Handing over · 5 min read

What to tell a babysitter or grandparent at handover

Written by Lee Jarvis, founder of Mama, Too · Published 24 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 · How we write guides

The short answer

At handover to a babysitter or grandparent, tell them what changes the next few hours: last feed, sleep and change, anything unusual, where things are, how to reach you and when you will be back. Keep it to one page and leave the long story for later.

What do you tell a babysitter or grandparent at handover?

Tell them what will change what they do in the next few hours: the baby’s last feed, sleep and change, anything unusual, and when you will be back. When you have been with the baby all day, much of what you know lives in your head. Without a handover, a helper guesses, or keeps ringing you, which defeats the point of a break.

A good handover is short, because the aim is to help them feel steady so that you can really step away. If you are handing over at night, a night handover script for parents puts this into five lines.

What is the checklist to give a babysitter or grandparent?

Use this as a list to tick through, or paste it straight into a message to the person looking after the baby. Keep each line to a few words.

Last feed: the time, and anything about how it went.
Last sleep: when it started and ended, or when the baby went down.
Last change: the time of the last nappy change.
Anything unusual: a different cry, a cough, being warm, a new rash.
Where things are: nappies, spare clothes, a drink for them.
When you will be back, and how to reach you.
Who else to call if they are worried and cannot reach you.

If something about your baby’s health worries you, that is a conversation for a health professional, not a handover. The NHS website is a good starting point, and your health visitor or GP can advise.

What can wait until later?

Many things feel urgent when you are tired but do not change what the next person does. These can wait:

The whole story of the day.
Opinions about what the baby “is going through”.
Long lists of rules.
Anything that sounds like a test of the other person.

If you are anxious about leaving the baby, write one or two preferences instead of ten. “She likes the lamp on low” is easier to follow than a page of instructions.

How is a grandparent handover different from a babysitter handover?

A grandparent often knows you well but may not know your baby’s current routine, while a babysitter knows the job but not your baby. So the note for a grandparent can skip the basics of caring and spell out what is different now, and a babysitter needs more of the practical detail.

For a grandparent: advice and equipment change over the years. Share your preferences as options (“she likes this”) and avoid sounding as if you are correcting them.
For a babysitter: add the house basics, such as where the first-aid kit is, how the door works and who the neighbours are.
For both: a clear time to message you, for example “text me at half time”.

Most helpers do best with one page, not three.

What do I say if the baby will sleep while I am away?

Say what you expect as a range and not a promise, so they know roughly when the baby might wake. “She’ll probably be awake again some time between 3 and 4, but it can vary” is more honest, and more helpful, than a fixed time.

This is how the Mama, Too app talks about sleep too: possible windows shown as ranges, and “not enough data yet” when there is not enough to say. You can read why in can you predict when your baby will nap.

On safe sleep, do not rely on a handover note. Point your helper to the Lullaby Trust’s safer sleep advice and the NHS page on helping your baby to sleep, so everyone uses the same trusted source.

What if I am on my own with no regular helper?

You can still hand over, for instance to a neighbour for twenty minutes or to a relative on a video call, and the same checklist applies. If you have no one, a written log still helps: it shows you how the day is going and gives you something concrete to tell a health visitor.

Asking can feel hard. How to ask for help with a newborn includes wording to borrow, and how to split night shifts with a newborn goes through options if a helper can cover part of a night.

How can an app help with handovers?

If you log sleeps and other events as they happen, you already have the facts for a handover. The helper can see the last sleep and the possible next window, and you do not need to say it all out loud. You stay in charge of what you share, so keep any private notes private and share only what the helper needs.

How do I make the next handover easier?

After a handover, ask yourself two questions: did the other person have what they needed, and did I manage to switch off, or did I keep checking?

If you kept checking, try handing over a bit more, not less. A clear “I am off duty until ___” can help you both. If you are finding it very hard to let go, or feel low or anxious, the NHS has information on post-natal depression, and your GP or health visitor can talk through how you are feeling.

More on this theme sits under handing over.

Sources and further help

Questions

What if I forget something?

It is fine. Most handovers do not need to be complete. A phone number and the basics are enough, and a helper can always message you.

Is a written note useful for a grandparent?

A short note helps, because grandparents often remember how things were done years ago and may not know what your baby is like now. Keep to one page and write preferences as options.

Do I need to hand over every time?

Only when someone else is taking over care. For a very short break, a single line may be enough: "just fed and changed, back in an hour".

What if the helper disagrees with how I do things?

Differences are common. Give the few things that matter to you, and for anything about safe sleep point them to the Lullaby Trust and the NHS rather than debating it.