I have a good thing going with my current babysitter. My kids love her, I love her, and she knows their routine. She is there whenever I need her and when I get home, she tells me how easy and good they were.
I stare at her in wonder.
But now that it's mid-May, I'm dreading the day not too far from now that she'll leave to spend the whole summer as a counsellor at overnight camp.
How will I find another sitter? What will the new sitter think of my kids? Most importantly, what will my kids think of him or her?
I've started to do some research. There are online babysitting apps parents can use to book child care services with trained, qualified and vetted staff. You just scroll through the options and choose the one you think might be a good fit based on their description and your needs.
It sounds easy enough and seems to be the way of the future, but my kids would never go for that.
"You're not leaving us with someone you found on the internet!" they told me one day as we looked at sitters online.
Instead, I turned to my social network to see if they know anyone. I recently managed to find someone through a referral. She seems great and can drive to and from my house in the evening, which is a bonus. I'll have her come meet and play with my kids while I'm home before I attempt to leave them in her care the next time.
There are other things to consider too, however. Does she have any safety qualifications, like CPR? Does she have experience with children the same age as my boys? How much will she expect to get paid? These are still all unknowns.
The hourly wage in Canada varies from $12 to $17 depending on a number of factors, including your sitter's age and qualifications, the age and number of your kids, how long you'll need the sitter, where you live and what you expect a sitter to do. For instance, will your sitter need to supervise your kids swimming in your backyard pool, tidy the house or just put them to bed and watch TV?
We will miss my babysitter terribly this summer, but maybe my new one will be just as great.
Will you miss your sitter this summer? How will you find another? Pass along any tips!
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