Why the handoff matters
Your written kid profile is the foundation. The handoff is the live update — what is different today, what the sitter should know that the profile cannot anticipate, where the new thing is in the kitchen.
A bad handoff is a sitter standing in your doorway with your car keys jingling, trying to absorb a brain-dump while you are already late. A good handoff is a sitter who can actually walk into the rest of the booking ready.
The 5-minute version (returning sitter)
If the sitter has been with your family before, the handoff can be short and surgical:
- • What is new since last time. New routine, new word your kid is saying, new triggers.
- • Today's schedule. Dinner at 6, bath after the show, bed by 8.
- • Anything off-routine. 'She had a hard day at school, so she is going to want extra time on the couch.'
- • How to reach you. Where you will be, when you expect to be back.
- • Anything to watch for. 'She mentioned a headache earlier — if it gets worse, text me first.'
The 15-minute version (first-time sitter)
First-time bookings deserve more time. Build it into your evening plan — leave 15 minutes earlier than you need to.
- • Walk the house. Show the sitter where the kitchen lights are, where the bathroom is, where your kid's bedroom is, where the emergency kit / EpiPen / inhaler is.
- • Walk through the bedtime routine in person. Even if it is in the profile. The sitter has read it; now they have seen it.
- • Explain the routines that are non-obvious. Bath temperature, food preparation, the specific spot at the table.
- • Show the sitter your kid. Have your kid present for the handoff. Introduce. Let your kid see that you are entrusting this person.
- • Walk through what to do if something escalates. 'If she gets overwhelmed, the quiet corner is in here. The headphones are on the shelf.'
- • Phones. Make sure the sitter has the right number for you, and a backup contact. Make sure you have a clean way to reach them.
What to walk through specifically
Three categories matter most:
- • Food and meds. What can your kid eat, what is allergic, what is the dose if applicable, where is it kept.
- • Bedtime. The full step-by-step. The sitter is doing this within an hour or two of arrival.
- • Escalation. What does 'something is wrong' look like for your kid, and what should the sitter do first.
Common handoff mistakes parents make
The most common things that go wrong:
- • Skipping the walk-through because the profile is thorough. The profile is reference; the walk-through is operational.
- • Front-loading too much information into the last two minutes. The sitter cannot absorb a 10-minute brain-dump while you are putting on your coat.
- • Not introducing the sitter to the kid before leaving. For neurodiverse kids in particular, the introduction is part of the calm that lets the booking go well.
- • Leaving without confirming the sitter has your phone number ready, not buried in the app.