What Does Your Babysitter Need to Know? The Complete List

You found a great babysitter. She comes recommended. She seems responsible and warm with kids. But responsible people make serious mistakes when they do not have the right information. A babysitter who does not know about the peanut allergy is not careless — she is uninformed. And that is entirely fixable.

This is the complete list of what your babysitter needs to know before she is alone with your child. Work through it once. The peace of mind on the other side is worth the 20 minutes.

1. Allergies — the most critical category

Start here, because the stakes are the highest. Your babysitter needs to know:

• Every allergen — not just the severe ones. Cross-reactions matter. Tree nuts and peanuts are not the same allergy, but many parents conflate them when telling a new caregiver.
• The severity — life-threatening, severe, moderate, or mild. A babysitter who thinks an allergy is mild may not act with urgency when it is life-threatening.
• What the reaction looks like — hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, vomiting? She needs to recognize it.
• What to do — does she give the EpiPen? Does she call you first? Does she call 911 first? Be explicit. Do not assume she knows the protocol.
• Where the EpiPen is — exact location. Not "in the bag." Which bag. Which pocket.
• Foods to avoid — including hidden sources. Soy sauce contains wheat. Pesto often contains nuts. She cannot protect against what she does not know to look for.

The allergy information should be the first thing she sees, not buried on page three of a handwritten sheet.

2. Medications

For every medication your child might need during the babysitting shift:

• Name of the medication — generic and brand name if possible
• Exact dose — "some" or "a little" is not enough. Milligrams or milliliters.
• When to give it — at a scheduled time? Only if symptoms appear? After eating?
• Where it is in the house — cabinet, drawer, medicine bag, backpack pocket
• Whether she needs your approval before giving it — some medications she can give on her own judgment. Others require a call to you first. Be explicit about which is which.
• What not to combine it with — if there are any interaction concerns

3. Medical conditions and emergency protocols

If your child has a diagnosis that a caregiver might encounter — asthma, seizure disorder, diabetes, severe anxiety, heart condition — the babysitter needs:

• What the condition is and a brief plain-language explanation
• What it looks like when it flares or activates
• What she should do first (and what she should not do)
• Whether to call 911, call you, or both — and in which order
• Your child's doctor's name and number

4. Emergency contacts

This sounds obvious, but most parents text one number and call it done. A babysitter in an actual emergency needs a contact list, not a single number that might go to voicemail:

• Your primary number
• Your partner's or co-parent's number
• A backup adult — neighbor, sibling, someone local who can be there in 10 minutes
• Pediatrician — office number and after-hours line
• Poison Control — 1-800-222-1222 (US)
• Local emergency number — 911 in the US, but if you are traveling, confirm
• Your location — if she needs to reach you and you are not answering, what restaurant, theater, or venue are you at?

5. Pickup authorization

Who is allowed to pick up your child during this shift? This matters more than most parents realize.

• Name of each authorized person
• Relationship to the child
• What they look like, or what car they drive, if the babysitter has not met them

If your mother-in-law might come instead of you, the babysitter needs to know that is authorized. If there is a custody situation or anyone who is explicitly not authorized, she needs to know that too.

6. Care instructions and routines

The health information covers what can go wrong. The care instructions cover the rest of the night going well.

• Bedtime — actual bedtime, not the one the child will claim
• Bedtime routine — bath, book, specific songs, specific stuffed animals, lights on or off
• Food for the evening — what she can give him, what she cannot, what he is likely to ask for and whether the answer is yes
• Screen time rules — how much, what platforms, what is off-limits
• Nap schedule — for younger children, exact nap routine
• Behavioral notes — what to do if he melts down, what calms her, what escalates things
• Sleep notes — does he wake at night? What does he need if he does?

7. The house

• WiFi network and password (she will need it)
• Location of first aid kit
• Where fire extinguisher is
• Any doors or gates that need to be kept closed
• Whether there are pets and any instructions related to them
• Any locked areas she should know about or that are off-limits

8. Your location and return time

• Where you are going — not just "dinner." Name and address of the venue.
• When you expect to be back — and how to reach you if plans change
• Whether she should feel free to call for non-emergencies or only if something is wrong

Why organization matters as much as the information itself

A babysitter with a disorganized packet of information — allergy list buried after the bedtime routine, medications mentioned in a text thread from three weeks ago, emergency contacts in her inbox — has the same risk profile as one with no information at all. In a stressful moment, she will not search. She will call you or make her best guess.

The information needs to be organized so that the most critical things — allergies, medications, emergency contacts — are immediately visible, not buried.

This is why parents who use Baton Pass can text a link instead of a stack of papers. Every category is organized the same way every time: allergies first in red, then medications, then contacts. She taps the link and knows where to look.

The checklist

• All allergens, with severity and what to do
• Location and protocol for EpiPen or other emergency medications
• All routine medications with exact dose and instructions
• Medical conditions with emergency protocols
• Your number, partner's number, backup contact
• Pediatrician with after-hours line
• Poison Control (1-800-222-1222)
• Your location tonight
• Who is authorized for pickup
• Bedtime, routine, and food rules
• Screen time rules
• Behavioral and sleep notes
• House basics: WiFi, first aid, pets

If you want a structured place to keep all of this — and a way to share it with one tap — Baton Pass is free to start. Build it once, update as things change, share with any caregiver.