The Babysitters Club - Where Are They Now?

March 27, 2008 | Filed in: Mah Babies

Y’all wanna hear something scary? I am considering hiring a babysitter. As in a person who comes to my house and watches my children so that I don’t have to. Hold me. I am scared.

Eeyore was babysat by my best friend’s sister ONE time when he was 3 months old and he went to a home daycare for about 2 months when I was working. Other than that? Family. I’m lucky that my parents and Cleatus’s parents live nearby so I can just call them up and beg them to ~~take the little people away~~ babysit.

Lately I think I have been, um, asking for lots of babysitting favors and I’m starting to feel guilty. My MIL doesn’t work so she keeps the kids a lot. I know that she loves spending time with them, but she has another grandson that she watches quite a bit too. I’m sure that it gets old after a while. My mom works full time so I feel guilty asking her to babysit on the weekends because I know she has things to do after working all week. I could ask her to watch the kids when she gets off of work, but she lives about 30 minutes away and that can be a pain in the ass. (Mom, move closer. You could be my full time babysitter! I’ll pay you in cookies!)

I finally broke down and sent out an email to my local homeschool group and asked for babysitter recommendations. One of the moms replied that her 14 year old daughter loves to babysit and has taken a babysitter course, but they just moved to the area so no one in the group knows them. I guess I need to “interview” the girl, but dude. How do ya do that? What do I say? What do I ask? How much is the going rate for babysitters? What if she goes home and tells her mom that my house is dirty? What if she finds my collection of porn and tells her parents and then I am kicked out of the homeschooling group for being a pervert? (I don’t have a collection of porn. I swear.)

Hold my hand, internet. Tell me that it will all be okay. Cuz it will? Right?

Also, just for fun, what do you guys think about MALE babysitters? Personally, NO. I wouldn’t let a teenage male babysit my kids. I also wouldn’t let an adult male babysit. (Other than family, of course.) Am I a jerk? Another thing I won’t allow is for my son to babysit other kids. How about you? Would you let a teen boy babysit your kids?

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Good luck!
We moved this summer and I still haven’t found a babysitter (haven’t looked too hard either though).
Yeah, I would have a male teen babysit. There are two boys up the street who would be more than happy to come over and watch the kids for a few hours and play baseball with them.

LifeAsIKnowIt’s last blog post..What? No Presents?!?

I personally am a fan of male babysitters–I think they tend to be more active with the kids, while female babysitters tend to do more of the reading and arts & crafts stuff. My husband, on the other hand, would rather be castrated than allow the kids to be watched by a male babysitter. I don’t get it, to be honest–as a kid, my BEST babysitters were male. All the female ones matured me too fast (I’ll have to tell the horror stories about the trailer park and the French kissing sometime).

L the D’s last blog post..I Have Just a Second . . .

We were in the same situation - 3 sets of grandparents and one set of “adopted grandparents” that lived across the street and they all would babysit for us on a regular basis. Well, except The Bitch that married my FIL who made it clear that they are NOT babysitters and would never watch the kids on a Friday or Saturday except on their terms. She actually calls up sometimes and says, “I’m bored, can ____ come over to entertain me?” My son may be funny, but he is not the court jester!
Anyway, last summer I started hiring our neighbor’s neice whom we know well. She is only 12 but I’ve found it’s PERFECT! Not old enough to be into boys and gabbing on the phone the whole time she’s here, young enough to get down and PLAY with the kids - she doesn’t mind endless games of Candy Land. And we get her CHEAP because she’s never babysat before. Really, I pay her $5/hour for two kids!! She is young enough that the $20 - 30 bucks she makes on a Friday is awesome for her. I like that her aunt, uncle, 18 yr old cousin are right down the street as well as a host of others that know my kids and her very well. The even better part, her mom usually drops her off and/or picks her up too. If it’s late, she picks her up or we take her a block down to her aunt’s house. My kids love her too.
As for the male, it depends on the kid. My sitter’s cousin/neighbor’s son I would let watch them. He’s been around them since they were babies and I’ve known him since he was 11. I trust him. I think with trusting anyone with your children, you just have to be very comfortable with the person and start out with short trial times. Oh, I also let my sitter use the microwave only, no stove, no toaster oven, no oven.
Good luck!!!!

