by Liz (mom to Sunday, pre-3s)
Finding a babysitter can be challenging. It’s not easy to find someone trustworthy and experienced to care for your kids, and it takes time and effort to search for and interview potential candidates.
Word of mouth, recommendations from friends, coworkers, neighbors and relatives are all great ways to find a good babysitter. Online parent groups such as NE Seattle Moms are a great resource for finding local babysitters and nannies. Red Tricycle has a great list of parent groups in the Seattle area.
Popular online babysitting services include Care.com and Sittercity.com. These services provide profiles, background checks and references, making it easy for parents to search and filter candidates. Seattle Nanny Network is an example of a reputable local nanny agency.
The typical cost for babysitters in the Seattle area is $15-20 per hour depending on the caregiver’s experience and the number of children. Agencies and services will assess additional fees and ask higher rates for their caregivers.
There are ways for parents to reduce the amount of money spent on quality care for their children.
Drop-in preschools such as Blossoming Buds Cottage and Trettin Drop In Preschool have reasonable rates and can be great for busy parents who need to run errands or have daytime appointments.
Consider trying a babysitting swap with some friends or preschool parents. It’s like a play date for your kids but gives parents the opportunity to leave their kids with a trusted parent. Moms Club of Seattle NW has a more formalized babysitting co-op based on a points system.
Interviews and reference checks are crucial. Before meeting with potential babysitters, compile a list of interview questions.
Finally, prepare your caregivers with emergency information, detailed instructions and your expectations for them. Consider inviting a sitter over for a dry run while you’re at home to familiarize him or her with your household and observe the interactions with your child. Here is a useful link to a printable Emergency Contact sheet.
What are your babysitting resources? Please contact me for additional tips or resources to share with other Sandhurst Co-op parents.