Babysitting is a tough and responsible job even at the best of times. The last thing you want or need is for the parents to throw bizarre rules at you. Now don’t get us wrong—having rules is fine, but there are common sense limits to how wonky they can be. And if you want your babysitter to keep working for you, you may need to let certain out-of-the-box expectations go.
Redditor u/aitaclothdiapers shared a conundrum she faced some time ago. According to her, her clients demanded that she scrape poop off the baby’s cloth diapers they were using, right into the toilet. This was a boundary that the OP was unwilling to cross and refused the job. However, she felt like she may have made a mistake. Read on to see what happened.
Babysitters need to know how to change diapers. That much is a given! However, there are boundaries
Image credits: William Fortunato (not the actual photo)
One sitter shared how she had to refuse to help a family because of their focus on reusable cloth diapers
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
Image credits: aitaclothdiapers
The parents were completely unwilling to compromise in this case
The author of the post pointed out that she didn’t want to handle more poop than she needed to. That was why she asked the parents to reconsider their parenting approach for just one night.
The babysitter offered them a couple of alternatives. For instance, they could use regular diapers that one time. Or the sitter could simply leave the cloth diapers all poopy for the parents to scrape off once they get back from the birthday party they wanted to attend.
However, the parents refused to look for a compromise. And so, the sitter decided to refuse the job in turn.
“We started arguing so I just left and went home and had a relaxing night. My mom said I should have just done it because they were in a bind but I gave them options and they vetoed all of them so I stuck to my boundary,” the OP explained to the readers on the AITA subreddit.
Most internet users were on the author’s side. They loved the idea that she had given the parents some viable alternatives. They also pointed out that it’s completely fair to have personal boundaries. Just because someone’s working as a babysitter does not mean that they should shut off their critical thinking skills. Quite the opposite!
They need to evaluate what their clients’ demands are, and whether they fit nicely with their prior job experience and understanding of their own dignity.
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
Different types of diapers have different upsides and drawbacks
Cloth and regular diapers both have their pros and cons. Which family used which ones will depend on the parents’ values, financial situation, how they were raised themselves, and how sensitive their babies’ skin is. For instance, ‘The Bump’ explains that cloth diapers tend to be far cheaper than their disposable alternative.
Because cloth diapers are reusable, they’re more eco-friendly. What’s more, they’re also gentler on sensitive skin. However, they also require poop scooping and deep cleaning, and so you may be using more water and electricity as a result. On top of that, they’re also less absorbent.
Disposable diapers, on the other hand, tend to be more convenient, absorbable, and breathable. On the flip side, they’re worse for the environment. And some dyes and gels in them can lead to irritated sensitive skin.
It’s inevitable that at least some friction will develop between babysitters and parents. But so long as the sitter remains professional while the parents stay reasonable and embrace good communication, everything should work out fine in the end.
Image credits: Nathan Dumlao (not the actual photo)
Good communication is the foundation of a positive relationship between the sitter and parents
To put it bluntly: all parents think that their children are the most important things in the world. And so, they may expect everyone else to fawn over them, and jump through countless hoops just to make them happy.
However, for babysitters (especially those who have their own kids), it’s a job. One of many. Yes, empathy for children is essential in this line of work. But this doesn’t automatically mean that every single rule the parents set should be blindly accepted.
Exact feeding and sleep times are fine, as are lists of dietary restrictions and emergency contacts. And it’s important to be clear what kinds of activities the kids enjoy doing and how much time they’re allowed to spend in front of screens.
What parents should not expect however is for their (often underpaid) sitters to go above and beyond the call of duty. Poop scraping probably falls in that category for anyone who’s only ever worked with regular, disposable diapers before. And sitters need to communicate their boundaries in a friendly but clear way.
If you feel uncomfortable doing something, say so. The more flexible and respectful you are, the better. But you should not have to sacrifice all of your boundaries and principles out of fear of losing a night’s pay. What a professional is willing to tolerate will depend entirely on them. And sometimes that line that shouldn’t be crossed is a poopy cloth diaper that needs scraping.
Image credits: Kampus Production (not the actual photo)
Here's how the internet reacted to the dollop of diaper drama
