February

How To Find a Good Babysitter

Posted In: baby care, baby nursery by Infant Care

In order to get a little relief we need a substitute we can trust with our children. There are individuals who call themselves babysitters who I wouldn’t let water my plants. On the other hand there are many responsible, intelligent, child-loving people out there who would love to take care of our children if only we could find them. Here are some suggestions for where to begin the search starting with the least expensive possibilities first and working up from there.

Swap Time With Friends

You probably have one or two friends whose parenting style is similar to yours and whose children get along with yours. If so, try asking them if they would like to trade a night out every now and then. If it works well for everyone you might see if they would be interested in alternating months (or even weeks) so that the night could be regularly worked into the family schedules. This type of sitting arrangement would probably happen at the sitter’s house so as not to inconvenience his or her children. But if couples are involved one of the parents might even do the sitting at your house and then you could do it at their house when your turn came around.

Find or Start a Babysitting Co-op

Co-ops are becoming more common and are really just an expanded version of swapping time with friends. The difference is that more than two families are involved. There are many permutations of this idea. For instance, you could arrange a play-group during the day that is covered by one or two parents each week with a rotating schedule. A similar rotating schedule could occur for night-time sitting with a weekly or monthly rotation.

Don’t Forget About Your Family

When it comes to child care some young families make good use of their relatives, however many families do not. If you are waiting for your parents or in-laws to offer to take care of your children, and the offer is not forthcoming, perhaps they are waiting for you to ask them first. It may of course, turn out that they feel their baby days are done and want no more of it. On the other hand, grandparents who have not yet offered to take care of your children may not be aware of your needs (it’s been a long time since they had small ones) or may be afraid of stepping on toes. In addition there may be other relatives living in the area who would be happy to take on your brood if you gave them the opportunity. Ask for some assistance when you need it and see what happens.

Get Recommendations

When beginning the search for sitters to hire start by asking around. Your friends and neighbors may have some great suggestions for you. A trusted babysitter for one family is a good candidate to become a babysitter for you. Your current babysitter or sitters can also be an excellent source of recommendations.

Neighborhood Children

While older high school, college and adult sitters need to be paid a fairly high hourly wage (if you want to keep them coming back!), younger children, who cost very little, can also provide sitting help. Children as young as ten or eleven (depending on the child) can be used as sitters for toddlers or preschoolers if you are going to be at home. This type of sitting may not give you out-of-the-house time but it will provide a break so that you can get the laundry done in peace, work in the garden, or even relax with a good book.

Church and Community Youth Groups

Some churches maintain a list of teens looking for babysitting opportunities. Whoever answers the phone at the church’s main number can probably put you in touch with the Youth Director who in turn can let you know about babysitting possibilities. Community Youth Groups and their contact numbers can generally be found in the local newspaper.

Local Colleges or Universities

Many colleges and universities offer education and childcare degrees. Call the related departments to see if they keep a list of students interested in child care opportunities. Since these students are hoping for careers in child care or children’s education they form a promising pool from which to pull a new babysitter. Some of these sitters are only available during the school year because they move back home for the summer but others are looking for more work opportunities in the summer since their class schedule has lessened or ceased.

YMCA or Recreation Program Counselors

Summer and after-school programs are often lead by high school or college students who enjoy working with children. If your children are involved in activities you will have an opportunity to observe the counselors interaction with the children, pick out your favorites, and then approach them regarding babysitting.

Teachers

Many elementary school and preschool teachers moonlight as babysitters particularly in the summer months when other sitters are harder to locate. Ask around and see if you get any leads. Student teachers or teacher’s assistants are also a good possibility for sitters. As with the previous suggestion, you can observe the candidate’s interaction with children during the school day and decide if you like his or her style.

Screening the Candidates

At some point you will want to begin the screening process. Do not be shy about asking for references. A qualified sitter will have one or two phone numbers you can call to ask about the candidate’s interaction with young children. You might also arrange one or two sitting times where you stay at home or are in and out of the house. This will give you an opportunity to discreetly observe the sitter with your children and decide if you like the interaction. Other ways to double check that this sitter is satisfactory to you include coming home before the scheduled time, calling periodically while you are out, and of course, asking your children what they think of the new sitter.

Using the suggestions above, try to build a list of five or six sitters you are confident dealing with. That way one of them is likely be available when you need some time to relax, regroup, or have fun!