Finding someone to sit on the kid...
May 26, 2018 4:15 PM   Subscribe

Due to scheduling changes and other circumstances the folks who have babysat for us to date are no longer available. These were family and friends so we've never had to search for a sitter for our almost 3year old. Looking for general advice on how to find a sitter, red flags etc. Location in profile, so if you happen to know local resources pls share or mail me.

We have already tried checking with coworkers/other friends but so far no luck.
posted by MandaSayGrr to Grab Bag (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is your child in daycare? Try putting out the word there.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:12 PM on May 26, 2018


If you know anyone at all who is affiliated with the local high school, they may be able to put you in touch with someone who knows some students who babysit. Like, I knew a staff member who asked around and got me a couple of names. I believe you could even just call and ask in the main office.

I've also had friends who had luck with the child development department of the local university. Just cold call the department and say you're looking for a babysitter and do they have a job board? Awkward but surprisingly effective (though I live in a university town).
posted by gideonfrog at 5:27 PM on May 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


You could also try some local churches. Many of them will have nurseries or day cares, so they would probably have a list of trained and experienced childcare givers.
posted by daisystomper at 5:41 PM on May 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Does your neighbourhood have a Facebook group for parents? Maybe consider starting one. Great resource for general advice, finding local domestic workers and yard labour, and selling secondhand items. Other parents surely have good sitters who live near you.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:59 PM on May 26, 2018


Do you belong to a place of worship? I worked in both a church and synagogue nursery growing up (long story!) and I can't even TELL you how many baby-sitting jobs this led to. (At one point, I think I was sitting 5 nights a week.) If your church/synagogue/mosque has a nursery, try dropping the kiddos there and see if they click with the minders!
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 6:03 PM on May 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


NextDoor is helpful here to source neighborhood sitters with references. Might be worth a shot.
posted by Kalatraz at 6:12 PM on May 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


For evenings out with the spouse occasionally: Teens met through friends and family (or through friends of friends) or college students can be awesome. College students can be especially engaging for bright tots and some of them get a real kick out of visiting little ones occasionally and then giving them back to mom and dad.

If you are near a military base, military spouses pretty often do full time daycare from home as registered providers. If you need full time care while you go to work and don't want to leave the kid in a daycare facility, this can be a nice option. They sometimes also take drop in during the day if they aren't full up, allowing you to make it to doctor's appointments and the like.

Red flags: I did not leave my kids with anyone they didn't like. If kid did not want to be there, I found some other arrangement.

A 3 year old may not be able to explain that someone is mistreating them, but that doesn't mean they can't express their objections. If they don't want to go to this person, respect that fact.
posted by DoreenMichele at 8:01 PM on May 26, 2018


I felt most comfortable hiring the young teens living close by knowing that their parents would be there in case of
difficulties. It's also helpful to hire them to be a "mother's helper" once or twice so you can see how they interact with your child.
posted by Botanizer at 5:55 AM on May 27, 2018


I found one babysitter through NextDoor (not sure if they are in Canada), and another through a co-worker who asked around at his church (but it sounds like you already tried that).

Another thing you might want to check out is to see if there are any local babysitting services. There are a few of these where I live (DC area) - they are companies that charge an annual fee and have a cadre of vetted and background checked babysitters that you can access. I've also heard of babysitting apps (the one I've heard about here is called Bambino, and I have a friend in Seattle who uses one whose name I forget), but I wouldn't feel comfortable with that so have not looked into it at all.
posted by echo0720 at 8:51 PM on May 27, 2018


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