Baby-Sitting 101: The Basics and Beyond; Babysitting 101: Your Complete Guide to Becoming the Best Babysitter!; Teenager's Guide to Successful Babysitting

Dear Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe: In the dark ages, when I babysat all your children, I brought my own snacks (because your cupboards were always bare), cleaned your shoe from toe to heel, never once spanked any of your little darlings before I sent them to bed, and only got $.50 an hour. What's up with that? Today, members of the babysitting club are definitely better paid, and have less housework, but in these times of heightened awareness, they're also required to be more responsible. Three new videos all offer a good overview of babysitting basics, with the difference being more or less the amount of detail provided by each. Baby-sitting 101: The Basics and Beyond features a very bright and funny Fairy Good Sitter (think Alicia Silverstone) who appears in a puff of smoke just in time to stop a new babysitter from (yipes!) feeding a baby a grape. The twosome discuss important information in several areas, including proper food choices for babies, the art of diaper changing, and the wisdom of getting down on all fours to survey baby-territory for dangerous landmines, such as dangling cords. In addition, a fireman talks to a group of teenage boys and girls about babysitting emergencies. Informative, nicely paced, and very well-suited to its intended audience--new sitters. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, P.Babysitting 101: Your Complete Video Guide is--true to its title--the most comprehensive of the tapes, covering a wide range of topics such as how to market one's self, the responsibilities new sitters face, common problems, and a demonstration of first aid (including the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR) and general emergency instructions. Professional babysitter course teacher Julie Hunt shares a lot of important information here, and her style is easygoing, conversational and chockfull of good old fashioned common sense. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: J, H, P.The Teenager's Guide to Successful Babysitting earns a lot of the same kudos for providing solid information, but the framing device here feels unnatural and rushed. A young girl wants to earn extra money and drills a friend for information about how to begin in a staged and off-putting manner. The ‘sitter in training' is relentless in her endless questions, while the seasoned pro comes off as a fast talking know-it-all. Still, even though the program is stilted, the facts and tips are useful (the program includes discussions about children with special needs, fighting, and what goodies to bring in your ‘fun bag'). Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (N. Plympton)