so frustrated with my babysitter search - what am i doing wrong?
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Anonymous
| I need a babysitter for my infant daughter, twice per week in the afternoons, for 2-3 hours each time. I am completely flexible on the days of the week and exact times. I have posted ads on care.com and sittercity.com, and also looked through the profiles of the caregivers who have registered on the site. It's just frustrating because I can't find anyone decent- and every time it seems like I am talking to someone with promise, they either disappear off the face of the earth while we are emailing back and forth (why?? I don't understand this??) or we meet them and they are not fit for the position ( can't provide references, very strange in person, etc). Where else should I be looking? I wish I could just find a nice high school girl to babysit but I don't even know where to look for that. |
Anonymous
|
It's hard to find a reliable babysitter for a weekly gig that's so short. A professional nanny is going to want more hours, and a person who's babysitting for extra cash is going to have other responsibilities that might not make her reliable. Honestly, it's going to be hard to find someone for 4-6 hours a week unless you can do evening hours instead and can use a nanny who is picking up extra hours after her regular job.
Do you have a neighborhood listserv? You might have better luck posting your job there. For so few hours, no one is going to drive a long distance, and sittercity and the like are going to cast a wide net. |
Anonymous
| Thank you! I actually just posted a few hours ago on the neighborhood listserv. I know, the hours make it hard.. I'm just holding out hope that there's someone out there! |
Anonymous
| You might consider posting in local college papers - most have a help-wanted section. Went to UMD and had a part time baby sitter job three times a week for a family in Rockville. Found the ad in the Diamondback. |
Anonymous
| I'd call the local high school and see if they have a board or some other way of advertising for a sitter. Many have child care classes, so you could talk to the teacher who does that. They would probably have some recommendations. Also, post on your local list serve and ask every neighbor you know, and those you don't. A high schooler would be perfect for this. They get home before 2 pm around me. |
Anonymous
Thanks so much! Will try both of these 
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Anonymous
|
Catholic U and American U also have job boards you can register/post on online.
I think a college or grad student will be your best bet. With high school they have activities, family obligations, etc and are still learning to prioritize. |
Anonymous
| Have you considered a nanny share? If you found a family willing to share their nanny for a few hours a week, you'd probably get more flexibility and much more experienced and reliable sitters. |
Anonymous
| you may also want to check in-home daycares. you might be able to do something part time if they have a slot. |
Anonymous
Yes-- if you're willing to drop your infant off at someone else's house, this would probably be your best bet. |
Anonymous
We used college students for this sort of thing. We lived near a university, so they could walk over. Sometimes I could a student to do two afternoons a week, but most I found could only commit to one afternoon. (And even then, it was helpful that I was flexible--we did have a fair number of cancellations because of illness, exams, vacations.) They could only commit to one semester at a time, also. |
Anonymous
| Our neighbor is a high school sitter. Has been babysitting for about 3 years now. She is very mature and responsible. Depending on the hours and where you live, she might be able to work for you. She has very good references. Would you like her contact info? |
Anonymous
| Seconding (thirding?) the nanny-share suggestion. I have been able to piece-meal various child care hours over the years this way (I'm a mostly SAHM but sometimes need regular PT childcare for work or other obligations). One arrangement was with a family who I'd met through nursery school. Two other arrangements were with families in the neighborhood. Each time, I just noticed a family with a good nanny situation and asked them if they would be open to the idea of sharing x hours a week, and if so, I approached the nanny about it. IME the nannies are thrilled, because it's more money for not much more work. You do have to be willing to use the full-time family's home, since that's almost always going to be what makes more logistical sense (for me, it was preferable!) Good luck. This should get easier for you as time goes on and you meet more parents/families. |
Anonymous
| People don't usually give Nanny/sitter references until they're pretty sure they've gotten the job. |
Anonymous
| What does"strange in person" mean? That's so subjective. Just because someone is quirky doesn't mean they're not good for four hrs a week. |