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Community Advocacy and Support by and for Young Mothers

Finding a good babysitter?

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RileysMama2B16
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Finding a good babysitter?

How do you mamas go about finding a good babysitter, one that you trust? How do you know that they are safe to leave your kids with? What are some things you look for? What are some warning signs to steer clear of?

erinn
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Finding a good babysitter?

usually there is a state office that can send you a list of registered home caregivers and centers. that is where i usually start

RileysMama2B16
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Finding a good babysitter?

erinn wrote:
usually there is a state office that can send you a list of registered home caregivers and centers. that is where i usually start

I never knew that! Thank you very much! Do you know how I would find one in my area or what it would be called? Im new to all of this. Im going to need to find a day care or babysitter for when I go to college soon and It would be nice to have a babysitter once this month so I could get a break.

melly
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Finding a good babysitter?

i know that our local DCFS office gives out "project child" money that pays for sitters while moms work or go to school. because of that they have a list of sitters that accept the payment and are certified/have home inspections regularly/have taken the dietary courses, etc. you could probably find out sitters such as these at your local DCFS too.

bettycrockerpun...
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Finding a good babysitter?

I put an ad in the Pennysaver and got about 40 responses a day for a whole week! Then I interviewed every sitter who osunded good on the phone and then checked references.

firefly1
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Finding a good babysitter?

if you know other mothers, ask around, see if there are any sitters your family or neighbors use that they love. generally its word of mouth thats most reliable. if you go to any baby and me classes ask other mothers, who they would recommend. the next option are colleges. generally they have child developement majors who have to have kid time for credits. good luck girlie

erinn
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Finding a good babysitter?

here it is dfs. i applied, got approved, and they sent me a list of registered providers, whether it was 10 miles from my house, or from my office.

i just had to reapply and im soooooo scared that i wont get it. paying 135 a week in daycare is impossible for me. but i sent them my school schedule, and my payrate and hours, so keep your fingers crossed.

they only pay a certain amount as well, like right now, i pay $50 and they pay the rest, and my case worker seemed annoyed with me that i would be willing to pay anything, when i could go somewhere else and not pay anything. the place i choose is close to me and to chris, and i love it!! it is by far the best place i have seen. you just gotta look.

if you are going to go to community college, they almost always have daycare centers.

tricia
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Finding a good babysitter?

here there are courses you can take, like "Babysitting class" that teaches you what to do and why, it also does first aid and cpr,

I think that both first aid and cpr are very important when it comes to a babysitter,

I also think that if you are going to leave your child with someone they do not know a test run (where they come over and play while you are still home) like maybe the night before or day of is a good idea....

melly
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Finding a good babysitter?

i agree. My mom babysat when she quit daycare work. She always offered to keep the child(ren) for a couple of hours for free just to see how the child worked and if they got along with her well.

EllynRu
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Finding a good babysitter?

I found my babysitter on craigslist.com. Try searching for babysitters in yoru city.

RileysMama2B16
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Finding a good babysitter?

tricia wrote:
here there are courses you can take, like "Babysitting class" that teaches you what to do and why, it also does first aid and cpr,

I think that both first aid and cpr are very important when it comes to a babysitter,

I also think that if you are going to leave your child with someone they do not know a test run (where they come over and play while you are still home) like maybe the night before or day of is a good idea....

I took that babysitting class when I was 13! It was very helpful, in case of emergencies!

I'm going to take your advice and do a "test run" if I find a new babysitter, to see how she does with Riley.

snuggle tooth
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Finding a good babysitter?

I would never leave my daughter with anyone I haven't known for at least two years. Our regualr babysitter is my fiance Ben's sister, and she is just awesome.