When my children were little I belonged to a neighborhood babysitting coop. It was set up very organized that you earned credits by babysitting neighborhood children and you earned the credits based on how long and how many children you cared for. It was a way to get a few hours to myself to shop, go to the doctor, get my hair cut, and I got FREE childcare while my children enjoyed being with other kids in homes where I knew the moms.

The best part was when two other moms and I decided to do it on a fairly regular basis. So each of us would take the other's children for a few hours one day of the wk. We'd let them play a while and serve them a simple lunch then it would be time for Mommy to be back. So for just watching my neighbor's children play with my kids for about 3 hours, I would get two days with three hours by myself!!! A great deal when you're a mom with small children. So it was a double good deal....free childcare in a safe environment and playtime for my kids!!

So even if you don't have an already established neighborhood babysitting co-op, you could try to set something up like this with friends or neighbors! Enjoy your time out mommies!!!

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