How a Babysitter Can Help With Back-to-School Prep

As the new school year kicks in, transitioning your children from all-day play to schedules, learning, and responsibility can be a hassle, especially if this is your child’s first year of school. For some parents, this could be their first time looking for a babysitter to take some of the load. For seasoned parents, you might have built a rapport with your babysitter, which makes it easier for you two to tackle the hurdle together well before the first day arrives. In any case, a babysitter can make your life easier because while you’re buying the school supplies and clothes, your babysitter can support day-to-day learning and ease them into earlier bedtimes.

Below is a list of steps you and your babysitter can follow to navigate each building block of your back-to-school transition. This article is divided into two sections: Daytime Routine and Nighttime Routine.

Daytime Routine

Your daytime routine is crucial to lock in before school starts, so your children can associate early morning and late afternoons with learning and structured routines. The more you establish daily routines, such as getting them dressed and setting specific blocks for learning and playtime, the easier it will be for you and your babysitter to get them ready for their big day and beyond. Some things to go over are:

• Transportation: A babysitter can make transportation easier for drop-offs, pick-ups, and all the crazy schedules your children may have. You can try alternating days with the babysitter taking them in the morning and you picking them up. Get in touch with local coaches to learn about after-school teams and clubs that can accommodate changes to your plans.
  • Trial Run: Once you’ve figured out the plan, you can have a practice run with the babysitter handling the morning routine and you getting them ready for the afternoon. This can create familiarity for your kids before school starts, as kids thrive with routine.
• Academic Help: If there are any summer packets unfinished, a babysitter can provide extra hands so you’re not watching countless videos to become a teacher overnight. Some things they can try are:
  • Study Time: Getting your children in the habit of group and solo study time can help them thrive in the classroom, as they’ll easily transition from partner to solo work. Have the babysitter work one-on-one with your child, pair your children, and have them work together on group projects to build social, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills.
• Meal Prep: Although it’s a lighter task compared to the above points, it’s still needed as a babysitter who can prepare consistent after-school snacks can keep you from running to buy food. You can outline allergens, preferred meals, and challenge foods so they can make them in advance before the children are hungry.
• Errands and Organization: You and a babysitter can work together to establish organization routines. They can prep by tidying up tasks around the house, cleaning out their backpacks after school, and helping the kids sort their homework by due date, by difficulty (easiest to hardest), and by whether it’s group or solo. This helps take some of the pressure off of you and helps your children take the lead in their school routine.

Nighttime Routine

This is arguably the most important part to lock in before school starts, so you’re not dealing with kids trying 75 ways to stay up past bedtime. It’s easy to give leeway when you’re still a few weeks away, but it’ll be harder to enforce the night before the first day, as it’ll be rougher on the little ones. A slower, gentler process will go over better with them and keep the stress levels down. A babysitter can help with this by:

• Same Step-by-Step Routine: The last thing a child needs is too many options and not enough structure. They can get fatigued by the number of choices they have when they are already tired, and inconsistent bedtimes make it harder for your child to accept going to bed at 8 pm one night and at 10 pm the next. The best way to tackle this is by having a babysitter enforce the same nighttime routine. Here is a sample routine:
  • Before dinner, have them pick out their pajamas and/or their school attire if they don’t have a uniform. Waiting to do this after dinner and a bath will leave them too tired to choose.
  • Serve dinner at the same time or close to it if they have sports. Being hangry is a real thing, and it’ll be harder to get them into their routine if they are thinking about dinner more than putting homework away.
  • Their shower and/or bathtime should be as relaxing as possible. The more they can tire themselves out in the tub, the more likely they’ll sleep right after getting into bed. Provide your babysitter with bubbles, toys, and lights to make the evening magical, fun, and rewarding after a long day of school and homework.
  • Putting on their pajamas, which they already picked out, is less of a hassle now that they did so before they started rubbing their eyes.
  • Brushing their teeth instills personal hygiene, especially once they start doing it without the babysitter having to tell them. Also, fixing their hair before the morning can be beneficial if you know you and the babysitter will be pressed for time.
  • A bedtime story once they get under the covers. It helps them sleep and builds a better bond with the babysitter if you’re trying to help them get along.

Now that you understand the benefits of having a babysitter to help you and your kids get ready for the school year, you can find the best babysitter to fit your parenting needs and/or work with the one you have to get the ball rolling. Best of luck!