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Start with essential contacts
- Both parents' names and mobile numbers
- The home's full street address
- A nearby trusted adult who knows the family
- The pediatrician and preferred urgent-care information
- Poison Control and 911 instructions
List each child's important information
Include allergies, relevant conditions, medications, communication needs and any symptoms that require immediate help. Keep directions concise and current. Do not leave unnecessary private records where they can be seen by visitors.
Add home-specific instructions
Note exits, alarm information, pool restrictions, pet behavior and where the first aid kit is stored. Explain which doors must remain locked and whether the sitter may take children outside.
Complete your safety station
Keep Going First Aid
Pair the contact sheet with an organized family first aid kit so basic supplies and instructions stay together.
See First Aid Kits →Review it with the sitter
A printed sheet is useful only when the caregiver knows it exists. Walk through it before leaving and ask whether anything is unclear. Update the sheet whenever a phone number, medication or family instruction changes.
This checklist is general information and does not replace medical or emergency guidance.
Use fields a caregiver can scan quickly
Location: full address, apartment or gate details and where a responder should enter. Parents: names, numbers and where you will be. Nearby adult: someone who has agreed to be contacted. Children: name, age, allergy or other relevant needs, and where to find the family's written care instructions. Home: first aid kit, exits, alarm and pool restrictions. Put urgent information at the top instead of burying it in a long paragraph.
Distinguish emergency and routine calls
Tell the sitter to call 911 for an emergency and to notify a parent as soon as it is safe. Identify situations that need an immediate parent call but are not automatically a medical emergency, such as a change in pickup plans or a missing medication instruction. Do not ask a caregiver to diagnose symptoms from a checklist. For children with a care plan, use the instructions supplied by the appropriate clinician and confirm that the sitter accepts the responsibility.
Test the sheet before you go
Hand the sitter the page and ask where she would find the address and second contact if your phone were unreachable. Confirm that the listed helper knows they might receive a call. Keep one paper copy in an agreed location and a current copy with your own records. Replace outdated pages instead of writing contradictory changes in the margins. Protect private health details and share only what is needed for that visit.
Pair this sheet with a short home walkthrough; written information is most useful when the caregiver has seen the supplies and exits in person.