When you put your baby in the hands of a sitter, you want to put your sitter in the hands of an expert. Certainly no hands are better qualified than those of Heidi Murkoff, co-author of What to Expect When You're Expecting and other bestselling childcare guides with over 22 million copies in print.

Marrying the reassuring authority and trust of all the What to Expect books with a lively, accessible voice, this guide contains everything a caregiver needs to know when minding a child, from newborn to preschooler. A mix of text, boxes, Q&As, and lists-plus plenty of blank space for parents to write in emergency numbers, specific instructions, and personal information about a child's likes and dislikes--it's the instruction manual that should be given to every caregiver, whether full-time nanny or weekend baby-sitter. It covers advice on feeding and diet, first aid, bathing an infant, potty-training, time-outs, rainy-day activities, sibling disputes, discipline problems, comforting a child, making play dates, even how to build a happy and healthy relationship with the child's family. Plus, it includes 61 of the most common questions sitters ask, from how to make mealtimes fun to what to do if you can't bond with the baby.