Hiring a babysitter who has a license, but not a car

[Anonymous]

We are a considering a babysitter on a regular basis (college student) who seems very good for several reasons and has a driver’s license. They said they’ll have no issue getting themselves back and forth via Uber or public transit.

My main concern is that my kids would need to be rushed to the ER.

[Anonymous]

You call 911.

[Anonymous]

Agree with above. In a legit emergency you call 911 for an ambulance.

[Anonymous]

If your kids will need driving at some point I would want a sitter with a car. If not I think a non car owning sitter is fine. In an emergency they can call 911.

[Anonymous]

If you need to rush to the ER, you call 911. This is a non issue

[Anonymous]

Make sure you stock the first aid supplies well with anything they’ll need to keep your child alive until ambulance arrives. No car also means you can’t run to cvs for bigger gauze pads or tape if little Johnny skins his knee really badly. Just being realistic.

[Anonymous]

We tried this for a short amount of time. It did not work well.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, we had a nanny, in her early 60s, for about 2 years who didn't drive and commuted to our house by bus every day.

We lived in a walkable neighborhood with a store and playgrounds nearby and she was in good health and walked a lot in general.

We mercifully didn't have to try out what would happen in an emergency, but yeah in that case you'd probably want her to call 911 anyway.

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny that DOES drive and have a car. 15 years ago, a toddler tripped while carrying a puzzle while both parents were on business trips. She fractured her elbow and her arm was stuck at an angle that I couldn't buckle her into her car seat. I ended up calling 911 anyway because I had to make the executive decision that was safer than driving her through city rush hour not buckled properly in my car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you stock the first aid supplies well with anything they’ll need to keep your child alive until ambulance arrives. No car also means you can’t run to cvs for bigger gauze pads or tape if little Johnny skins his knee really badly. Just being realistic.

Wait, you would want your babysitter to leave little Johnny alone while she drove a car to CVS? Or you want her to put your bleeding child in the car rather than taking care of his cut with whatever's around? Weird priorities, gotta say.

[Anonymous]

I'm a mom who doesn't have a car. If my kid needs the ER we will call an ambulance, or an Uber if not super emergent (like broken arm or something).

I've hired babysitters who don't have cars and the only issue has been that DC transit is not super reliable, so there has been some lateness here and there.

[Anonymous]

If you leave a spare carseat at home they can uber

[Anonymous]

I nannied without a car for 8 years. It’s not for everyone, but it worked just fine for me, though somewhat limited my prospects. I had gotten so sick of driving peoples kids around that when my car needed expensive repairs I decided to go car free. It’s surprising how many people can’t wrap their head around not driving everywhere. I eventually bought a minivan and started schlepping peoples kids around in it until I got sick of it again and now drive the bus part time instead (and still nanny part time.) Pay is the same but the benefits are infinitely better. i’m very much a transit enthusiast and think being able to get around using public transit is a vital life skill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you leave a spare carseat at home they can uber

This. It's understandable that you're not in a position to provide a car for the sitter to use when s/he is working. Just as it should be understood that not everyone can afford nor want to own a car.