the Cost of Baby Sitting

Four hours of in-home baby-sitter for two young boys. The service included preparing and feeding the children, playing with them, and putting them to bed.

We received four hours of baby sitting service in our home on a Saturday evening. Our baby sitter is an adult, that has two small children of her own. She is certified in CPR and first aid and has several years of recent child care experiece. She does an excellent job of playing with our children and keeping them occupied the entire time she is here. She follows our directions for meals, playtime, and bedtime routine. Since she is an adult, one of the extra benefits is that she can drive herself to and from our home. She has excellent skills in dealing with separation anxiety, which our littlest has. She also doesn't hesitate to call us on our cell phones to clarify information we have left her, ask for permission to do something out of the ordinary, or verify something one of our kids has told her (i.e. we always get two cookies for dessert). The only downside is that she doesn't always clean up all the toys they have played with when we were gone, or have the kids clean up after themselves.

Get references!!! Meet with the babysitter prior to using her/him and see how she interacts with your children. Make sure they are experienced and have certifications that are important to you, such as CPR and first aid. Outline your expectations, such as no computer use, no friends over, etc. Be willing to pay more to find someone who you trust completely with your children.