Finding very part time sitter for 15 mo old

[MoJo]

Up until now, my DH, who is a teacher, has been watching our DD when he comes home from school 3 days/week so that I can work my very part-time (only 6-10 hours/week) but well-paying job that I love.

This week, two things happened. He injured himself, and isn't supposed to lift DD. Then, he was told that if I want to keep my consistent work schedule, we will have to find a sitter sometimes, because they aren't willing to schedule his after school meetings around my schedule. (I always flex around the big PT conference evenings that are scheduled by the district well in advance; I'm talking about smaller meetings.)

So far, no one has watched our DD except her grandmas and my sister, who are all out of state & all still working full time. We don't have any family here. All of my friends and acquaintances in this situation have their own mothers or their MILs watch their kids; their mothers &/or MILs are all very close and retired. My closest family is 3 hours away.

I'm sure you know. . . DD is 15 months and very active. If you take your eye off of her for 10 seconds, she's climbing something, hitting something, or putting something in her mouth that could seriously injure her. So I don't feel comfortable with a teenager watching her.

To make matters worse, we live in one county, I work in another, and DH works in a third, in the opposite direction of where I work.

How would you find someone, and how do you get to the point you can trust a total stranger with your greatest responsibility (your child?)

If we could pay the bills on DH's income alone, I would just quit the job I love, but we can't.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

[nfowife]

Do you have a local college? Or a babysitting service? We used a babysitting service and it worked very well. All were background trained and CPR certified, and we met them beforehand to see if they worked for us. Then we just called the service when we needed them and it worked out well.

[belovedgandp]

Do you know anyone else with small kids? People you've met at church, playgroups, or outings? I used to swap watching with another lady. She needed to work one day a week, so I watched her daughter that one day and she watched my son on another. I loved the alone time. And while yes two 18 month olds was more work than just one, in some ways it was easier too.

[MoJo]

We do have colleges & universities within half an hour of here; where would you start? They are huge places and not very helpful as an organization, even when calling about classes etc.

How would I find out if there's a babysitting service?

All my acquaintances with young children use their own families, which is why I'm having a particularly hard time. Their families aren't available to watch my DD, and they don't need me to watch their children for a babysitting sharing arrangement because they have family. Those with older kids use mostly family, with a little latchkey or a few special programs thrown in. So I can't get any recommendations.

DH is now asking his co-workers . . . but since he works 45 minutes or more from where we live, that would mean me adding an hour and a half or more drive time just to drop her off before going to work. (He works in the opposite direction of where I do).

Thanks again!

[miki]

We do have colleges & universities within half an hour of here; where would you start?

Call their career services office or the student union and ask if there is a way for you to post an ad either electronically or on an actual bulletin board in the sutdent union.

[ha98ed14]

I know exactly what you mean. My DH is also a teacher and I got to school. I am always scrambling on the afternoons what he has meetings or evening commitments. I had a friend who had one DC the same age and she would watch DD for me. It worked out well for both of us; gave her a little extra money and was not an everyday commitment, but she was flexible and available on the days I needed sometimes with as little as one week's notice.

IMO, a college student is going to be looking for something regular, or at least I would be. If it iss only going to be occasional, I would look for another SAHM with a DC around your DDs age. My friend's DS was 5-6 mo older than my DD and it was ideal. tt was a happy arragement in my mind because the mom was a hyper aware, hyper vigilant, first time mom (like me) AND she was the kind who got down on the floor and played with the kids (not like me).

[tmphilo]

You might try sitters.com. My cousin has used that site to get babysitting jobs (she's in college). You can search by your zip code and then by various specific requirements (i.e. non-smoker, time availability, years experience, etc.).

[niccig]

Do you have a local YMCA? I joined when DS was about 6 months old. He was in their babysitting for an hour while I worked out. When he was 18 months old, I found out that many of the college age or older women also babysit. I put up a note when I needed someone and I had 2 of the women, who knew DS from our twice weekly visits, offer to sit for me. 3 years later and we still us one of their staff as our regular babysitter. I also used 2 of their staff when I was doing classes. One sat for me on Tuesdays, and the other on Thursdays - if they needed to swap, they worked it out.

All the YMCA staff are back ground checked, had infant CPR and many were doing or had done early childhood classes at college. Our regular sitter only does families from the Y, as she knows us and our DC. I also felt that if I had any problems, I could inform the Y managers, and the babysitters also knew that. I've never ever had a problem.

[MoJo]

ha98ed14 , that sounds perfect. So how do I meet someone like that? My closest local friends have much older kids, and they are too busy with activities to have time to watch DD. The other couple in my childbirth class has already left the state. The friends I have from high school and college with young DC are all hours away. The people from church with young children all have family members who watch their kids.

I checked sitters.com. With my only requirements being a female sitter who speaks English, it said there's no one within 50 miles of my zip.

I actually have a co-worker who works part time at the Y, and she has decided it's not a safe place for her elementary age children, much less my 15 month old.

I've been dreaming of moving closer to family for a few years (before DD), but now it seems critical. Unfortunately, there's no way to sell our house or for DH to find a new job very quickly, so I have to do something in the meantime.

I was also dreaming of having a second DC, but it doesn't seem doable right now and I'm afraid I'm running out of time (I turn 37 later this year).

[niccig]

I actually have a co-worker who works part time at the Y, and she has decided it's not a safe place for her elementary age children, much less my 15 month old.


Wow - your Y must be very different to ours. We're in a very family friendly area, and I know a couple of people who have been using the Y for years, and apparently the patrons are very vocal about certain things, it has very high standards for everything.

Sorry, it's not going to be an option for you. Their babysitting staff have been amazing for us.

[tmphilo]

For sitters.com, you may try the find by my zipcode at the top center first (rather than the left hand side). When I tried to look up my cousin, it showed no sitters in Fort Worth, TX within 50 miles, which I knew wasn't the case. I put it in up top and a whole bunch of sitters popped up! Seems like they need to fix their search feature.

ETA, well clarify - In the top middle "Find a Child Care Provider in Zip Code ________