Child Caregiver Housework

Childcare Worker's Household Duties

Do babysitters perform housework? Should I expect household tasks from a babysitter? These are common questions for families hiring a babysitter for the first time. This article addresses which responsibilities fall under the babysitter's purview and which tasks may require additional arrangements. When hiring a babysitter, it's essential to clearly outline your expectations from the outset. The babysitter should be aware of what tasks are expected of them. Some tasks can be managed during downtime in childcare duties (such as when the child is asleep or at daycare). It's important to establish these expectations in advance.

Here are some chores you may want, depending on your agreement:

• Making the beds
• Throwing dirty laundry into the machine
• Tidying up the kitchen, putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher and emptying the machine when finished
• Tidy up rooms
• Doing the grocery shopping
• Participating in activities and trips with the family
• Vacuuming frequently used areas
• Taking care of the house pet, taking it out 

The caregiver may ask you for extra fees for these household chores. If you discuss this with the caregiver during the agreement and decide on it, both parties will not experience unrest in the future. If you need to do housework, not now but in the future, you can talk to him and set a fee that you both agree on, if he is positive. Some caregivers may not want to do housework, even for a fee.

If the caregiver is willing to do this;

• Write down what housework you expect from the child while he/she is at school/sleeping. Which ones are priority?
• Don't give too much workload. One should not be tired to look after the child.
• It is best to write down what you will pay for which jobs.
• When the child is sick, the caregiver will not have time for housework as he/she cannot go to nursery/school. In such cases, you should not expect housework from him.

Caregivers who undertake housework as well as child care are truly valuable and life-saving. However, it would not be right to expect this from every caregiver. Child care alone is a full-time and important job… When assigning new tasks, make sure your caregiver agrees with you on everything. One of the common reasons why caregivers become dissatisfied and change jobs is that their employers' expectations change constantly and arbitrarily.

If you need someone to do your housework neatly and thoroughly, hire a domestic helper or day laborer. Because it will be your priority for the caregiver to whom you entrust your most precious child to do their job satisfactorily.