Free Online Babysitting Courses

About Babysitting

Job Perks

As far as jobs for teens go, it’s hard to beat babysitting.

You can:

• Make reasonable money
• Receive positive references from parents that you can later use to obtain other jobs
• Show your parents that you’re responsible
• Get real work experience
• Have fun playing games at work
• Be an example in a young child’s life

Parental Expectations

Parents want to hire a young adult who:

• Is prepared and ready to handle anything their child can dish up
• Can perform basic care tasks such as bedtime routines, changing diapers and feeding a child
• Knows how to create a fun and happy atmosphere for their kids, including thinking up fun games, reading stories, art projects and more
• Can be fun, but still remain in control of the situation at all times
• Gets along with the parents and the children

Additionally, parents need babysitters who understand how to deal with a variety of safety issues, including:

• Basic first aid and CPR for infants and children
• What to do if someone you don’t know shows up at their home while you’re in charge
• Bath time safety for different age groups of children
• What kinds of food are safe for children of various ages
• How to safely handle a child who won’t stop crying, hitting or screaming
• What to do in case of an emergency like a fire or an earthquake
• Who to call and what to do when their child gets sick

About Free Online Babysitting Courses

When you consider all of the things that parents want and need in a babysitter, it's easy to understand why it takes training to become a good one. Unfortunately, there really are no free online babysitting courses of much value. That said, let's look at some of the options you do have.

• The Youth Online Babysitting Class: This is a good one. For $17.50 you get everything you need to be a great babysitter. You’ll get a complete “learn at your own pace” training designed by experts. Other perks include fun quizzes to check your knowledge, and a cool business kit that includes a training certificate, wallet card and checklists.
• The American Red Cross Babysitting Course: This comprehensive class includes a handbook you get to keep. It covers all of the responsibilities of babysitting, including safe play, being a good role model and how to handle emergencies. The cost of this course typically runs $45.00.
• The University of Babysitting Training DVD provides you with all of the babysitting training you’ll ever need, and comes with almost too many free gifts to count. At just under $20.00, this DVD is a super deal.

Ideas for Free Offline Babysitter Training

Just because you can’t find free online babysitting courses doesn’t mean you can’t find free training offline.

Here are a few great ideas:

Be a Parent Helper

See if you can find a mom or dad in your neighborhood who needs a parent helper. Some parents love to have an extra set of hands around after school or on weekends. In exchange for your help, a parent can provide you with valuable in-house skills and training.

Check with Your Local Library

Your local library and/or youth center, may actually offer babysitting classes that will help prepare you to care for children while their parents are away. If these classes aren't completely free, they're usually offered for a nominal fee.

Check with Your School

Many middle schools and high schools now offer parenting, health and child care related classes. Some even have on-site day cares for parenting teens that may be able to use your help.

Volunteer at a Child Care Center

Find out if a local child care center would be willing to accept you as a volunteer. If that fails, you might also contact a parent who runs an at-home day care to see if they could use some help in exchange for training.

With the right training you'll be a great babysitter. Good luck!