15 Babysitter Skills for Your Resume

Being a babysitter is an important job and can prove a great source of income. Babysitter skills and responsibilities are varied. From helping children with homework to transporting children to preparing snacks, diverse babysitter skills can be required for the job, and requires skill sets may look different depending on the family and circumstances.

If you’re hoping to launch your babysitting career or boost your babysitter resume skills if asked by a parent or agency, here are 15 things to consider.

There are many options for first aid and CPR certification classes. The American Red Cross Training Services has several that address babysitter skills and responsibilities.

• Babysitting Basics (Online Course): Created for those ages 11 and older, this online babysitting training course teaches you how to provide care for infants and children, understand what to do in an emergency, choose age-appropriate activities, recognize, and handle a range of behaviors, start your own babysitting business, and more.
• Babysitter's Training (In-Person Course): Recommended for those ages 11 to 15, this course is designed to help participants develop leadership skills, build their business, keep themselves and others safe, help children learn how to behave, and understand basic child care and basic first aid.
• Advanced Child Care (Online Course): This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to care for children and infants inside and outside the home. It also delivers leadership, child behavior, and discipline training and information on professionalism, safety, basic child care, and more. This course is not intended as certification for state-licensed childcare providers and does not meet all state requirements for such certification.

Safety Skills

Basic safety knowledge is expected for babysitter skills. For example, a babysitter should not open the door to strangers or talk on the phone when caring for children (unless there is an emergency.) Additionally, many families may expect babysitter skills to include specific training and safety qualifications, such as first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certifications.

Download the Red Cross First Aid App!

Problem-Solving

Babysitting often involves quick thinking and requires solving problems in the moment. Whether managing a disgruntled child at bedtime, resolving a disagreement between siblings, or handling an accident, problem-solving abilities are essential babysitter skills.

Time Management

Time management is an important life skill but also an important babysitter skill. A babysitter uses time management skills to coordinate activities, manage homework, and adhere to specific routines. Showcasing time management on your babysitter resume skills is a meaningful way to show you’re qualified.

Responsibility

Being responsible and reliable are top babysitter skills. Families rely on babysitters to arrive on time and complete tasks as agreed upon. Responsibility also means that the babysitter should be available when the parents need them and not cancel at the last minute.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills—traits you use when interacting and communicating with others—are essential babysitter skills.

Some of the most common interpersonal babysitter resume skills to highlight include:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy
• Leadership
• Listening
• Mediating
• Motivation
• Persuasion
• Positive attitude
• Compassion

Compassion is an empathic understanding of someone’s feelings, often accompanied by selflessness or a desire to act on that person's behalf. Babysitter skills and responsibilities require you to relate to a child’s situation and help them. Highlighting compassion babysitter resume skills could include:

• Speaking with kindness
• Accepting people for who they are
• Apologizing when you've made a mistake
• Celebrating someone else's success
• Encouraging other people
• Forgiving people for making mistakes
• Listening carefully and without judgment
• Offering to help someone with a task

Empathy

Thriving babysitters have strong empathy skills. Empathy differs from compassion because empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Babysitter skills and responsibilities include interacting with children and caring for them. By showing empathy on your babysitter resume skills, you reassure prospective families and their children.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a crucial interpersonal skill for a babysitter. An emotionally intelligent babysitter is better suited to provide a nurturing and supportive environment. Being able to regulate emotions helps babysitters form strong relationships with the children.

Additionally, emotional intelligence includes recognizing and responding to a child’s emotional needs and navigating conflicts and challenges in a positive and respectful manner. These skills are important in your role as a babysitter and a great addition to your babysitter resume skills.

Communication Skills

When you babysit, you interact with children and their parents. Strong communication skills are essential babysitter skills. Babysitters must communicate professionally with the parents, including actively listening, responding, and engaging with the children.

Clear and open communication prevents misunderstandings and ensures the children’s needs are met.

Patience and Flexibility

Children can be challenging sometimes, and families want someone who can patiently handle them. Patience is essential to include in your babysitter resume skills.

Dealing with children can also be unpredictable, and a babysitter needs to remain calm and flexible in challenging situations. Whether dealing with a temper tantrum, comforting an anxious child, or handling a change in plans, babysitter resume skills should illustrate your ability to be patient and flexible.

Childcare Experience

Highlighting childcare experience on your babysitter resume skills demonstrates to families that you are equipped to care for children. Childcare experience can be in a professional setting, such as a daycare, or in a personal setting, such as caring for a family member’s children.

Special Abilities

Babysitting involves more than just keeping an eye on children—you must also entertain them (e.g., reading, toy exploration, puppet show)! The most successful babysitters engage with children, so including special abilities on your babysitter resume skills is a critical way to differentiate yourself.

Creativity

School-age children usually take a keen interest in creative activities. Activities like drama, singing, dancing, arts, and crafts help school-age children improve their social skills, express their emotions, develop creativity and physical and motor skills, and build confidence.

Creative activities that align with the passions and interests of children are valuable babysitter resume skills.

Cooking

Babysitters are usually only sometimes expected to provide food for the children they're tending to. But in some circumstances, you might be expected to cook, prepare leftovers, or complete meal preparation. So, if you are proficient in the kitchen, cooking is an excellent addition to your babysitter resume skills.

Languages and Subject Expertise

Babysitters may be required to monitor or assist with homework completion—including various subjects like French, math, and critical reading. Highlighting your special abilities on your babysitter resume skills, whether it’s a second language or subject expertise, can set you apart.

Developing your babysitter skills benefits you, both personally and professionally. Over time, you’ll improve your time management, creativity, and patience and build your confidence—all of which are great additions to your babysitter resume skills.