I am in desperate need of a babysitter. My friends are shaking their heads and saying “no frigging joke!” right about now, but there it is.
I needed one this winter and it never happened. Finding a new sitter felt like just one more thing on my mile-long to-do list, and it never made it anywhere near the top. The best I could manage is when my mom occasionally “virtually babysits.” And by that, I mean that she chats with the kids on Skype while I run into the kitchen and get their dinner ready. The kids think it’s fun, and my mom loves to see them active in their playroom. But it’s not exactly a workable solution.
I emailed my moms of twins club, as that is the source of all good things. There were a few leads, but nothing quite seemed to pan out. At one of our monthly get-togethers, people mentioned they’d had great success with Craigslist, SitterCity, and Care.com. Well, what the hell. Time to get off my ass and do something about it.
I posted a job on Care.com. Within 24 hours, I had nearly 30 responses. I’ve had at least another 30 since then. Hello, combination of college town, summertime, and bad economy! Honestly, though, it was so many options it was almost too much. Overwhelming. But I’m trying to sort through, and in the next two days I’m interviewing five people. Fingers crossed that one of them works out, but if not, there’s quite a line in my in-box. Ideally, I’m hoping for a local college student who could keep up some hours through the school year… we’ll see.
Glad to hear you got so many responses. I’m sure you’ll find a golden nugget in there somewhere. Here in France there’s a flexible group care for kids with SAHMs. The boys love it, and I SWEAR it has saved me from checking into the insane asylum. Enjoy your free time when it comes!
Thank goodness for Skype! I hope you find exactly what you are looking for. I have heard great things about craigslist but the other two are new to me. I wonder if we have them in Toronto?
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Glad you have to many candidates, but I understand that can it could be overwhelming to try to find someone that’s right for the job. Don’t you have any contacts at the university where you used to work that might be able to recommend a responsible college student? Or what about calling your area high school and asking the guidance counselor (or similar) if they have recommendations? Your own neighborhood is an even better place to look. I know our neighborhood association publishes that info for us; do you have anything like that? Or are there other moms in your neighborhood you could ask? Good luck!
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Good luck with the interviews. There’s someone out there who will be perfect for you
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Good luck! Interviewing is tough but if you are able to find someone, it will be WELL worth it. Even a Mother’s Helper is great in the summer – someone who could play in the yard with the kids while you sew (or nap!). Keep us posted!
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The virtual babysitting idea is genius! Mine are way too young for that, but I’ll keep it on hold.
I was so lucky to find a good person in my first try. Can only hope you soon find someone as nice for your babies!
Our favourite sitters are daycare assistants. They’re so used to a crowd of kids and loving discipline that two are just fun for them!
If you lived nearby, I’d recommend my sitters. They’re golden (and willingly drive the 30 miles to our house)!
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