Q&A for How to Babysit an Infant

Never shake a baby. Violently and forcefully shaking an infant causes shaken baby syndrome, which is a very serious and sometimes fatal brain injury.

Try to soothe the baby by holding, rocking, swaying, singing, or putting on quiet, calming music. If the baby uses a pacifier, offer it to them. You can also try distracting the baby holding them up the window, letting them look in a mirror, or letting them touch cool, running water in the sink as you hold them.

If you've already ruled out their basic needs like hungry, tiredness, and cleanliness, the baby might just be uncomfortable and need to be soothed.

Crying is one of the main ways babies communicate their needs. When a baby cries, they are usually feeling tired, hungry, soiled, frustrated, or bored.

Pick the baby up and look for injuries. If the baby is injured, call the doctor immediately.

In both arms or one at a time. If that does not work, ask their parent what they usually do.

Call the parents and try to calm the infant down as much as possible until the parents come home. If it's that bad, call 911.

Offer to start babysitting as a mother's helper first. You can entertain the infant while the mother does housework, crafts, etc. That will help you build the mother's trust to one day babysit for her child and in the meantime, she will be available to answer any questions you might have.

Try to keep it simple. Babies usually like to play games like peek-a-boo and pat-e-cake. If the baby has some toys (ie: the board where you must put the correct shape into the correct hole), you could always use them to play with the baby instead.

It's best to just try to distract the baby with things she likes, like a favorite toy, or try walking around while holding her and singing or humming. She'll calm down eventually.

As long as it's warm enough, babies love this. You can put the baby on your bare chest (or wear a tank top). Just be sure the baby does not catch a chill.

There are no age restrictions. If you are comfortable and the parents as well, anything goes. Newborn babies are rather more difficult to care for, but anyone can learn that. You just probably wouldn't want to sit for anyone older than yourself.

It depends on their maturity level. Some mature 12-year-olds are capable of babysitting an infant, if given proper instruction/training. But generally, 16+ is the safest best.

Yes, as long as you think you have enough experience and the infant's parents are fine with it.

You don't have to, but babies like eye contact. It builds trust and lets them know that you are focused on them.

There is a lot of advice out there, but in the end, the parents know best. You are their replacement in most ways, so you decide. Babies sleep much more than others, and can sleep for two hours then be awake again, or can sleep all through the night. You can try putting them down, see if they sleep, or keep playing and caring for them. It's up to you.

Sure, there's no problem. There's not really any strict rules regarding age; whatever you and the child's parents are comfortable with is OK. This is assuming you have the skills to take care of an infant, of course. It's not rocket science, but it can be a little challenging.

It's usually no big deal, it happens all the time. You clean up the baby, clean up yourself and whatever else needs cleaning up. However, vomiting can also be a sign that something is wrong. Unless you're absolutely sure it's OK, call the parents and ask what to do. Make sure the baby doesn't dehydrate, as vomiting can cause that.

It's OK. Try again in half an hour. There's nothing to worry about here.

You'll do fine, try not to be too nervous. Ask if it's alright if you show up a bit early to spend a few minutes with the baby before the parents leave, that way you'll have a little time to get to know each other.

Tell the parents. I'm sure they won't mind. Just ask them if next time they can bathe the baby beforehand.

You should be able to start now. Try to babysit for people that you know in your neighborhood or maybe church; not strangers. Always have your parent's permission. You should probably start with a child that is one year or older so they can sit up by themselves.

In general, if the baby is confined to a safe space (like a playpen or bouncy chair), it's okay to leave them for a minute or two. If you cannot leave the baby, then just bring them into the bathroom with you along with a few toys to keep them occupied.

You will most likely know. Babies are programmed to cry when they are uncomfortable in any way.

You don't need special training to become a babysitter, but you should have experience with infants or children. Also, being First Aid and CPR Certified can help get you hired more/quicker.

No, you don't NEED to be, but it would be a good idea. It might also increase your chances of getting more babysitting jobs.

Sometimes, babies just cry. If you've checked that they're not cold or hot, not thirsty or hungry, nothing in their diapers and they don't have any apparent pain, you can just hold them and hug them and sing soft songs to them. The more they cry, the more you have to love them. It can be quite a test for our patience, but love and warmth is the answer. Of course, if you have any doubt, call the parents or even the emergency services - that is your job as a babysitter: to assess the situation and act whenever necessary. Finally, the parents may have some tricks, like a favorite toy, to quiet the baby.

About 4$ an hour. Not only your age plays a role though, your experience counts as well.

My sister used to charge my parents $10 for a few hours, so around $3-5 dollars an hour sounds pretty good.

A 7-month old should not have cake. It has too much sugar and ingredients that the baby's system is probably not ready for. Ask the parents if the baby eats any solid foods yet, and if so which ones.