If you have a sitter for doing errands, appts, taking a break or even a date night, how did you find them? And what kind of "interview" process did you put them through if they were sitting for you in your home? What else should I question aside from experience, certifications etc...
And how much do you pay them?
Thanks!

Are you looking for an adult or a teenager?
Here there is one center that specializes in this type of daycare. I think it's called Mommy's day out. You drop your child off for a few hours at a time.
If you are looking for someone to come in your home word of mouth works great. Do you have any friends or coworkers that have children who babysit? We found our sitter we use when family can't through a lady at church.

Ask friends, neighbors who they use. I am using my sons preschool teacher for the summer on certain days.

Last year a parttime working mom at the preschool- said she got her sitter by calling local colleges and asking if they had list of girls who babysat and she was directed to the school education dept. and was able to put up a sign for needing a sitter and got a girl who is taking classes in college to be a teacher and goes to school 3 days a week and needed a job the other 2 days.

When we used sitters, we just found them in our neighborhood - through word of mouth. The two gals that babysat for my guys, for years and years, were AWESOME! They were so great!

I didn't really 'interview' them in a formal sense but I talked to them about how much sitting they had done, if they had taken the babysitting course through the red cross etc I talked to other parents in the neighborhood that had used them etc

We found ours through the nursery at church.

The church did the background checks before they started working there and also did the CPR/FirstAid training.

Most of the women love being with kids and don't mind making some extra money on the side.

I generally pay what they make at the church (which is around $8 an hour) plus provide meals and stuff.

I have also used a neighbors teenage daughter, but only when the Mom is home too so if there were an issue her Mom could be right over.

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Grace

Wife to Stoney

Mommy of Sarah (8.5), Hannah (7), and John(5)