Babysitters

Let’s face it, mommies: if you want to have any time that can be considered fun and social, especially with your darling other half, you’ll need a sitter.

If you’re lucky, you have either grandparents, a brother or sister, a dear dear friend — someone who loves your children (and cares about your sanity) enough to help out every once in a while with watching your darling little one(s). 

But you can’t go to that well every time; good will dries up quickly when you take advantage of it.  Which means you need to cultivate some babysitters. 

Now, if you’re hanging out with a group of other moms regularly in some sort of group (play group, mom’s group without kids, church group) you might be able to help everyone by starting a Babysitting Co-op.  In a co-op, everyone helps by babysitting when they’re asked and they receive points/tokens/Monopoly money for the hours they do sit other members’ children.  Those points, in turn, can be used to pay for babysitting hours for your own children.   Some resources to consider if you’d like to start a babysitting co-op:

Helping Hero (guidelines for setting up a co-op)

Smart Mom’s Babysitting Co-op Handbook  (great resource; I have one myself.  More on that…)

 

This is one of those things I’ve tried to do myself and it just didn’t take off as well as I had hoped it would.  My advice: start small (the Handbook advises starting with only 3-4 moms), and be sure that all moms and kids are compatible.  There are also issues of homeowners insurance, pets, and medical conditions/records to consider if you’re going to start a co-op.  All are outlined in the Handbook above.  I wish my attempt had worked with the group of moms I’d tried to recruit; when we work together to help each other out, we mommies can do great things!

 

Ok, so maybe the co-op won’t work for you.  Where to go next for babysitters?

Call your local Red Cross.  They offer babysitting certification classes for teenagers on up and would be happy to link you with certified babysitters. 

 

Also, check Sitter City, a site devoted to matching sitters to parents.

 

My favorite place to find sitters is at our church.  You can post a Want Ad in your church bulletin and be sure that whomever answers it is an active church member (why else would they be reading the bulletin??!).  Word of mouth is also good, too.  Ask other moms you trust, neighbors, at your child’s school/preschool/daycare.

 

No matter how you find your sitter, interviewing and a trial run are the best way to go.  Make sure they’re comfortable and competent.  Be sure they’re comfortable with your pets, too, if you have any.  Make sure to leave a posted list of numbers –both emergency contacts and everyday phone/cell numbers should they need it.  And it’s good to watch them with your children before leaving, both for the sitter’s sake (are they really competent?) and for your child’s sake (will they feel comfortable/trust this person?).  Your gut feeling rules –MommyInstincts are always right. 

 

If you do find a good sitter, for heaven’s sake, pay them well!  They’re watching your children — do you really want to cheapskate on that?  And be polite, courteous of their time (if you say you’ll be home at 10 pm and you’re an hour late without calling, you’re being rude and irresponsible, both as a parent and as an employer).  Small gifts at the holidays and remembering birthdays will endear your sitter to you for life.  Remember, it’s not just word of mouth in finding a sitter, those same sitters use word of mouth in discussing what it’s like working for you.  You could find yourself effectively blacklisted if babysitting your child(ren) is a nightmare for cheap pay.

 

Good luck, mommies, and remember — when you do get that night out, ENJOY it!

 

WM