Housework and Companionship
If you’re looking to hire a babysitter in Calgary but would also like some extra help with housework, that is a perfectly valid request. However, you must make sure to request this extra help before you hire the person. In other words, don’t hire a babysitter and then expect her to clean your house. Hire a babysitter who knows that some light housework will be required.
Babysitters might charge more for this, and with good reason. But it can often be less expensive to hire one person to do two things than to hire two separate people.
You should also make sure that the housework does not come at the expense of your children. For example, if you have a regular babysitter from four to six in the afternoon, you probably don’t want her to iron instead of helping your kids with their homework. You need to make time for the housework to be done, and it should be when the children are sleeping or otherwise safely occupied.
Other odd jobs that you might want your babysitter to do: walk to the dog, do the dishes, take out the garbage, water the plants. With each of these tasks, you must make sure that the babysitter agrees to them before she accepts the job.
You may also have an elderly parent living with you who you would like your babysitter to spend time with. If so, you must divide her time between your children and parent. You can be specific and tell her, I want you to spend two hours with my children, and then, when I come home, a half hour with my father. This way, she can spend time with your parent but not at the expense of the children.
More important than housework and companionship is the safety of your children. This should always come first, and you should stress this to your babysitter.
Babysitters might charge more for this, and with good reason. But it can often be less expensive to hire one person to do two things than to hire two separate people.
You should also make sure that the housework does not come at the expense of your children. For example, if you have a regular babysitter from four to six in the afternoon, you probably don’t want her to iron instead of helping your kids with their homework. You need to make time for the housework to be done, and it should be when the children are sleeping or otherwise safely occupied.
Other odd jobs that you might want your babysitter to do: walk to the dog, do the dishes, take out the garbage, water the plants. With each of these tasks, you must make sure that the babysitter agrees to them before she accepts the job.
You may also have an elderly parent living with you who you would like your babysitter to spend time with. If so, you must divide her time between your children and parent. You can be specific and tell her, I want you to spend two hours with my children, and then, when I come home, a half hour with my father. This way, she can spend time with your parent but not at the expense of the children.
More important than housework and companionship is the safety of your children. This should always come first, and you should stress this to your babysitter.