Finding a babysitter

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have the hardest time with finding a babysitter. I don't really know how to go about doing this. I live 5 hours away from any family, and the friends I have are usually going to the same function I need a sitter for. Not to mention all the horror stories that you hear about. It has made me VERY on-edge with looking. Any advise?

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Permalink Reply by ComfyMom~Stacey on September 17, 2008 at 2:50pm: It took us 3 years to find a babysitter & then we found a few at once. I belong to a gym with childcare. After I had been working out there a few months I asked one of the young women that works in the childcare area if she did any babysitting. She didn't but another girl who worked there did. Then a the daughter of a recent friend came home from college & she was willing to watch the boys. When once neither of them were available my husband mentioned it at work and learned that one of the young women in his office did some babysitting. One of our friends hired her and 2 of her cousins to watch all the kids at a picnic. After that we occasionally hire one of them.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amber on September 17, 2008 at 5:06pm: That is a great idea. The only babysitter we do use is my best friend, but she is also a co-worker of my husband, so on night when they have company meetings, she is not available. I also belong to a gym and I never thought of asking the child care people about babysitting. GREAT IDEA! Thank you.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Erin on September 17, 2008 at 7:21pm: Because I live in Canada we don't have the same services available to us, but i have heard great things about www.sittercity.com (she's on here too) BUt yeah the gym is a good idea!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Barbara on September 17, 2008 at 8:24pm: I used to try and find 7th and 8th graders. They were (hopefully) too young to be drinking from my liquor cabinet and not in to having their boyfriend over. Once they are in high school, most will try and sneak something. I guess I'd start looking at friends kids and then their friends. I was lucky with one I found. She had made a sign an posted it at the market. I called her and loved her right away.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amber on September 17, 2008 at 9:00pm: I checked out that website, IT IS GREAT!! I will be signing up shortly. I am loving this twittermoms thing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by karen bullard on October 27, 2008 at 7:09am: I have tried sitter city too but BEWARE! Please always use the background check b/c I found a (seemingly) great sitter to find out she had been in jail b/c of a DUI a few months ago. Not to mention and pretty long list of other arrests. Scary!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mary on October 27, 2008 at 7:23am: My children go to The Little Gym and they offer a parent's night in which for a little extra they take care of the kids for few hours while you go out. They do activities and have pj parties and stuff, you could try that. I rather leave them in a place where there are more adults and kids than with one person. That way I feel they are more safe.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by theparentpack on October 28, 2008 at 10:38am: I don't. I have a super hard time trusting. My son was abused by a Montessori preschool teacher when he was 4. Dh is the only sitter I trust. All couple events we do include the kids.

Have you thought of planning family visits? Once I had my Mom come up for a visit and she watched the kids one night while dh and I went out. I just don't leave them with Grandma too long, unless they are sleeping. She is a bit crabby.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lisa Survillas on October 28, 2008 at 10:46am: Well...I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. My husband is a high school teacher and coach. We have opportunities up the ying-yang for cheap babysitting. However, what I will say is that the perfect babysitter is hard to find. I am not sure I love all the ones we've used, but I find that they really can't do that much harm in just a few hours (reasonablly speaking of course). And my kids are older now. My daughter has a cell phone and would call or text me if there was a problem! Best of luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sittercity.com on October 28, 2008 at 11:51am: Amber,
Thanks for checking out Sittercity.com. We are offering 50% off a membership this week only with promo code MAMAVOTE08.

Also, once you hire a sitter, here is an interview checklist to use.
Checklist

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm always here to help.

-Suzanne
Sittercity.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ashlie on October 28, 2008 at 2:45pm: I had the best luck with posting at a local university. They have an early childhood education program. I pay a little more than some of my friends for their high school aged sitters, but I have more of a comfort level. Post an advertisement with your specific expectations: non-smoker, CPR/First Aid Certified, etc. Ask for references and CHECK THEM. Try them out when you're going to be home for a couple of hours. Trust, but verity. The first sitter I found this way has become part of our family.
Good luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tammy Dantzler on October 28, 2008 at 3:05pm: If you go to church put a posting on the bulletin board with desired experience. Other than that other reliable sources might be to ask your local girl scout leader. Girl scouts receive badges for completing babysitting and CPR, preference for a Senior. Do you have any friends with daughters that are around the age of 16-18 that might want to babysit. Don't be shocked about the rates our daughter is trained and certified earning $8.75 per hour.; ▶ Reply to This

Finding a babysitter

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