Baby-sitting Checklist for Grandparents

I opened the car door and my grandson looked up, kicked his feet excitedly and reached out for me. It's wonderful to be given the opportunity to fill a part of my grandchildren's lives. It's wonderful when they wrap their arms around your neck, put their face against your cheek and give you a big hug.

Since I care for them regularly, I like to be prepared and organised when they arrive. As much as possible, I stick with their normal routine and I like to let their parents know how we filled the day, what exciting discoveries they made and the funny things they said or did.

On a practical note, I like to make sure that I'm clear about nap times, feeding times and any other individual requirements. I think that it's reassuring to be able to report back about these essentials, too.

 So, I've designed a printable sheet that I can fill in with some of these details so that everyone is on the same page and nothing is overlooked in the care of these precious little ones. If you'd like to use it yourself, you can find the free downloadable below.

But, there are a couple of apps that you might like to consider that enable you, as parents or grandparents, to share care information or highlights about the kids.

Care Zone family is an app that enables you to organise and share important information about the care of your family - emergency contacts, medications, calendars and to-dos.


 It's largely designed in journal style so that you can simple note anything important or organise lists of tasks plus manage who receives the information or when you request help. You can add entries for multiple children and include photos or files to share. The app also allows you to include important medical details like allergies, blood type and other medical conditions. It is available as iPhone/iPad app or Adroid. Find out more HERE.

Daily Connect app allows you to easily gather and share information about basic care: feeding, naps, nappy changes, moods and activities. It's described as the daily online sheet for your child care centre but it also works for grandparents. You can record important milestones, share concerns, list activities and upload photos. Send all your entries via email or it can be printed, if required. The various headings and activities can easily be customised and an in-app timer is included so that naps and feeding times can be easily tracked and even graphed. The app costs $5.49 but is free after that for families. Available for iPhone, iPad or Android. You can find more information HERE.

Download file:
Baby Sitter Checklist pdf


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