You might see if there’s also a local early childhood or preschool PTA group in your area. Ours keeps an official list, updated each year, of junior high and high school kids who are willing to babysit. We haven’t used it yet, but it’s good to have as a resource, even if I have to put up with the PTA bullshit to get the list.

As far as interviewing goes, I’d just talk to the kid about what sort of experience she has with kids - taking care of siblings or cousins or church nursery or whatever, and maybe some questions about how she would handle a couple mildly sticky situations (if you know your kids act up a certain way, like slamming doors or throwing things, how would she handle that? what would she do if somebody came to the door that she didn’t know? blah blah). The other thing I would do is pay to have her come over and “babysit” while you’re in the house. Take a nice long bath with a trashy gossip magazine (come on, how long has it been since you’ve taken the Cosmo sex quiz?) so you can long-distance supervise and see how they get along and whether she seems to be doing a decent job.

Guess that’s it for my sage advice. Good luck - good babysitters are worth their weight in gold!

Gretchen’s last blog post..Sorry, Taunton, it’s too good not to post

Hi! I can’t even remember how I found your site but I find it very entertaining.

We have a male babysitter - my sister-in-law’s ex-boyfriend comes over once a week (with his NEW girlfriend - how is that for irony!) and hangs out while our girlie is (supposed to be) asleep. Last week she woke up screaming shortly after we left, and he was AWESOME (waaay better than the girl) and actually got her back to sleep on his own.

I think if I were interviewing a new sitter, what I might actually do is have them come over for an afternoon while i am there so I can watch them interact with my child. That way I can gauge my own comfort/trust/what have you. The babysitter class is great, but it can’t guarantee that they’ll mesh well with your child.

hth

I don’t know about interviewing sitters but I do have a friend who has a wonderful teenaged male babysitter who is great with her kid.

Jerseygirl89’s last blog post..The day I knew that I was different

I pay my sitter $5 an hour plus a nice tip if the house is cleaned up and we pay for pizza or whatever they want to order. She’s a school teacher, friend’s daughter so it was all good. She was also 21 when we started using her.
Logan took excellent care of Braden when he was a baby. He was 15, on the verge of getting a life so before that happened, I took full advantage of him and left Braden with him a lot. (remind me to send you a very funny picture re this topic).
I would definitely hire either sex for babysitting, I think E would love having an “older brother” type to play catch or whatever. I allowed a friend’s older son to watch Logan when Logan was like 8 and the friend’s son was 15. When the right person comes along, the person that you can completely trust with your child, the one who knows CPR, seems mature, calm and confident. The one who clearly understands the rules and your expectations, you’ll know it.
PS- Stash the porn in the attic access in your closet, they never look there.
Pam’s last blog post..I’m Definitely Not A Dugger, A Brady or even a Huxtable

Oh and PS- I just had a look at the professional photos you had taken of the kids—–
FREAKING ADORABLE!!!! CL has SO much SASS going on, Karly! And E? His eyes, and smile… holy cuteness.

Pam’s last blog post..Charlemagne and I have something in common

We use a bunch of different kids from the neighborhood. I have three boys, so I don’t mind boy babysitters. Our experience has been great but they’re either 13 or 19–not the inbetween ages.

Good luck. Some even pick up the toys.

MammaLoves’s last blog post..Got a Cork?

I say no way on boy babysitters. But then, I have a four year old girl who doesn’t always wipe well. Just seems an area ready for awkwardness. Maybe when my son is ten and some cool sixteen year old wants to come over and play ball with him I might consider it.

And I second the idea of having her over at first while you’re home. That usually works well. I don’t remember really ever being interviewed by families I babysat for- but for $3 an hour, maybe they weren’t expecting much. I can’t believe how much some kids get for babysitting these days!

