Babysitting Courses
Written & Illustrated by
Matthew James Taylor
Create a Babysitter Profile for Free And make money in your spare time while staying local
If you’ve never looked after kids before, I highly recommend completing a babysitting course before you start to look for jobs.
An in-person babysitting course is best if you have the option, but due to the current global pandemic this may not be possible. If you can't attend an in-person course then an online course is the next best thing.
Best Online Babysitting Course
I recommend this course: The Complete Guide To Becoming A Babysitter by Jeffrey Kelly. It's an excellent starter course for babysitting, Jeffrey is an excellent teacher, the course materials are really useful, and you will receive a Certificate of completion once you pass everything. Sign up to his course through the trusted Udemy platform and learn how to get started enriching the lives of kids, parents, and yourself by being GREAT at babysitting.
Check out a free course preview so you know what to expect.
In-person Babysitting Courses
The Red Cross offers one of the most well-established and trusted in-person babysitting courses in North America, Australia, and the UK. However, other organizations in your region may offer babysitting courses too. Just make sure to choose one that will supply you with a certificate when you complete the course.
All babysitting courses should teach you:
- How to deal with difficult behaviors, like kids refusing to go to bed or take a bath
- When to call emergency services versus when to call a parent
- Basic medical advice, like how to handle bee stings or asthma attacks
- How to communicate with parents and interact professionally
Most of all, a babysitting course should give you the confidence that helps you feel ready to take on your first babysitting job.
First Aid and CPR Training
You might be able to find a combined first aid and CPR course where you can learn both of these topics together, or you may have to enroll in two separate courses individually. Either way, these two courses are must-haves. They are literally life-savers!
Along with their babysitting course, the Red Cross is also my go-to provider when it comes to first aid and CPR training. However, St. John Ambulance also offers a similar program. Both of these organizations have locations around the world.
If you’re not sure where to sign up for CPR or first aid training in your city, try checking with your local YMCA or hospital. They should be able to point you in the right direction.
While a babysitting course will give you some very basic first aid information, a dedicated first aid course will go into a lot more detail. It will cover everything from minor scrapes and bruises to choking and concussions.
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. That’s quite a mouthful! It’s a skill that’s used if someone has a heart attack, stops breathing, or suddenly loses consciousness and their heart stops. CPR keeps a person with no signs of breathing or heartbeat alive until an ambulance arrives. A combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions can help keep blood flowing and oxygen traveling to a person’s brain.
Completing your first aid and CPR training will take longer than a babysitting course. Usually, these courses have a lot of material to cover and will take about 14 hours split across multiple days.
Once you complete each course, your certifications remain valid for about two years. After that, you’ll need to take a shorter refresher course to renew your qualifications.
