Make yourself at home within reason

While it’s important to fit in with the family you’re working for, it’s also important to remember that you’re an employee. Make sure you and the parents have gone over the house ground rules, then keep the following tips in mind , even if you’re just babysitting for a few hours in the evening.

Keep the phone free

Tying up the phone line by chatting with your friends is a bad idea. Not only does it mean you’re not paying attention to the children, but it also means the line won’t be available for incoming calls from the parents and others. Make any necessary phone calls ( to your doctor, for instance ) at naptime and then keep it short.

Keep your cell phone free

So, if you can’t tie up the family phone,, there is nothing wrong with talking up a storm on oyur cell phone-right? Wrong.
Again there’s the attention issue. Keep the cell phone handy in case of emergency, or to contact the parents ( or be contacted by them) while you are out with the child, but don’t use it for catching up with friends during work hours.
(if you end up using your own cell phone a lot for communicating with the parents, you can ask them to pay for part of the monthly bill.

Use of Computer

Only if the parents ask you to email and instant message them during the day. Don’t put it to personal use unless they have said you can, and then use it only when the child is napping (and don’t make the mistake of visiting websites that parents wouldn’t approve of)

Don’t invite guests over

The only guests you should be hosting on the job are playmates of the child ( and their parents or caregivers) unless you’ve been told otherwise.

Don’t be a pantry raider

Most parents will be happy to provide you with meals and snacks while you’re on the job, and will probably tell you to help yourself to anything you want. But don’t consider this is an invitation to eat them out of house and home. be polite in the pantry, don’t eat the whole box of cookies, or drink the last sip of Coke, or polish off the leftovers they were saving for dinner.