Babysitter....Feeling worried and not sure how to go about it...?

Question

Our daughter is 9 months old and we have anoother baby on the way..my family lives abroad and my husband's family is about 4 hrs away so we don't have any support close by...we have come to a point where we are desperate for a couple of hrs to ourselves..we've had one dinner out since our girl was born and i feel slightly frustrated about it...I know parents in the same situation use baby sitter agencies but i feel a bit vary...Does anyone know or have used the online agency Sitters.co.uk (uk)?
Any advise?
Thanks

Answer 1

Well, I'm not in the UK, so I can't vouch for an agency, but surely you two have some friends or neighbors that you trust. Even if you don't ask them to sit for you, perhaps they know a trustworthy young lady or gentleman who is looking to make a bit of extra cash.

Another idea that might work, especially if you know other parents or expectant parents is to start a baby-sitting exchange. Basically, you exchange hours instead of cash. You watch their young ones one weekend while they have a nice evening together and vice versa.

Good luck to you and congratulations.

Answer 2

I would not use any agencies more so on line agencies but I am sure you have a friend that will be happy to help or even a friends daughter would do it to earn some money I used to well I still do even at my age if not why don't you ask your husbands family to have the kids over night drop them of in the morning and you will not have to worry about getting back for a certain time I am sure they wouldn't mind and its free ha ha ha my mum and dad would do it for us its not like it is going to be every day or night just ask they can only say no good luck

Answer 3

I'd like to say as a qualified nanny not all babysitters are bad.Do you homework don't take the first one you like.Get them to spend time around your child while you are there so you can see how they interact with your child.Use an agency that is registered ask as many question you can and ALWAYS get references.It sounds extreme but you are trusting this person with your most precious gift don't rush it.I don't know where you live but in west Yorkshire there is an agency called the Janet White agency and they are very good and can give you advise too.

Answer 4

We are in the same situation. And there is the same age gap between our children too.
You probably wont like to hear this but we just never go out in the evening without our children. I just don't trust anyone and can't bring myself to leave them with anyone else at night.

However, during the day is different. Once a week when my children were small we used to put them into a nursery (seems safer than a chilminder) and then we would go and get lunch together or go for a walk or catch a movie.
They are both at school now which is a lot easier.
Good luck to you both and congratulations.
Just hang on in there.
It's tough at first but there is so much going on you'll be too tired to care about going out.

Answer 5

I would reccomend going for a registered childminder, there are many who offer babysitting at unusual hours, if you do a web search for registered childminders there are many who have registers of childminders in different areas. Another thing if you have the time is to go to mums and toddler groups, meeting other parents is a great way to find baby sitters, I baby sit a friends child on Monday afternoons and she watches mine on a Tuesday, a great inexpensive method of babysitting. I did have a look at sitters.co.uk but thought it to be quite expensive - great if you can afford it im sure!
Final thoughts - an evening at a family restaurant like brewsters is a good one so you can take the kids along with you.
Otherwise talk to your friends or work colleagues, they may not be able to help but might know of responsible teenagers who can help...
Best of luck with it x

Answer 6

ah take the baby with you? Embrace the family life. You and your hubby are not alone anymore. Don't think of yourselfs as a couple but a family. You don't want to trust you babies to a stranger, from your question. So worry about the couple think when they're a bit older. This too is a fun time, though it doesn't allow for much down time. But you will both look back and remember someday about these days.

Answer 7

My friend used sitters a few times. They're pricey in that you have to sign up and pay a fee to join but you get peace of mind that they're all fully qualified. Most of them are teachers etc. looking for a bit of extra money.

I have a similar situation to you in that I don't have any family near but I make sure we get a night out at least once a month. How about your neighbours where you live? It's near Xmas and a great time to invite them all round for some mince pies and a glass of wine. We did this when we moved in and are now very good friends with lots of our neighbours (and we live in London, not some quaint village!). We use the teenage kids of our neighbours to sit (amazing what the promise of £20 will do!) or their parents if they're out. Another thing we do is sit-swap with other parents. One of you goes to their house while they go out and then one of them comes to you next time while you both go out - it's free and allows everyone a night out. We also use our childless friend who is a godparent as well when she's around and make sure we've got loads of good DVD's and pay for a chinese take-away for her. When friends ask you what you want for Xmas tell them you'd like 3 nights of babysitting instead of a present. I did that for my birthday with a friend of mine.

Answer 8

If you use a nursery during the day...why not switch to a childminder...they are so much more flexible and quite a few provide over night care if needed.
If you're a stay at home mum, you could still ring a childminder in your area about part time childcare even if its just for a few hours a week then it give you some "me" time and you and your partner more time together.

A few of my friends work at nurseries and they provide babysitting, if your lil one is at nursery you could ask the manager if any of staff would like to babysit for a few hours.

try the website below for childminders..

Answer 9

I have no experience of sitters as wouldnt leave mine with strangers but then I was fortunate with mum in law. As your inlaws are only 4 hours away can you not go to them for a weekend or even a night and leave baby with them whilst you and hubby go out for a meal or to the pics?

Answer 10

I wouldn't recommend using a site cause you don't know what the person who you'll get is like. Ask around your friends or healthcare nurse for 1. Good Luck and congrats on the baby and the one on the way!