The Babysitter Prep Sheet Every Mom Needs (Free Template)

Leaving your kids with a babysitter should feel like breathing out. Instead, it often feels like leaving a 40-point briefing with a stranger while your anxiety searches for one more thing you might have forgotten to mention.

The guilt spiral, the 47 texts from the car, the checking-in every 20 minutes — all of this is what happens when you haven't actually transferred the information your sitter needs to do their job well.

The babysitter prep sheet solves this. It's a single document — one page, two pages maximum — that lives on your fridge and covers everything. You make it once. You update it occasionally. And every time you leave, you leave without guilt because the sitter is genuinely informed.

Section 1: Emergency Information (Non-Negotiable)

This section gets filled in first and reviewed every time you update the sheet. Non-negotiable means: if this section is empty, you don't leave.

Contact Numbers

• Your cell phone — the one you will actually answer
• Your partner or a second parent — in case you can't be reached
• Nearest trusted adult — a neighbor or family member who can be there in minutes
• Pediatrician's office — name, number, after-hours line
• Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 (US) — print this on every sheet, always
• Address of your home — written out, even if they're already there. In an emergency, people forget addresses. The 911 dispatcher will ask.

Medical Information

• Any allergies — food, medication, environmental (bees, latex, etc.) and what to do if exposed
• Any current medications: name, dose, timing, location in house
• Where the EpiPen or rescue inhaler is if applicable — and confirmation the sitter knows how to use it
• Any relevant diagnoses the sitter should be aware of (asthma, epilepsy, severe anxiety triggers)

Section 2: The Evening Routine

This is where most babysitter sheets fall apart — parents list the what but not the how. Be specific about the sequence and the details that matter.

Dinner

• What's for dinner and where it is (or what they can make)
• Any foods that are off-limits (not allergies — preferences, house rules)
• Whether they need help eating, cutting food, or have any utensil preferences
• What to do if they refuse to eat (does this matter to you or not?)

Bedtime by Child

This section is per-child and the most important part of the whole document. List for each child:

• Bedtime: the target time, not the negotiated time they'll try to argue for
• Pre-bed routine: bath yes/no, teeth brushing, specific books, sound machine on/off, light on/off, door open or closed exactly how much
• Sleep associations: the specific stuffed animal, blanket, pacifier, or ritual that is non-negotiable for them to fall asleep
• What to do if they won't sleep: are they allowed back out? For how long? What helps?

The sleep associations section is the one that saves the night. A sitter who can't find the specific purple elephant has a much harder evening than one who knows exactly where it lives.

Section 3: House Rules and Logistics

Screens and Devices

• Is TV allowed during the sitter's time? Which shows/channels?
• Are tablets allowed? Time limits?
• No screens after [time]?

House Logistics

• WiFi network name and password (sitters need to work from your house sometimes)
• Where snacks are and what's approved
• Any rooms that are off-limits
• Pet care if applicable — feeding, where leash is, any warnings about behavior
• How to lock up: deadbolt, alarm code if any

Behaviors to Know About

This is where you flag the specific things your sitter will encounter that would be confusing without context:

• "She always tries to negotiate bedtime — she gets two extensions max, then it's done."
• "He has nightmares sometimes. If he wakes up upset, sit with him for 5 minutes and he'll go back to sleep."
• "She's scared of the vacuum cleaner sound — if the neighbor runs theirs, just reassure her."

These behavioral notes prevent the 9 PM panic text asking what to do.

Section 4: Where You'll Be

• Where you're going and approximate return time
• Is it okay to call you? (Yes. Always yes.)
• Any reason you might be hard to reach (movie, flight) and what to do in that case

Making It Work (The One Thing Most People Skip)

The prep sheet doesn't work if you hand it to someone as they walk in the door and say "here's the sheet." It works when you do a 5-minute verbal walk-through while pointing at each section: "Here's where the EpiPen is, here's bedtime for each kid, here's how to reach me."

The sheet is the reference document. The walk-through is the transfer. Both are required.

Then go have dinner. You did the work. Trust the system.