy, food, or anything smaller than their mouth. ^{[16]
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Research source} Even then you should know CPR.

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If nothing works then call their parents after 2 1/2 hours of their crying.

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If they start crying, change the diaper (if they need it), feed, or cuddle them. If they won't stop crying, start singing, that should help! If they start screaming, just take them for a walk in the stroller, the movement is calming.

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Things You'll Need

Toys, books, building bricks, maybe a cassette player with all the songs you used to sing when you were little.
Instructions from parents
Emergency numbers including parents, where the parents are going, poison control, etc.
Diaper Bag
Baby wipes
Sippy cup
Healthy snacks their parents will let them have.

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Expert Source

Andrea Rudominer, MD, MPH
Board Certified Pediatrician & Board Certified Integrative Medicine Doctor

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How to Babysit a Toddler

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Babysitting Basics

Entertaining the Child

Acting Correctly

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Warnings

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