Babysitter Info Sheet: What to Include
Short answer: A good babysitter info sheet answers every question a sitter would otherwise text you. That means how to reach you and who else to call, your home address written out, each child's basics and bedtime routine, what's OK tonight (food, screens, rules), and house basics (Wi-Fi, thermostat, where the flashlight is). Fill in the permanent parts once. Add a short "tonight" section each time you go out. Leave it somewhere obvious, like the fridge or the kitchen counter.
It helps with a brand-new sitter, but also with grandparents, a neighbor, or a regular sitter on a night when the routine is different.
1. Contacts and "who to call"
Put this at the very top of the sheet.
- Your cell numbers (both parents or caregivers), and which one to try first
- Where you'll be tonight (restaurant name, friend's house) and when you'll be back
- A backup adult nearby: a neighbor, relative, or friend who has agreed to be called
- Your home address and nearest cross street, written out in full. In an emergency, a sitter may need to read it to a dispatcher, and it's easy to blank on an address that isn't yours.
- Emergency number: in the US, 911. Write it on the sheet anyway so a nervous sitter doesn't have to think.
- Poison Help (US): 1-800-222-1222
- Your children's doctor's office name and number, if you want it there
Tell your sitter plainly: in an emergency, call emergency services first, then call us.
2. Kids at a glance
One short block per child:
- Name and age
- Bedtime and how they usually fall asleep (door open or closed, night-light, a certain stuffed animal)
- Anything that helps when they're upset
- Allergies or medical needs. Write what they are and where anything related is kept. If your child has a care or allergy plan from their doctor, leave a copy with the sheet and walk the sitter through it in person. The info sheet points to that plan; it doesn't replace it.
- Anything they're not allowed to do that they might try tonight
3. Tonight's timeline
Sitters do better with a rough schedule than with "whenever":
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| Dinner | |
| Bath / pajamas | |
| Screens off | |
| Story / quiet time | |
| Lights out (youngest) | |
| Lights out (oldest) |
Leave times blank on the reusable version and fill them in each night.
4. Food, screens, and rules for tonight
This is the section that stops the "Can I have…?" negotiations.
- What's for dinner and how to make or heat it
- Snacks that are OK and snacks that are not tonight
- Screen rules: which devices or shows, and when they go off
- House rules your kids know (and might test): outside after dark, friends over, pets in bedrooms
- Whether the sitter can have friends over, use the TV after bedtime, or help themselves to snacks. Saying it up front avoids awkwardness.
5. House basics
Things sitters look for and can't find:
- Wi-Fi network and password
- How to work the TV and remote(s)
- Thermostat: what's normal, and whether they can change it
- Where the flashlight, first-aid kit, and fire extinguisher are
- How to lock up, and which doors should stay locked
- Pets: feeding, going out, anything to know
- Rooms or areas that are off-limits
6. The sitter report (for when you get home)
A few lines the sitter fills in before you walk in the door. It saves a long recap at the door when everyone's tired.
- What they ate
- What time each child went to sleep
- Anything that went wrong, or anything funny
- Anything that ran out or needs attention
How to set it up so it's quick every time
- Fill in the permanent parts once: contacts, address, house basics, each child's basics.
- Make a fresh "tonight" page each time: where you'll be, when you're back, the timeline, and food and screen rules.
- Walk your sitter through it in person for two minutes, especially the contacts and any medical notes.
- Keep it in the same spot every time so regular sitters know where to look.
- Update it when routines change, like a new bedtime or a new rule.
Want a printable version that's already laid out?
The Babysitter Info Sheet + Night Out Pack is a 10-page printable. It includes a "tonight" header (leave / back by / where we'll be), a house basics card, kids at a glance for up to three children, an evening timeline, a food and snacks page, house rules and screen time, a contacts page, a bedtime routine card, and a sitter report card. It's undated, so you fill in the house and kid pages once and reprint the nightly pages.
Field Lane Co makes printable household checklists. This guide isn't medical advice, an allergy action plan, an emergency-care plan, or childcare training. In any emergency, call your local emergency number first.