That final day that I dreaded had finally arrived, meaning that I had to put my toddler in the care of a babysitter as it was time for me to go back to work. I personally had made the big mistake of not thinking about this much because I was hoping this day wouldn’t come. Unfortunately the pocketbook is getting a bit thin so there isn’t much of a choice.

So where do I begin? My first thought is family. Now I have a niece that could look after my little guy at least for these upcoming summer months. Then I have an elderly aunt that has volunteered. A little bit of pondering on these options brought me to realize that my niece is too young, and my aunt just a little too old. I know my youngster expends all my energy so these two individuals were not cut out for this job. Age and health of the potential babysitter has to be considered.

Okay what next? I just couldn’t imagine putting him into daycare. It would be just as horrifying for him I’m sure, as it would be for me. Yes I know there are thousands of kids in daycares all across the country that are just doing fine. I am a first time Mom though and I just can’t seem to get the proper mindset about opting for a daycare center. It is important not to choose a daycare option that you don’t feel comfortable with.

I tried to think of any friends that would be up for the job that my little one adores. No thoughts came to mind. He plays a little shy. While thinking about this though it suddenly came to mind that the only adult he ever really goes to and seems to love being with is Amy. Amy is a stay at home mom who takes in daycare in the neighborhood. We have spent hours at the park together with all the kids. Sometimes relying on the youngster’s responses will tell you a lot.

Maybe I have discovered an answer here. So for the next few weeks on my daily visits to the park I secretly scrutinize Amy’s interactions with the children in her care. I am ashamed to admit that secretly I was looking for any potential flaw that she may have. When screening a babysitter you have to be diligent but fair as well.

Just from being focused and watching her, I learned and saw many things that I really liked. She was equally fair between her own children and the kids she was minding. She had a mixed age group yet managed to give them all individual attention. She was firm when she needed to be, yet let the kids explore and have their freedom. She was adamant about getting them home for meals and naps. Finally I noted that she was constantly interacting with them.

I found that Amy pretty well was doing what I do everyday for my toddler. I guess I found the perfect babysitter after all. Thankfully Amy had a free spot just in time for my having to return to work. If possible try to observe a potential babysitter without making it obvious.

This post was written by Lior who works for Milk Nursingwear, a company that sells maternity belly bands, nursing camisoles and many more nursing wear products.

Trusting someone to look after you kids is never easy, especially if you have just moved to a new town or recently returned to work. With the rises in child obesity and lack of proper physical education in schools, childcare workers have become another line of defense against unhealthy habits for kids. Not only do you need to find someone to take good care of your children and respond well in emergencies, you may also want a sitter who will only feed them healthy foods and encourage healthy activities while you are gone.

The first step is to decide exactly what you want in a babysitter. Do you want them to take an educational, active, or creative approach to watching your kids? Perhaps you are looking for some combination of the three. Make sure you know exactly what you are looking for in a sitter before beginning the search.

The next step is to figure out where you want to look. Since you want a sitter that enjoys being active, you might want to consider asking parents you know that have kids on high school or college sports teams. Ask other members of your community or utilize people that work at the local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, or other community center. These babysitters are familiar with helping kids stay active, and they know plenty of fun and safe activities and games.

After choosing candidates from churches, local community centers, friend referrals, and classified ads, ask for references and set up an initial interview. Find out how much experience they have, and check their references. Make sure they understand exactly what you want your children to do and eat while you are away, and ask if they are comfortable with the guidelines and responsibilities.

Set up a time for them to meet your kids and arrange for a spouse, friend, or family member to be present. See how they interact with your children, and whether they are caring and disciplined, or negligent and harsh. Offer the opportunity for them to play with your kids in a place where they are less likely to feel that they are being watched, such as the backyard or the basement. Pay attention to the kinds of activities they encourage and the way they speak to your children. Afterwards, be sure to talk to your kids about what they did, what they talked about, and most importantly, if they liked the sitter.

As long as your children are comfortable with your sitter, you are off to a good start. On their first day as babysitter, try to provide a list of fun and healthy activities and snacks. Make sure they understand that certain things such as television, soda and sugary snacks are prohibited, and let them know the laws of the land such as the requirement of finishing dinner before leaving the table. Make sure they are familiar with a few PE games and activities in order to make sure they never run out of entertainment and active options. At the end of the babysitting job, be sure to find details about exactly what they did, what your kids ate, and what time they went to bed. Make sure your children’s stories are the same, and if so, you have found a babysitter!

Amanda is a writer and blogger living in San Diego, USA. She writes on behalf of SPARK, an organization that helpes teachers and recreation leaders provide physical education to help fight child obesity.

Top Babysitting Websites have a lot in common. But when you learn what makes each site different, you will learn which one is for you.

