The Best Practices for a Successful Babysitting Event

Ease the Anxiety
Before your sitter arrives at your home, let your children meet the sitter by viewing her photo online and read the sitters' profile online. You can even have the sitter talk with your children before she arrives. This will help ease your children's anxiety about having a sitter, whether she is new or has been with your family previously. You can also plan some fun activities to save for the sitting event. This will get your children excited about the sitter and get their mind off of mom and dad leaving.

Keep Information on Hand
Prepare by having instructions, contact information and emergency details handy. If you are a SeekingSitters member, this would simply mean having your Family Information Packet filled out and handy for your sitter. Even though you go through all the details with your sitter before you leave the home, there are sometimes small details that the sitter may not remember and having this information is handy will help make a successful event.

Set Clear Expectations
This is absolutely the most important factor to having a successful babysitting event. Once your sitter arrives, you need to make sure you let your sitter know what you expect out of the sitting event, what you need from her and what is the best way provide this.

Don't forget the Trash
When you are reviewing information about your home and your expectations for the event, don't forget to review where simple things are in your house. The trash can is even a simple item on the "tour" that is overlooked. Also be clear about eating instructions whether or not your sitter can eat your family's food or if the sitter will need to supply her own food.

Don't linger around
If this is the first time using a particular sitter, it is OK to stay around and make sure you are comfortable with the sitter. But keep in mind that your children will bond with the sitter more quickly if you are not around.

Cell Phones are for Emergencies...and Mom and Dad
It is completely fine to call to check in! Sometimes this is an opportunity to find out how they are doing and even help with any needs, but mostly it will help let you relax about how the children are doing at home with the sitter. Let the sitter know that you might be calling and either keep the cell phone handy or listen for the home telephone.

Wrapping up
Your sitter will leave behind a Fun Times Sheet that describes the details of the event. This will be a very beneficial tool to know what happened during the event and a great help in allowing the sitter to be able to leave more quickly so that she does not have to re-cap the entire day.

It is important to plan for a successful sitting event. If you do so, every sitting event will be fun for the children and great for you!

Finding Child Care for the Summer

One of the biggest questions we face is the best childcare option for our kids during the summer? There are so many options: camps, daycares, in-home care to name a few but first you should ask yourself some key questions:

Determine your child’s interests
Camps: There are many to choose from– pick one or two activities your child really wants to experience.
Parks & Recreation Activities: From daily activities to weekly activities there are many activities for kids of all ages and my of these options can be very affordable.
Community Pools and Neighborhood Activities: These are great summer activities where kids can just “be a kid.”
Parents – don’t over schedule your child - factor in downtime to just hang out.

Convenience – Questions to ask
How far away is camp/activity? Do they provide transportation, with gas prices it is something to consider.
Does the camp provide activities for a variety of ages?
When is the camp?
Will it interfere with family vacation plans?

When attending the pool or other community evnets, if you can’t be there will your child need a caregiver? Do you have an on-demand sitter solution and is the sitter background screened.

Determine your budget
Camp costs: Length and type will determine costs
1 week day camp – price for 6 hours a day begins at about $95 a week -
Overnight camp costs – 1 week overnight can run $800 – $1000

Child Care Costs:
Drop-In Day Care
Cost - $5.00 - $8.00 an hour depending on age of child
Pros – Affordable, Some flexibility
Cons – Not as structured – limited availability

Mothers’ Day Out
Cost – On average – about $40-$60 per child for six hours
Pros – Affordable, convenient – some structured activities
Cons – Typically only available once or twice a week

Full Time Caregiver
Cost – $350-$430/week – 1 child – can be a little more for extra kids
Pros- Convenience, safety, structure, you set the schedule
Cons – May not work for every budget

Ideas
*Consider sharing a sitter with a neighbor or friend.

*Create an “Informational Book” for sitters
SeekingSitters uses Family Information Packets and gives on to each member family to fill out – with everything that a sitter needs to know about the family, kids, schedules, emergency numbers etc.

*Background Checks: Remember to make sure whatever service you use performs a thorough background screening by a live person. (This service is provided for free to members of SeekingSitters.)

WELCOME!