Unlike many of our friends in Dallas, my husband and I are not from the area. We don’t have local family and that means we don’t have the luxury of ‘built in babysitters.’
It is a little overwhelming to start the search for a babysitter – especially to a first time parent. The idea of leaving your child at home with a stranger is off-putting, at least, it was for me. The first time I left my baby with a sitter I was so nervous. However, she was a friend of a friend and I realized that once I found someone I liked and trusted, leaving the baby with her was not that big of a deal.
So, how did I go about finding her? Well she is the niece of a friend I met in a mommy group when I first moved to Dallas. I trust this friend’s recommendation and when she offered up her niece for babysitting, I reached out and got in touch with her. My girls love her and get excited when she comes over. She can drive (a must for me), has experience with small children, and she even brings her own stickers and craft supplies when she comes to sit. As a fellow contributor Sally put it in a previous post, “all I have are two simple requests 1. keep my kids safe and 2. please play with them.”
Here are three easy ways to find a great babysitter:
1. Personal Recommendations
If your friends have someone they like and trust, chances are, you will like and trust them as well. Ask them to share information and don’t be shy about returning the favor if you find someone you really like. Ask other parents you’ve met at church, pre-school, Gymboree, etc. I instantly feel more comfortable having a stranger in my house if someone I know has already met and vetted them. Most of the sitters I have found have come through a personal recommendation.
2. Sitter Service
There are lots of online resources, and while I have never personally used one, I have close friends who have found excellent sitters through SitterCity.com and Care.com. You do pay a small membership fee to have access to their database of sitters. Once you have a membership, you can browse their database of sitters and learn about each sitter, read reviews, check rates ahead of time, etc.
3. Neighborhood Facebook Group
Does your neighborhood or HOA have a Facebook group? Or is your neighborhood part of Nextdoor.com? That can be a great way to connect with other neighbors who might babysit or share their babysitter’s information. I have connected with a couple of great babysitters who live just a few streets away from me.
You have found a sitter candidate, now what?
Interview: I like to invite a potential sitter over for a quick meet and greet. This can be as simple as having them come by for 5 minutes or so to say a quick hello. I think it is important for the kids to know who you are leaving them with, and while Mommy has the final say, their input is important.
Social Media: Since most of my sitters are high school age, they are on Facebook. I don’t pour through every photo or detail on their profile, I just want to make sure nothing jumps out as immediately concerning.
Discuss Rates: The big question: “how much should I pay the sitter?” And my reply is not going to give you a clear answer, sorry. In my experience, the rate varies greatly and is determined by age of sitter, number of kids, neighborhood you live in, and sitter expectations (transportation for children, cleaning around the house, etc.) We pay anywhere from $8-12 per hour. Sitter services will have a rate posted clearly before you book the sitter, but in the case of a referral, discuss the rate when you meet the sitter or before you have them come for the first time.
Once you have found a sitter (or two) make some fun plans for yourself and enjoy a little time away from home. You can check out Sally’s post for some suggestions on leaving activities for the kids and how to set expectations with your new babysitter.
