I've been trying to find a babysitter to help my husband and me out with our 2 toddler sons. Because of my crazy schedule, there are times when I don't get home in time to go through the dinner/bedtime routine. Actually, they don't have a good routine given the changes in our lives - what with moving 3 times in the past year and all. When I'm home it's not that bad, but when I get home late from work they don't go to bed at a reasonable hour. This is not a good thing when the oldest one has an appointment with his speech or occupational therapist the next day. It's not good because he misses the appointment.
I realize being a stay at home parent is a tough job but I've tried to make it easier for my husband. Easier in the sense that he doesn't have to worry about scheduling things like play dates, social events, doctor appointments, or finding schools for either of the kids. I do all that. And, it's not like our home is spotless so there isn't a lot of cleaning going on. To top it off, my sister and 3 of my girlfriends manage anywhere from 1 to 4 children and a household AND do the "mommy" stuff I described above. And yes, their homes are pretty clean.
It's frustrating being in this situation of being the sole wage earner. I say that because I try very hard to provide the money so that we can afford a nice home, good schools (private tuition is not cheap), good health care, and things like private speech and occupational therapy for our 3 year old. I know that our son will not improve unless there is consistency and so far there hasn't been and I'm annoyed.
I'm annoyed because it is my husband's job to make sure that appointments are kept. So, in an effort to help my husband out - because he says that he has a zillion things to do and even though I help out with the boys and I'm the one that puts them in their pajamas and brushes their teeth AND puts them in bed the majority of the time - I've decided to find a sitter to help him on the nights when I do come home after 6:00. If anyone has any suggestions on finding a reliable sitter, I would be eternally grateful.
Depending on the age of sitter you're looking for you can try the park district for 'sitter class' graduates, or colleges sometimes have students looking to sit.
I actually found a great sitter on Care.com. Honor student, great with my toddler, and worked at the park district with kids. My son loved her and it was great while I worked from home. I did pay for a one month 'membership' so I could contact all the sitters I liked, but it was worth it. I'll be using them again to find a new one since we moved.
I tried sitter city and was not happy at all with the people who responded. Not worth paying for. Good Luck!
Posted by: Jennifer | July 24, 2008 at 09:10 AM
Most of the people we contacted on sittercity.com did not respond. Perhaps their listings are a little out-of-date? We did finally find one who had great references and was a daycare worker who turned out to be wonderful. This sitter said she got a lot of responses from her ad on Craig's list. You could check there, but be sure to get a background check and check references, too. Otherwise, we've gotten lots of recommendations from friends. Good luck!
Posted by: Asianmommy.com | July 24, 2008 at 06:31 PM
Maybe you could post something at the Y or a neighborhood park. Or church? I use my family or my nanny. Maybe check out a community college and post something there. Just make sure you're ready to do background checks.
Posted by: Amy | July 25, 2008 at 11:07 PM
If you both work, you can afford a nanny who gets paid to do all of this.
Posted by: Mary Anne | July 26, 2008 at 01:44 AM
Cus honestly...how is that saving money when you have one parent at home AND a babysitter?
Instead of confusing the kids with temporary help when mommy is not home, you should just designate one person to get the job done and get the job done right.
Sorry if I seem a bit blunt. But I just see how things can be handled differently compared to these other moms.
Posted by: Mary Anne | July 26, 2008 at 01:57 AM