Should I require a first aid certificate before hiring a babysitter?

It is a reasonable and increasingly common requirement, especially for babies and toddlers. Many community centres and Red Cross chapters offer short infant and child first aid courses.

What is the single most important instruction to leave a sitter?

Call emergency services first for anything serious, then call you. Sitters sometimes delay calling for help because they are trying to reach the parent first, which can waste critical time.

Child first aid basics every babysitter should know

By The Baby Care Cards teamUpdated 2 September 2026 6 min read

Short answer

A babysitter should know how to respond to choking, a fall or bump to the head, a fever, and a minor cut or burn, and should always call emergency services first for anything serious. Leave a written emergency plan with your address, the child's known conditions, and clear thresholds for when to call you versus when to call for emergency help.

The app does not provide medical advice or recommend medications or dosages. It only helps parents organize instructions they provide. Always follow your pediatrician.

Most babysitting shifts never need first aid, but the ones that do move fast. A short written plan turns panic into a sequence of steps.

Choking

If a child is coughing forcefully, encourage them to keep coughing. If they cannot cough, cry or breathe, call emergency services immediately and begin back blows and chest thrusts for an infant, or abdominal thrusts for an older child, following certified first aid training. Every babysitter caring for a young child should ideally complete a short infant and child first aid course before their first booking.

Falls and bumps to the head

Stay calm and check for consciousness and normal breathing first
Watch for repeated vomiting, unusual drowsiness, or a change in behaviour
Apply a cold compress to swelling, never ice directly on skin
Call the parent immediately and call emergency services for any loss of consciousness

Fever

Note the child's temperature and when it started. Follow only the fever medication instructions the parent has written down, exactly as prescribed or as printed on the packaging for the child's age and weight. Call the parent for any fever in a very young infant, or a high fever accompanied by other symptoms.

Cuts, scrapes and burns

Clean a minor cut with water and cover it with a clean dressing
Cool a minor burn under running water for several minutes and cover loosely
Call for emergency help for any deep cut, a burn larger than a small coin, or a burn on the face or hands

The written plan a sitter needs

Your full address, in case they need to give it to emergency services
Your phone number and a backup contact
The child's known conditions, allergies and current medications
Where the first aid kit and any emergency medication are kept
A simple rule: call 911 or local emergency services first for anything serious, then call you

Frequently asked questions

Should I require a first aid certificate before hiring a babysitter?: It is a reasonable and increasingly common requirement, especially for babies and toddlers. Many community centres and Red Cross chapters offer short infant and child first aid courses.
What is the single most important instruction to leave a sitter?: Call emergency services first for anything serious, then call you. Sitters sometimes delay calling for help because they are trying to reach the parent first, which can waste critical time.