STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

alb · Marc Jacobs

I really need a babysitter! Any ideas??

laken1 · Hermes

I know in my old town, the women's hospital had a babysitting class - maybe they could at least point you in the right direction if there is something similar in your area? At least give you some names so that you could meet them, call their references, etc. I know the hospital taught them CPR, responsibility, etc. I made my step daughter at the time take it & it was really good.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

My friend found a good sitter through http://www.babysitters.com/. HTH!!

Andrea Julia · Coach

Do you do any mommy/baby classes or activities? You can ask other mothers who they use for a babysitter. If you don't really know of any besides your friends, maybe strike up a conversation with someone trustworthy and that you feel comfortable with, like an employee at the doctor's office or an employee someplace you go a lot? They may have a child that has a good babysitter, or they may even be the parent of a teen who babysits.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i have been a baby-sitter since i was 14. not so much anymore because i'm too busy, but i totally miss it. here's some tips:

at my nursing school, we had a bulletin board where a lot of ladies would post a overview of the situation, requirements, etc...so that way they know they're getting a cpr cerified person who needs money. so if there's a nursing school nearby, i would post something there.

also, a lot of sororities have a mass e-mail, so if you contact a nearby college's greek office, they could help you. once again, you'll reach a large group of educated (hopefully ) women, who are old enough to drive, and need the money.

i would make sure that you have someone who can drive in case something happens.

also, money talks. i know that you're going out and spending money on your date, etc.. but if you pay well, your baby-sitter should want to bend over backwards to help you (i know i did).

i like laken1's idea of the baby-sitting class, the only thing is a lot of girls take that when they're younger, and for a newborn, i would feel like someone older would be better suited.

recommendations from friends are good, but then you risk fighting with them over the baby-sitter. i would try to get one regular one and then one back up.

pm me if you have any questions about nursing schools near you (not sure where you live, but i know a lot of good ones across the country), pay, etc...

HTH!

itsapinkthing · Coach

alb - I really think you church is a good start. If they have a youth group you can ask around there. Usually churches have girls scout troops associated with them, you can see who the troop leader is and ask them, and these girls are always eager to babysit. A troop leader will be able to give you a good idea of which girls would be willing and able to handle the responsibility. Then you can start out slow, like a 45 minute date night, just to see that both you and the sitter are comfortable. HTH.

FashionPrincess · Hermes

I know when I worked at a preschool a few years back some teachers signed up for a sitter list to earn money on the weekends, so maybe try a reputable preschool.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

itsapinkthing wrote:

Then you can start out slow, like a 45 minute date night, just to see that both you and the sitter are comfortable. HTH.

i agree. especially if the the girl is younger. when i started baby-sitting, the lady would have me watch them while she was at home so she could get some things done around the house. that way she could also see how i interacted with the kids.

laken1 · Hermes

shopgirl82 wrote:

when i started baby-sitting, the lady would have me watch them while she was at home so she could get some things done around the house. that way she could also see how i interacted with the kids.

This is such a great idea. I don't have kids so i never thought about it, but man you ladies are smart. I also didn't think about the young girl / little baby thing....again, no kids. Sorry

dc · Dooney & Bourke

Hi Alb!

I know of a couple of services here in D.C. that charge an initial sign-up fee and then after that you just call and they send you a nanny at an hourly rate. They have all pre-screened and certified (CPR, etc) nannies.

My sister used to use them but now she's got a woman who just started her own service (she may have been one of those nannies... not sure). I really like this one woman.

Do you want to info? You can email me taru@stylethread.com and I can get info from my sister. She has all sorts of ideas on this subject, actually. I think she also belnogs to s0ome DC mommies listserv.

- Taru

dc · Dooney & Bourke

alb - got the info from my sister. I am going to send you a PM with both a babysitter and a nanny service.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

I would never let a teen babysit if I had kids. I would try for the grandma type (of course not too old, doesn't smoke, no heatlh problems!), I would be most comfortable with that. You can put an ad in the jobs section requesting a grandma babysitter for occasions.

alb · Marc Jacobs

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions. You all have given me some great leads and a lot to think about! I agree that a teenager would be too young to watch Lucy, a 3 mo. old, so hopefully I can find someone older and more experienced. This is much more difficult than I thought, but at least now I have some ideas of ways to find someone suitable, which is exaclty what I needed. Thanks again!