Criteria used to evaluate websites: features set, ease of use, screening process, membership cost and customer support.

	sittercity.com	care.com	gonannies.com	care4hire.com
Full Review	More Info	More Info	More Info	More Info
Coverage
USA
Canada
Services
Babysitters
Petsitters
Nannies
Tutors
Housekeeping
Senior Care
Special Needs
Newborn Specialist
Doulas
Personal Assistants
Personal Chefs
Additional Features
Corporate Program
Rate Calculator
Free Trial
Money Back Guarantee
Screening Process
Pre-sreened Sitters
Reviews and Ratings
References Provided
Free Background Check
Search Options
Search by ZIP Code
Search by Qualifications
Search by Required Skills
Membership Cost
Signup Fee			45 Days – $49  90 Days – $79	$19.99 (only for monthly membership)
Monthly Fee	$31.50	$35		$9.99
Quarterly Fee	$63	$70
Annual Fee	$126	$140		69.99
Customer Support
Phone
E-mail
FAQ
Visit Website	sittercity.com	care.com	gonanny.com	care4hire.com
Coupon Code	sittercity promo	care.com promo

When you have children, it can be harder to find quality time alone to be romantic with your spouse. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner so now is the perfect time to start making some wonderful plans for the evening. Most of the time the woman ends up making all the plans and that takes some of the bliss out of it.

For the dads out there, why not do what you can to make this Valentine’s Day as special as it can be? Hiring a babysitter is one of the key elements you need to have in place to do so. It won’t matter how great the rest of your plans are if you don’t have someone to watch the kids. Keep in mind that your wife isn’t going to leave them with just anyone!

Careful planning is what it all comes down to. Chances are your friends and family members already have their Valentine’s Day plans in  place. Therefore they are out of the question when it comes to providing childcare services on your behalf that night. The solution? Consider hiring a babysitting service.

You can find plenty of them online that are willing to work on such holidays. In fact, this could be the start of you  using them on a regular basis to go on regular dates with your wife. The online babysitting service you hire will be able to offer you references and to verify that a complete background check has been done.

Once you have that taken care of you can start focusing your attention on something else for the evening. Make reservations at a wonderful restaurant and get tickets to a play or a show she would love to see. You can even consider going somewhere romantic where the two of you can spend some time talking afterwards. The idea is to make the evening special for her – and she doesn’t have to take care of any of the details.

Your wife is going to appreciate all of the effort you have put into a romantic Valentine’s Day event. Let her know well in advance that you have special plans for the evening. Let her know you have taken care of everything so she can just focus on deciding what to wear. The anticipation of some time alone with you that is a secret will be very exciting for her.

Sittercity.com, the online sitter service that links nannies, babysitters, pet sitters and other caregivers to families, has won a contract from the Department of Defense to provide military families with instant access to care provider profiles.

Care provider profiles include background checks, pictures, references, reviews, a four-step screening process and  a specialized matching technology to help select the right care provider.  Sittercity.com doesn’t employ the care providers.  It is the nation’s largest and most trusted online source that simply helps match them with families.

The one-year contract covers Active-duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps members and their families, as well as National Guard and reserve members and their families.

>>>>>Sittercity.com has acquired Sitters.com…read more<<<<<<

Sitters.com is one of the largest sources of up to date care providers.

They offer comprehensive care provider profiles with references, reviews, ratings, photos, videos, availability schedules, training and certifications to make search for a care provider  quick, simple and safe.

Parenting magazine rated sitters.com as one of the safest online sites for finding care providers due to its thorough selection process.  Each profile and job posting is reviewed by a member of the All Mom Team and includes a link to the bio of the Mom that completed the review.

In addition, members can check out background checks, online reviews and ratings posted by other members of Sitters.com as well as talk to references before contacting the care provides.

Features which distinguish sitters.com from their competitors:

• Focus on having the most up-to-date  care providers: people actively looking to provide care today rather than claiming to have “hundreds of thousands” of  providers

• Phone Support available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays

• All-Mom Editorial Team: team of moms that are dedicated to keeping the Sitters.com community safe and secure.  Every Mom on the team has at least a Bachelor’s Degree and 5 years of corporate business experience.

Best of all, it doesn’t cost anything to check out the value Sitters.com offers. You can search for care providers and also create a trial membership for free.

For paid members, Sitters.com comes with a money-back guarantee. If you post a job and don’t get at least three applicants in three days, you will get a full refund.

Care4hire.com is an online family and caregiver database providing babysitters, housekeepers, tutors, pet sitters, elder/companion care and other  services.

In addition to they monthly and yearly plans, they now offer 14 day free trial:

• Post your job and get contacted by caregivers in your area
• Preview Available Caregivers
• Post a Profile for Caregivers to view detailing your needs, hours and more
• Access detailed characteristics with pictures, experience, availability and more
• Access Online References and Background Check

Families looking for babysitters, petsitters, elderly care, housekeepers and all providers on Care4hire can not only do a free search but also get a free trial where they can post their open job.

Sign up for a free 14 day trial!.

With SitterCity you can find a babysitter, tutor, housekepper and more.

You can try it out for a week at no cost, and then choose either a monthly or annual fee plan. Save 15% on registration with promo code SAVE15