For parents heading out: fill seven boxes, test them, print one page for the sitter.
20-second sitter drill1 / 4
Tap what the sitter needs from your sheet.
Tap a line to start the clock.
Free on iPhone Optional Family Ready Plus
What goes on a babysitter emergency information sheet?
A babysitter emergency information sheet needs the lines a sitter would reach for in a real emergency: your cell, a backup adult, your full address, each child's allergies and medicines, the doctor, Poison Help and where the flashlight is. Type below; the sheet fills in as you go.
Nothing you type is saved or sent. Close the tab and it is gone.
For the sitter
Filled in
Emergency
Call 911. Give the address below first.
Poison Help (US, 24/7)
1-800-222-1222
Parent names and cell numbers
Not filled in yet
Backup adult nearby (name, phone)
Not filled in yet
Home address and cross street
Not filled in yet
Each child: age, allergies, medicines
Not filled in yet
Doctor or pediatrician phone
Not filled in yet
First-aid kit and flashlight are
Not filled in yet
Bedtime and routine
Not filled in yet
If anything feels wrong, call us. You will never be in trouble for calling.
7 lines still empty.
Sitter sheet vs a text vs Family Ready
Paper sheet on the fridge
Works with a dead phone. Goes stale the day a medicine changes.
A long text to the sitter
Fast to send. Hard to find at 9 p.m. under fifty other messages.
Family Ready (we make it)
A free Emergency Card per child, opened offline in a large-text Emergency Mode, plus a free dated Emergency Snapshot PDF to print.
Use paper for the sitter tonight. Use an app to keep the paper current.
Honest limits of this sheet builder
It is one evening's page. It saves nothing, so you retype it next time.
Poison Help is a US number. The HRSA Poison Help page lists 1-800-222-1222 as toll-free and open 24/7 in over 100 languages. Outside the US, write your local poison line instead.
Family Ready does not call anyone. In Emergency Mode you tap a contact to start a call yourself. It is not an emergency or monitoring service.
Plus is a subscription. The Emergency Card, Emergency Mode, the household plan and the Snapshot PDF are free. Caregiver Handoff and other extra printable packs, trusted-person invitations and sync are Family Ready Plus, monthly or annual.
Who this is not for
If your sitter is a grandparent who knows every allergy, a short card with Poison Help and the doctor may be enough. If you need a legal medical consent form so a sitter can authorize treatment, that is a different document, and rules vary by state; ask your pediatrician's office what they accept. And if you do not use an iPhone, skip the app entirely: print this page and redo it each season.
One design decision we made: the sheet puts Call 911, give the address first above everything else, because Ready.gov's family plan page (updated 2023) asks families to write contacts down and keep copies, and a stranger's address is the line people forget.
What the app version looks like
11 One card per person. Make one for each child.22 One question at a time. I don't know is allowed.33 Emergency Mode: offline, large text, you tap to call.
Sitter sheet questions
What should be on a babysitter emergency information sheet?
Your cell number, a backup adult who lives nearby, your full home address with a cross street, each child's allergies and medicines, the doctor's number, Poison Help (1-800-222-1222 in the US) and where the first-aid kit is.
Why does the sitter need my home address written down?
A 911 dispatcher asks where the emergency is first, and a sitter under stress in someone else's house often cannot recall the street number. Add a cross street.
Where should I put the sheet?
Somewhere the sitter will see it without being told: on the fridge or next to the front door. Text the sitter a photo of it too.
Is my information saved by this builder?
No. Everything you type stays in this browser tab and disappears when you close it. Nothing is sent anywhere. Print it, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
How is this different from Family Ready?
This page makes one paper sheet for one evening. Family Ready keeps an Emergency Card per person on your iPhone, opens it offline in a large-text Emergency Mode, and prints a free dated Emergency Snapshot PDF. Extra printable packs such as Caregiver Handoff are part of Family Ready Plus.
Updated November 2026
Keep the sheet current without retyping it
Make each child's Emergency Card once. Print a fresh Snapshot whenever a sitter comes.
Emergency plan for single parents: the first weekWhen you are the only adult at home, the plan has to cover you being the emergency. A 7-day first-week plan for single parents, one small task a day.
Emergency preparedness quiz for seniorsSeven scratch cards built from Ready.gov's advice for older adults. Scratch to see why each matters, answer, and get a short to-do list.
How to teach kids your family emergency planTeach kids your family emergency plan in small pieces: one contact, two meeting places, one paper copy. Plus a 20-second drill to play tonight.
