Finding a Babysitter You Trust
That first time leaving the kids with a babysitter can be nerve wracking. For us, we started with trading with friends. We slowly weaned ourselves from the "free" care to using my husband's co-worker, and her vast network of babysitting friends. But when that became too hard on the pocket book, and now that the kids are older we use a teenage babysitter. Andrea recently emailed us about finding a babysitter:
Now that my younger sister just had her first baby this week, I've lost both her and the monopoly on my parents' time in terms of free babysitting services. Considering that I've never left my three kids with anyone but family, I'm in mourning! So for me, it begs the questions....how did you find the babysitters you trust? Word of mouth? Go through a service? What are the thoughts on the age of who is watching your kids? Is 13 old enough or do you only trust the grandma next door who successfully raised her own kids? And last but not least....can someone who has never had kids successfully get a 9 month old, a three year old, and a 5 year old (who fight like crazy!) fed, bathed, and in bed? And if so, what are their names?? :-)
Ahhhh..the $64K question.
First of all, there are amazing babysitters out there. My hubby and I used my younger sister for a few years until she found the love of her life. We posted an ad on craigslist and interviewed about 6 candidates. We settled on one, and we felt as though we hit the jackpot! She is lovely and my kids listened and adored her...but she just moved!
I am not super comfortable with the 13-15 year old down the street. May work for others, not for me.
There are a few agencies forming like Sitter Soiree (I noticed they placed an ad on this site) and I heard of another one called Mommy Match that looks interesting. Some girlfriends and I are planning to attend the Sitter Soiree event (price seems MUCH better than the others and it looks like fun). I LOVE the idea of face-to-face meetings with potential sitters.
Good luck to you!
Posted by: NoPo Mama of 3 | May 09, 2008 at 08:57 AM
I have 2 kids, ages 3 1/2 and 20 months, and I have always used their daycare teachers for babysitters. I've had great luck with all of them, and it gives me peace of mind to know they are used to kids, know cpr, etc. Our current babysitter, my daughter's preschool teacher, has 6 kids of her own (!), ranging in age from 11 to 32. So basically, she has seen it all! Are your kids in daycare? If so, I would explore that resource. You'd be surprised how many daycare teachers babysit on the side. The going rate seems to be $10/hour, by the way.
Posted by: Gillian | May 09, 2008 at 09:47 AM
hehe. we're in the same boat (5, 3, and 9 months) but luckily my youngest sister is still a holdout from the mama track. i live in abject fear that she'll one day call me and tell me she's married & pregnant.
we have a few family friends that we trust. i think another great way is through a local church. lots of times churches sponsor kids to go through babysitting classes (or at least hold said classes), and the kids get hands-on training in church nurseries. even if you're not religious, i'm sure god wouldn't mind if you spent a few sundays putting your baby in the nursery and watching to see what teenagers played hooky from the service to hang out with the young ones. there's a few in every crowd and they're usually awesome at bedtimes!
Posted by: sarah gilbert | May 09, 2008 at 05:55 PM
In the beginning, when our kids were under 3, we went the daycare teacher route, but it makes for a bigger investment in an evening. Most recently, we found our 15-yr old sitter on the uM childcare referral forum. She happens to live 3 blocks from us. We also have a 13-yr old a few houses away and she babysits at our house when we know that her parents are a few doors away and available to help. We have also found a couple of teenager babysitters at church (great idea Sarah). One last way we've found our (teen) sitter is through colleagues -- a have a work friend with 2 teenage daughters and he let me know as soon as they each passed the Red Cross babysitting course.
And, just for reference, here is a conversation on babysitter rates:
http://www.urbanmamas.com/urbanmamas/2007/06/a_babysitters_g.html
And a conversation on teen babysitter rates:
http://www.urbanmamas.com/urbanmamas/2006/09/going_rate_for_.html
Posted by: olivia | May 10, 2008 at 07:27 AM
Hiya... I am a nanny and have been with the same family for 8 years. I met them when I was temping through Northwest Nannies Inc. as a where I went to school when I was 18. I was temping as a preschool teacher. Now that I am having my own bambina I have had to think about the same things and Iwould highly recommend NWN. The two years I was in grad school the family I work for hired teachers in training for Montessori school... there are MANY of them! NWN also does extensive background checks on their nannies and all of them are CPR/First Aid certified.
Even though I was a teen babysitter long ago, I can't say that as a professional nanny and mama to be that I would employ one unless they had gone through the red cross babysitting training and had great references.
My two cents :)
My first post!
Posted by: Hank Renfrow | May 13, 2008 at 10:06 PM
If you want to meet some great sitters face to face, come to the next Sitter Social- hosted by Rose City Nannies, and agency run to two mothers. All providers have gone through pre-screening and are available for babysitting. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet qualified sitters and find make connections. You will leave the event with contact info for all providers in attendance. Pre-registration is required, events fill quickly! www.rosecitynannies.com
Posted by: ginger | May 25, 2008 at 11:22 AM
I have been a nanny for years, and now having my own child it was interesting finding a sitter. Most of the time my lil' guy is with family, for a while he had a nanny. Now he goes to a great center 3 days a week. Look online, craigslist, a sitter social, ask around, advertise at a local college. No matter where you find the person check refrences and I ALWAYS (as a nanny and as mama) had a practice playdate. Where the parent and I were there, or now where my new sitter comes and hangs for a while. This way the parent can see how the sitter interacts with the child and many questions get asked and answered!
I also think you get what you pay for, if you pay below minimum wage expect that kind of care! Plus the more kids the more you should pay an hour. I babysat as ateenager but as a Mom I think thats kind of sketchy. In an emergency will a 16 know what to do and will they be calm enough to handle it? I doubt it! College students are a great resource! Good luck!
Posted by: AJ | October 20, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Dear Mamas of Portland,
I am a experienced nanny with over four years working in childcare. I am looking to work part-time to nanny for a wonderful family that shares my beliefs of utilizing creative play while providing a healthy and loving environment.
I am a trained Waldorf Preschool Teacher with experience working extensively with infants and children 1 through 14. I enjoy teaching and playing activities such as puppetry, singing, dancing, art, nature walks, gardening, reading, and more. I will provide duties such as diapering cloth or disposable, feeding, light housework, and of course playing. I currently have a flexible schedule and am open to interviewing families.
You may call me at 858-692-9445 to talk further.
Best Wishes,
Lana Jay
Experience:
For four years I have baby sat for multiple families where I have supervised
the children’s safety, nutrition, and activities. During this time I discovered
I wanted to branch out and combine my passions of teaching and art for larger
groups. That’s when I decided to volunteer at the Children’s Art Museum. I
taught art, reading, and the basic fundamentals of attentive listening. I was
so inspired by that experience that I started teaching forestry classes with
small groups of children ages three to five at the World Forestry Center. I
organized activities such as educational games, art classes, and outdoor hikes
in the Arboretum. At the Forestry Center I was recommended by the head forester
to become a Camp Counselor at their Leadership and Forestry camp. I was in
charge of directing thirty children ages thirteen to sixteen to a strict daily
routine which involved extreme awareness while multi-tasking. These valuable
experiences have given me the opportunity to converse with children of all ages on a one-to-one or big group
level, listen to them, and tend to the beauty of their growth.
Resume and References Available Upon Request
Posted by: Lana Jay | May 13, 2009 at 02:50 PM