And yes, that made me feel 104, typing that.

I agree with the people who said just talk to the babysitter when you interview her. Ask about her experience, as about school and other activities that she does. You should get a basic idea of what kind of a person she is. And if you’re still not totally comfortable then you should have her over to sit while you’re there (as suggested by someone else). Tell her it’s a way for your kids to get to know her before you leave them with her. Also, ask her if she has a particular fee that she charges. Some kids do and some are happy with whatever you pay them. My current babysitter charges $5/hour. I think that is very reasonable and I sometimes pay her a little more as I think it’s important to pay the person you leave with your kids very well. Of course the crappy part is that it double the cost of your date night. Sigh…
Shannon’s last blog post..no wonder i’m so cranky

I’m all for having the babysitter come over for a trial run while you’re there just to make sure you like her. I’ve had a babysitter come over just so I could get the bathrooms cleaned or whatever.

I don’t have a problem with a male babysitter. I can’t wait for my neighbor’s son to get a year or two older so I can ask him to babysit - he’s a great kid and is great with my kids.

I think $10/hour for two kids is about right???

Jackie’s last blog post..Sigh.

I haven’t reached this chapter in my life yet… I’m scared too. So I hope you get all smart about this so that I can come to you and have you hold my hand! LOL!

We were actually considering asking a teenage boy to watch my kids once or twice. He is the farm boy neighbor of my SIL and we know him pretty well. He is great with kids and I think he actually wants to go into early childhood development in college. We have yet to ask him but it is still on the table if we need someone to watch the boys! He is a great kid, worked on their farm all his life and is pretty responsible. So, I would trust him.

angel’s last blog post..Today just hurts… in so many ways.

I had to thin for a little while on the male babysitter question. I think I would allow it if I new the kid well. I have 3 boys (one is 13 and a great babysitter age) and an 11 year old daughter. It is the daughter that made me stop and consider.

I would let my son babysit for others because I believe he can be trusted with children. He has CPR training and is gentle with little ones. Ironically, I don’t thin I would let him watch my own ids because they fight too much.

Jackie, $10 an hour? Oh my sweet Jesus. I need to take up babysitting.

Zephra, I trust my son as well and I’m sure one day he would make an excellent babysitter. I should have clarified in my post that I wouldn’t allow him to babysit because I think it would put HIM in a bad situation…not the children he watched. If anything were to happen to the kids, say someone suspects they are abused or molested, I think that the male babysitter would be the first suspect. Someone I know has been through something like this and I just can’t imagine putting my son in that situation. Also, teen boys? All those hormones? Wiping a little girls butt or something? Just makes me uncomfortable.

I’ve never hired a babysitter for Julia. She has always been in either Dave or my care, with the exception of a dozen or so times that my parents watched her. So, I’m not much help in the babysitter department. I gave the guy down the street that wanted to adopt one of our kittens the Spanish Inquisition before I’d hand it over - I can’t imagine what I’d be like with someone who was going to watch my daughter. I can’t help it - I’m just so freaking anal. So, male or female? I can’t even handle the concept of a babysitter!

Actually, I should probably just shut up, because I can’t be making you feel any better….

Don’t pay attention to me - I’m just a crazy person!

Leslie’s last blog post..Need To Resuscitate Your Love Life?

i’m so thankful that my nanny likes to babysit. otherwise, i’d be all panicky. i have no idea what the going rate is or even where to find a babysitter!!

ali’s last blog post..the big sleep

I don’t know about boy babysitters. I let my husband’s boss’ son watch our son twice, but his girlfriend came, too. I guess I’d have to know the boy. But the same goes for a girl, I’d have to get to know her before leaving her in charge of my kids.

I’ve been meaning to write a post about my fear of babysitters. I just can’t imagine leaving a 2 year old and a 10 month old with a teenager! Maybe I’ll feel different when my kids are older (like yours.)

