Congratulations on receiving your first booking with Poppet!

Here is the top advice that experienced caregivers want to pass on to help your first booking go smoothly.

Please read the article carefully as it contains important safety information that will keep you and the families you care for safe.

Your new family will certainly be excited to meet you! But it can take some time for you and your new little buddies to settle in and be comfortable around you.

Before your booking you'll need to chat with families. You may need to ask or answer questions and queries. We recommend turning on notifications so you can see and replying to messages promptly.

Families may ask to see a copy of relevant certificates like your Enhanced DBS, as well as first aid certificates, early years of other educational qualifications. Remember to bring copies and not the originals!

It's essential to arrive on time for every booking at the scheduled start time. If you are going to be late please contact the family via your chat to avoid cancellation and deductions to your earnings.

For first bookings with a new family we recommend arranging settling in time at the before or at the beginning of a full booking. This allows time to chat with parent/guardians, get shown around, play and get to know each other together before anyone has to leave.

We ask families to include settling in time into their bookings but it's always a good idea to check they have thought about this. Settling in time is usually at least 30 minutes but it can be longer depending on the families needs.

At the start of every booking we advise that children must be awake when you arrive. This ensures that you have the opportunity to introduce yourself directly to both parents and children, and is a safeguarding requirement - you should be sure that each child is fit and well at the beginning of a booking, before a parent/guardian leaves.

Even after settling in, it's still quite common for children to be a little upset when their parent or guardian first leaves. That's totally normal, and the best way to deal with it is by staying calm and offering reassurance. Distraction with their favourite toy, snack or a game to play can also help!

Over time many children develop a special bond with their caregivers and love spending time with them.

We advise families to let caregivers know about allergies, medical conditions and special educational or other needs in the information they send with a booking request.

We also advise you ask specifically about these using the chat before a booking. This helps you prepare accordingly.

Young children often have 1 or 2 naps during the day. Its a good idea to ask where they have these, if they need anything before sleep (like milk or a comforter or dummy). Ask about how long their naps should last and whether they need waking at any particular time.

If a family has asked about help at bedtime you need to know about a little ones bedtime routine.

If children are 5 years or above they can usually manage going to the toilet by themselves. Younger children may need help. This can be anywhere from reminding them to go, to helping them clean up. Ask parents/guardians about what help they need if any.

Children may use a potty of toilet with a child seat. You should make sure these are clean after use.

If a child is still in nappies you should ask a parent/guardian to show you where the changing facilities are and whether any special instructions they have for this. Make sure there are enough supplies of nappies, wipes and disposal bags, and that you know where to put soiled items!

At the beginning of a first booking it's a good idea to ask a parent/guardian about their preferences and permissions.

If you plan to go on any local trips (such as to a park, shop or play centre) you should get permission before you leave for from the family via the chat. It's best to do this via chat so there is a written record of the permission given.

You should get permission whether you are walking, taking public transport or driving.

If in doubt check with your family via the chat.

Poppet advises you not to take, store or share any photographs or videos of children during a booking. This keeps you, and the families you are caring for, safe.

Many families try to reduce screen time with TVs, tablets and phones. Ask parents/guardians about what their preferences are when it comes to screen time.

If you do allow a child to use a screen it must only be on a device that a parent/guardian has given advance permission to use and is password protected. You must supervise screen time during a booking.

For TV ask about what channels or programs children are allowed to watch if they ask.

Many parents/guardians have preferences or customs when it comes to snacks, foods and drinks. It's a good idea to ask about what foods/snacks are allowed, where you can find these, when they should be given and how much they are allowed.

You should not give any medicine to a child unless you have advance permission from a parent/guardian. This may include a dose of children's paracetamol or ibuprofen,

suncream, creams or any regular medication.

If a parent asks you to administer a medication they should do this in the chat and you should confirm what medicine was given, the amount and at what time. It's best to do this via chat so there is a written record of the permission given and your actions.

Serious accidents and illnesses in children are very rare, but here is what you should do if one does happen.

If you think the problem is serious or life-threatening, or you're not sure, you should get medical help urgently. Do this by calling 999 first.

For any other accidents or injuries you should call the child's parent/guardian first. You could do this for things like a fever, rash or an accident or injury. You can send them a message via your chat call page, or call them directly by clicking on the phone icon at the top of your chat page. If in doubt it's best to get in touch.

A parent/guardian may ask you to check a babies temperature, give a dose of medication or take other actions. You should do only those you feel competent and comfortable to do so.

You should also let a parent/guardian know if they need to come and collect a child, and how urgently you'd like them to come.

If you have an other concerns or questions that you'd like to discuss directly with our team, you can contact us via the support chat in Get Help section of your profile.

There are some easy things you can do to help keep kids safe. Here are a few of the simple but important ones:

You are by law permitted to provide emergency first aid treatment ('resuscitation') to a child if you believe it may save their life and you feel competent to do so. You do not have to ask permission before doing this.

Your booking should end at the scheduled end time. If a parent/guardian is running late they should advise you via the chat messenger. Please get in touch so we can arrange an update to your payment if an over-run is more than 30 minutes.

Detailed reviews are an important way to attract families to your profile and receive more bookings. So if the booking went well don't be shy, ask a parent/guardian for a positive review.

The Poppet team also really appreciate your ideas and suggestions about improvements we can make. You can leave feedback here. We read every request and do our best to add the improvements and features that our caregivers suggest.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Please let us know if you have any questions and we hope you have fun on your first booking!