Sit night survival kit: what great sitters bring

Ask any sitter the kids beg for, and you will find a bag. Not an expensive one, a tote with a few well-chosen tricks that only come out on sit night.

Start with one activity that feels special because it only happens with you: a card game, a puzzle, glow sticks for a pre-bedtime dance party, or the ingredients for a simple craft. The Quiver of Resources (in the app, on the sitter side) collects craft and activity ideas exactly like these.

Add the practical layer: a phone charger, a hair tie, a snack for yourself for after bedtime, and the family's routine written down where you can see it.

And bring the calm. Kids borrow the mood of the adult in the room, so the best thing in the bag is a sitter who is unhurried, off their phone, and genuinely glad to be there.

That is the whole secret. The kids get a night that feels like an event, the parents get a real night out, and you get asked back.