What is a babysitter?

Babysitting, what is it?

Just like a nanny, a babysitter watches your children in your own home. They take care of your children in your absence. You can count upon their services when it comes to watching over and protecting your children while you're away. Also, your little ones get to stay in their home environment, which is an undeniable advantage. It's not required to have a degree or diploma to be a babysitter. Often high schoolers or students do the job, but you can also hire senior-sitters.

In which situation(s) does one need a babysitter to watch their children?

It could be a matter of a few hours a year, on occasions when you have an outing, to go pick up the children after school on certain days of the week or when you have something unexpected.

It's also a childcare solution that can work for longer and more frequent time slots in order to avoid the scramble of after-school daycare or cafeterias.

You can appeal to this method of childcare in the case of special or displaced hours that don't always suit regular nannies or childcare assistants.

Finally, babysitting can be a complete solution. You trust your children to a person who takes them and picks them up from school, feeds them and drives them to their extra-curricular activities when needed.

If you fear the administrative and legal pressures, know that there are agencies specialized in providing babysitters. In this case you're not the employer but instead you're purchasing "babysitting services".

Tips and tricks good to know about babysitters and babysitting

Babysitting counts as paid employment which must be declared on the babysitter's income taxes, even just for a few hours. The employer must ensure that the babysitter is legal and has the right to legally work in Canada.

There is no minimum age for babysitters in Canada but under the age of 12 is not recommended. The employer should also notify his insurer that he or she employs a babysitter.

Good to know : Check that the parent's insurance includes third-party liability that covers the babysitter in cases of damages to personal property or even the child.

On what occasion a babysitter watches your kids

There are numerous reasons to call on babysitting: a lover's getaway, regular help with bath-time, picking your kids up from school or even to come with you on vacation. For every one of these occasions you'll be pleased to call on a babysitter.

The different types of babysitters

Do you know the different types of babysitters? It can be very useful when choosing a profile that suits your needs. For every situation, there's a babysitter!