How do we find a good babysitter? We've never had one. (babysitters, parents)

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by golfgal

It varies by area. Most kids here make about $5/hour for multiple kids. No one would pay a teenager $15/hour to babysit here. Daycare providers make about $3/hour/child here.

Golfgal, where are you at. I use to babysit when I was 15 (35 years ago) in New Jersey and I got $5.00/hr for 1 kid. And that's back when $5.00 could buy something. Wow!

[xgemaxmwahx]

Hi, if you are still looking for a babysitter I am available, i am 19, but has alot of experience baby sitting. I understand this is a big step to find somebody you trust you will look after your child, so if you would like to meet up and chat i would love to.
I hope you find somebody good.

[crazyma]

Places you might check & network with for babysitters are-

your church

Girls Scouts or Boy Scouts (yes, boys, they can be wonderful sitters)

4-H clubs, FHA clubs ar local high schools

local play/mommy groups

homeschool groups- many of these kids are very mature ( my daughter had babysitting /mother's helper jobs while she homeschooled & I was just a phone call away)

Check with neighbors & business associates

Call the Red Cross or local hospitals and see if they can provide a list of kids who have taken a babysitting course.

Get involved by joining groups that interest you and meet new people, form like minded friendships, trade babysitting.

[gentlearts]

I wonder if there are any girls in your neighborhood? Maybe the local Junior High or High School would be able to help you (they would know which kids are reliable).
I would either want someone thoroughly screened by an agency, or want to know the family of the girl I was hiring, or have her recommended by someone at the school.

[Topaz]

We have good luck with SitterCity.com. We always hire the sitter the first few times while we are there, too. After 4 times or so, I have a very good feel for the sitter's style and whether I would trust them to be alone with my children or not. Some sitters are not willing to play with my children with me there (it makes them anxious) so we rule them out from the start.

We pay $10-15 per hour depending on experience and we have two children. They are old enough to tell us what they think of a sitter and we listen to their feedback.

I would DEFINITELY not use Craig's List. The only babysitting psycho we ever encountered was from there and it just seems to attract the wrong crowd.

[mtz70]

I'm 12 and i find babysitting for my age is safe because i have CPR and first aid training. Sometimes Looking for adds in the newspaper is a good way to find a babysitter. Also there is nothing wrong with hiring a baby sitter you don't know only if you get to know them more with an interview. I find most teens as bad baby sitters because of cell phone use.

[mtz70]

And yes crazyma is right! I'm in girl scouts 4-H and church groups. we make very good baby sitters.

[navygalaxy]

Hi! May I know ur location? Im available to be a nanny or a baby sitter. Im a mom of 2 girls but Im just staying at home, full time mom hehe!I am thingking for a part time or full time job. I did took care of my 2 kids since birth so I guess I have enough mom experiances. Im 31 y/o & I live in Richmond Texas. I have knowledge dealing with kids & elderly also. I have a background in medical field coz I took up medical course during college. Have a great day!

And anybody who is interested to get a nanny in houston or nearby area,pls give me a response. I just want to get back to work. I dont leave my contact # coz Im scared too of d scammers...U can post reply through private msg so I can get it right away & able to respond quick. I receive some e-mails & I find it suspiscious coz it seems their very particular of my bank acct & related matter,more on financial, than my identity & experience as a nanny or a baby sitter.Im scared too coz I have watched about that scams fr dateline. I am very carefull picking my prospect too.Im just trying my luck here.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by luv80s

I've never had anyone watch my kids other than close family members but now that we are in another state with no family around I'm thinking about finding a babysitter so we can go on dates, run errands, etc ocasionally.

Can someone give me good tips on how to find a good babysitter or what to lookout for. My husband and I are both very weary about having someone watch our children as they are very young and can't let us know if something is wrong. I know there are alot of trustworthy people out there to watch kids but still a little apprehensive about it. We don't know very many people here and some of the people we do know use teenagers for babysitters. Not that I have anything against teen babysitters because I use to do it also when I was a kid. But I'm looking more for a mom or grandma type who has alot of experience with kids and has a car.

Are there websites to find a sitter? What about Craigslist? Do I need a nannycam? What are some red flags that we should look for? What is the average pay for a baby and preschooler (2 kids)? How did you feel letting a stranger watch your kids? What are the questions I should ask when thinking about hiring someone?

Any babysitting horror stories? I've seen one too many news programs and Dateline stories about sitters hitting kids and such.

Please help us! We need a break sometimes.

Thank you!

First, I would never hire a babysitter from Craig's list. I would rather never go out until my kids were teenagers than trust a website like that with my children. There are too many weirdos out there and while there may be some legitimate postings, you'd also have to believe there are some truly sick people out there hoping for a sucker. Craig's list is also always telling people that they are not responsible for the content posted on their site so that should be a red flag right there.

The only way to find a babysitter is through word-of-mouth. But sometimes that doesn't even work. My neighbors recommended a teenager they use. Their kids are small...age 9 months and 2 years old. So, we used their babysitter and she came over and we went out. When we came home, we asked my daughter how things went and she said fine, then later told us that the babysitter sat on the couch and texted the entire time. She only changed my 2-year-old's diaper right before we told her we'd be home and she didn't play with my kids or anything. My neighbor's kids are too young to report that kind of thing, but my 7 year old isn't. The point is that you just never know.

My husband and I switch off a lot to do errands. He watches the kids while I go shopping or out to lunch with friends and I watch them so he can go to the movies or do whatever he wants. Our relatives come to visit us 3 times a year and that's when my husband and I go out for a night out. Otherwise, we bring our kids with us and it all works out fine.

If you really are wanting to find a babysitter, I'd start with word-of-mouth references. Surely you've got some neighbors with kids and you can start with them. I'd only go to the internet as a last resort. Even the babysitting websites are still essentially letting a total stranger who spent some money to put their ad online into your house. Perhaps you can find a co-op type situation at your church or neighborhood. Or, if you are really that busy with activities, perhaps you can enroll your children into daycare part-time. You can drop them off for a few hours each day and get things done. Plenty of established daycares have openings for part-time slots...meaning your kids are there for 4 hours or less.

[Scientist Mom]

I have found 1 great and 1 good babysitter using Craig's List. I limit my searches to college students. I verify that they are in college by using the "find a person" search engine on the University website. I interview them first. I ask for references (childcare-related not personnal). My oldest is 6 so we hear about what goes on and who she likes. I won't make a blanket statement that Craigs list is a good way to find a sitter but I wanted to provide some balance to the discussion. If you are careful, I think it is possible, at least in some areas.

Most of our other sitters have been daycare teachers who babysit on the side for extra money.