What makes a "good" babysitter who is asked back again and again? There is no one characteristic that makes someone a good babysitter. Instead, a good babysitter successfully combines the knowledge and skills associated with leadership, safety and safe play, basic care, first aid, and professionalism. Here are some tips to get you started on the road to safety while babysitting.

• Always be aware that an infant or child can be burned by anything that is hot, including food, drinks, bath water, heaters, and stoves or ovens.
• Make sure that homes where you babysit are equipped with operating smoke alarms.
• Keep matches, lighters, and candles away from children at all times.
• Talk to parents or guardians about a Family Fire Escape Plan.
• Know how to use the fire extinguisher and where it is located.
• Teach children to Stop, Drop, and Roll if their clothing catches on fire.
• If fire occurs, get yourself and the children out and don't return to a burning building. Your job is to protect the children, not their belongings.

To learn more about safety, prevention, and babysitting, take the American Red Cross Babysitter's Training course. For information on signing up for a course, contact Adams County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

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**Taken from www.redcross.org