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babysitter
How can I find an affordable babysitter - Subscribe
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Baby Sitter Services - How Can I Find an Affordable Sitter? Finding a babysitter that you can afford might include you lowering your criteria for a sitter. Babysitter services vary, depending on the needs of the child being cared for and the needs of the parents. For example, you can ask that a sitter also run errands for you throughout the day, do light housework or even begin cooking the dinner for the family. The first thing you need to do is determine what your baby sitting services are going to be. Be realistic and reasonable when you are figuring out what additional tasks are required for the sitter. Don't expect your babysitter to also be your made and personal assistant. The sitter is hired to care for your child or children and that should be the majority of the work. Here are a few ways you can find a babysitter that is willing to work for you at a price you want to pay. 1. Craigslist is a great tool you can take full advantage of. You can place an ad for free and screen through the individuals to find one that meets your criteria. There are other forums and websites that you can use too. Some might charge you a small fee for posting. 2. There are websites that are designed to match qualified sitters to families. Many of these sites also have a background check on record for the sitters. 3. Placing classified ads in your local newspaper is a fairly inexpensive way to find baby sitter services and hire a great sitter for your child. Be clear in your ad, put your criteria for a sitter in the ad so you are not wasting your time or anyone else's time. For example, must have clean driving record, non-smoker, own car etc. As people begin to contact you to watch your child you should screen them carefully. Make sure you are leaving your child in the care of a responsible person that is going to be as caring and loving as you are with your children. Pay attention to your instincts. If you feel something is off, by all means listen to your heart. If you find a person that you really want to be the provider of your children while you are working but he.she needs a little more money for their time, by all means try to negotiate the hourly rate. You might be surprised and find the sitter will negotiate. |
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babysitter
What to Do When You Need Babysitters to Stay Nov 5th, 2009 2:05:00 pm - Subscribe
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There are times when you would really need babysitters. They are a great help when you have to get back to work after a long time or when you just need a break from it all. Indeed, babysitters are crucial to helping you keep your job and maintaining your sanity. Good, reliable babysitters may not be that easy to find. It is not impossible though. These days, there are many sitter agencies and referral sites that can make your search a whole lot easier. Sometimes a bigger problem would be how to keep good sitters working for you. How do you make sure that you can keep your sitter? Job Description - One important requirement is to be clear about her duties and responsibilities. Nobody wants to be hired as a sitter only to work at odd tasks. Before she even starts work, sit down with her and come up with a job description. Be honest about the kind of work that she has to do. Although sitters are expected to watch over kids, you may need yours to do a little cleaning or cooking for the kids. Once you have agreed upon a job description, do your best to stick to it. On Working Conditions - All other working conditions should be clear. This includes informing your sitter if she needs to stay up late into the night while waiting for you. Whenever possible, attempt to establish a schedule so that your sitter would at least know when she is needed. Sitters have their own personal schedules too so she may have to work around your schedule. Compensation - The salary is always a primary point of concern when you need babysitters. This is also a point that some people take for granted. Not every sitter would be so desperate as to accept low rates. The experienced and older ones may not give your offer a second glance especially since many others need their services. Be sure that the rates you offer are commensurate to your sitters experience and ability. If you cannot afford to pay much, make sure a sitter understands this perfectly. House Rules - Set an agreement on your sitters use of your home. You cannot avoid this. If you want to keep your sitter happy, you should at least allow her the use of your living room, television set, telephone and bathroom. Make sure though that your sitter knows how you would like your things and facilities to be used. Handling Problem Behaviors - If you follow specific discipline methods, tell your sitter about them. There may be particular ways in which you would want problem behavior among children to be handled. If you want your sitter to do it your way, then tell her. Respect - Never abuse the goodness of your sitter. There may be times when you would need emergency services. Do not overdo it though. You may already be interfering with her personal schedules if you do it too often. Household with at least one kid need babysitters. There is no doubt about that. If you make sure that you keep the good ones working for you for a long time, then you dont really need to keep on looking for new sitters all the time. |
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babysitter
How Much Should You Pay Your Babysitter Nov 5th, 2009 2:09:00 pm - Subscribe
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You’ve found the perfect sitter (yay!), but what on earth should you pay her? If you search parenting message boards for the answer you’re going to find that sitter pay rates range from as low as $3/hour (yikes!) to as high as $25/hour (double yikes!) I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in the end there is no easy answer. Hourly babysitting rates depend on a variety of factors from where you live to what you expect your sitter to do while she’s with your kids. Who you hire is also an issue; you’re going to pay a 12 year old Mother’s Helper a lot less than a 45 year old experienced Nanny. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You also have to consider how many kids she’ll be watching, how old they are, and if they have special needs. And last, but definitely not least, you have to take into account when the sitter is going to be watching your children. How to determine what to pay your sitter The best way to determine the going rate in your neighborhood is to ask around. Talk to other parents in your community to find out what they pay. Talk to any sitters you know. And finally ask your babysitter what she usually charges. Babysitters often set their own rates and will probably let you know in their Sitters.com profile or when you talk to them about a potential job. You can even ask her previous employers what they paid her when you call to check her references. Once you’ve done your research consider the following before deciding what you’re comfortable paying. How many kids will she be watching? Most parents pay a little extra for three or more kids. How old are the kids? Infants and toddlers might require more care. Who are your kids? Are they a rambunctious lively bunch or will they sit and read in a corner the whole time? Where do you live? If you live in a major city you might have to pay more than if you live in a very rural area. How old is your sitter? Young teens usually make less per hour than a grown-up who’s been watching kids for years. How much experience does the sitter have? You’ll need to pay very experienced sitters lots more than someone who has absolutely no training. Speaking of training, does she have Childcare Certification, Early Childhood Education credits, a college degree, CPR training? Any of these guarantee her a higher pay rate. When is she coming over? Watching children from 10am to 5pm is very different than watching kids from 7pm to midnight. Does she need to be picked up and dropped off or does she have her own transportation? You can get away with paying a little less if you are in charge of getting her to your house and taking her home. How far will she have to travel to get to your house? Depending on where you live you might want to take into account gas prices and travel time. What do you expect her to do while she’s at your house? Expect to pay more for someone to fold your laundry and clean the kitchen than for someone who’s just going to play with the kids. What is the time away worth to you? Hey! Some days that might be all that matters. Coming to a decision of what to pay One way or another, you’re best off broaching the topic before leaving the new sitter with your children. Nothing is more upsetting than losing a great sitter because she didn’t think you paid enough or coming home after a great date and being hit with a bill twice as high as you’d anticipated. As the one hiring it’s your responsibility to bring up the topic. Start by asking her what she charges and by letting her know what you think is fair. Then you can both negotiate until you reach a fee that pleases everyone. Don’t forget to ask about the best way to pay her; some sitters will take checks while others prefer cash. No matter what you decide in the end, don’t forget that babysitting rates aren’t set in stone. Being flexible will definitely work in your favor. Tipping for great service or if the job ends up lasting longer or being harder than you had anticipated is always appreciated. Be liberal with your tips and raises and you’ll guarantee that your beloved sitter won’t wander off to find greener pastures. |