Also, I’ll be checking in on your comments and see what people say about interviewing. I wouldn’t even know what to ask!

Jennifer’s last blog post..Many Unhappy Returns

Hello! I haven’t signed up yet, but when I go back to school I am going to try http://www.care.com. They list babysitters in your area, and there are recommendations and background checks! It also lists what special certifications they have such as CPR training. My plan is to stay home the first few times while my kids get to know her (though I know several wonderful men, I just can’t see hiring a male babysitter. Sexist of me, I know) then try short outings first.
If you try care.com, let me know how it goes!

Della’s last blog post..my turn, I guess

It would depend on the boy. There are lots of teenage boys that are responsible just as there are teenage girls who I wouldn’t want babysitting my kids. For me it’s not about what sex they are but about how responsible they are. When I was 6 my mom had a 20 year old boy babysit me and he was so much fun! He had lots of energy and we got to play outside a lot. It was great!

Lottifish’s last blog post..Over the Hill

Linked in from My Mommys Place-I’m with you on male babysitters. I don’t care if it makes me an asshole. There is a reason that most sexual offenders are male. Besides, I’ve never met any normal boy who WANTS to babysit. Off I go, in my blatant sexism…

kristian’s last blog post..I love my kid, but he is making me nuts.

My friend’s son watched my kids a couple of times. He was about 14 or 15…and they LOVED him! Mostly it was just for an hour or two while I went to diiner or something…and granted, he was a friend of the family. I’m not sure how I would feel about it if it wasn’t someone I knew REALLY well. Good luck!

Cris’s last blog post..Hi! Here I am!

Okay … first off, we have NO family close by, so I’ve never had anyone watch the kids other than baby-sitters. I know … SUCKS!

Second, our FIRST baby-sitter ever was a teen boy. My kids LOVED LOVED LOVED him. He played. He was polite. He played. He put up with their crap. He played. He’d pick their nose if they asked. He played. He grew up. He no longer played. My kids were heart broken.

And so was I.

I’ve had several other “gals” watch the kids since then … and while they are great … we still miss Chad.

I think that answers your question from my point of view.

An Iowa Mom’s last blog post..A Small Oversight

I’ve kind of been thinking of the same thing. Since I started working more, I don’t have the time to myself in the morning that I used to, to grocery shop BY MYSELF. Or get pedicures. We have a girl across the street who is awesome, but I don’t always want to impose. I think you did the right thing by asking people in your preschool group though. I, personally, would have to know the guy babysitter really well. Another blogger that I read sometimes has a college guy babysitter, and had hired him without knowing him, and personally? That’s scary to me. Good luck, though, and I hope you find someone awesome!

baseballmom’s last blog post..Hal. E. Luyah.

At first, have the 14 year old come over and be your “mother’s helper.” For me, this meant, you know, actually being able to SHOWER alone. As you are able to observe her interactions with your children, you’ll know whether you would trust her to leave her alone with them. I paid $5/hour for a mother’s helper, and then we up it to between $7-10 to leave someone alone with the 3 of them.

In the Trenches of Mommyhood’s last blog post..The Fridge Fiasco

I was in a similar situation as you. About a year ago, I hired our first non-family babysitter ever.

I hate putting out feelers with friends, mainly b/c I don’t want to compete for a sitter with them.

We live about 30 min from a university. They have a childcare program. I posted an ad online and interviewed 3 people. LOVE our sitter!!

She is now like family to us. My kids adore her and I am comfortable leaving them with her all day at times. She’s actually upstairs with them right now while I’m supposedly working;)

MommyCosm’s last blog post..When buying big girl panties for your 5 year old…

Check out caresquare.com for babysitters. The site connects parents and babysitters online and it’s free. I work as a caregiver and I get tons of jobs from the site. You can order a background check on any caregiver, which is great for parents who are weary of finding babysitters online.

As for the male babysitter idea, I think it would really depend on the person. I would be weary of it as well, but I would use someone if I knew them well or they came highly recommended by someone I trust.

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