Finding a good babysitter during the year can be tough, but finding a good babysitter during the holiday season can be downright frustrating.

Here are some secrets to finding a great babysitter so that you don’t miss even one great holiday gathering.

1. Plan ahead.

A sitter’s schedule fills up just as fast (if not faster) than it does for the rest of us. Call early enough to get on the calendar early.

2. Always pay well.

Find out what everyone around you is paying babysitters and pay just a little more. This way sitters will clear their schedule when you call.

3. Try a parent swap.

If you need to get out to go shopping or to a party, then chances are your friends are having the same issues. Try switching kids for the night. One night you have all the kids. Then next night, your friend takes them. It will save in babysitting money and the kids will enjoy the play dates.

4. Shop online…for a sitter.

You may be shopping online for your gifts, but you may also use the internet to find a great babysitter. Great sites, like Sittercity, have thousands of babysitters and probably have some great ones right in your local area.

5. Check your school or church

Many of these organizations offer some great “Parents Night Out” fund raisers where they will watch everyone kids for a night for a fee. They often plan some really fun activities for the kids while you enjoy the evening!



By: Beth Howland

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A good way to start searching for a babysitter is to obtain a list of babysitter rates in your area. This is especially true for parents who are looking for babysitting services they can fit into their budget. Be practical when it comes to searching for a babysitter and make sure you get value for your money.

Probably the best place to start looking for the ideal babysitter rate for your family is the World Wide Web. You may start looking for “referral” sites and online babysitting agencies where you can find the best rates from potential sitters as well as tips from previous clients. Generally, you’ll be expected to pay a referral fee in addition to paying your sitter. You could review babysitter profiles, or you can post an ad online and wait for candidates to contact you and send you their picture, resume summary and babysitting rates. There are some pretty good sites out there that even refund you in full if they cannot find a babysitter in your area who offers the rate you are looking for.

The general rate charged by babysitters is $15 for one to two children. If you have more than two kids, sitters generally ask for an extra fee per hour (usually $3 to $5 per child). Families and sitters settle an agreement based on the pay and other terms of employment.

The babysitter rate will also really depend on other factors. So another way to find a list of the rates you’re specifically looking for is to base your search on the sitter’s age, level of experience, and working days. Younger sitters (i.e. 13 to 16 years old) often charge about $4 per hour. An older sitter (i.e. 17 years old and above) would generally charge about $10 or more per hour. Any additional qualifications or experience and special working days (i.e. holidays) could raise the rate by a couple of dollars.



By: Rashel Dan

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Lalah’s Mommy asked:


Who keeps your children during the day. I go to school online right now, trying to save money that way I don’t really have to pay anyone for watching Lalah. But when finish my degree which will be sometime around decemeber. I am going to have to have someone watch her.

So what do you do with your kids?
Send them to a daycare? If so why’d you choose this?
Send them to a relative? If so why’d you choose this?
Have a babysitter or someone esle not related watch them? And if so why?

I just can’t decide what is best for her. looking for opinions on this.

Lore L asked:


I am going to have to start back to work in Aug and need to fine a good local babysitter. I have tried craigslist with no luck. I don’t have the money to pay a website to just look at babysitters! Are there any good free sites out there or other ways to find local babysitters?
I didn’t mean free babysitting sorry:) I mean free searches!!
Need someone to come to my home! I don’t have any relatives or , friends, nothing to help out!

bobby oh booom boom shacka lacka asked:


This girl in my town babysits ALOT she earned about $400 this summer with all the different kids she babysat. I had an ad in the paper for about 2 weeks and got only 1 call, which was because this girl couldn’t babysit then so this lady called me.. I really would like to make money this way because it’s easy and I’m really good with kids.. so if you have any suggestions for me? Thanks!

RomeoSaveMe asked:


I am watching a six year old (girl) for the first time from 4 to 9.I’m not concerned of money or whatever.. but I need some tips because.. I’m twelve and I’ve never done this before.I can do it, with a couple of basic things to know… which I don’t.So can you help me?ANY type of tip will help.

I haven’t because money tight at home and it’s expensive and there’s eight families on my street with kids, no one else babysitting, but they will not hire me. I’m qualified in first aid, Heimlich… I’m super great with kids, I have family references. Why?
I am experienced in CPR, police came to school to show us and we try, and watched three videoes to clarify.

My appearance is 8 out of ten, I’m less than my weight is supposed to be, but it’s only cause I’m in a lot of sports.

I already went around the block, made flyers and everything. Nothing
I am to be in high school in the fall.

By: That-BAM!-girl!

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I have got an e-mail it sounds like this:
Dear Au pair/Nanny,
My Angels need your services,i am Dr Alvin,i live and work in London my wife just passed on a year ago,I need a good Christian and God fearing Au pair/Nanny to look after my Angels their names are Mitchel and Michael,Mitchel is 4years old while Michael is 6years old,they mean the whole world to me they are well brought up and behaved. For your salary i would be paying 4,000GBP a month and 500GBP weekly you would be given an apartment too. So if you are interested please get back to me with your biography details as soon as possible.’

1. I’m an Asian. I’m so interested excited to work for them. I’ve replied to him he ask me to send money to process the documents. I’m just worried if it’s a kind of cheat. Can I believe him?

2. Is it possible to get work permit Visa within a period of 4 working days?

Thank you for your opinions.

By: Diana

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Having a child is job in itself but what do you do when you need to find daycare so that you can get back to work? This can be a challenging task especially if you are a new parent and you’re not sure what to look for in a day care. Thankfully, there are resources that give you the info and knowledge you need to make an educated choice in daycare for your child.

The first thing you will want to do is make a list of what you want in a daycare such as small and private or do you want your child around a wide variety of children. The type of daycare you want will depend on the age of the child. Many times, you can find daycare for school aged children right at their school. This makes it very convenient for parents as well as kids as they can stay with their friends from class after school and you do not have to go get them from school to get them to the daycare.

If you have a baby then you will want to look for infant daycare. Not all daycare offer in fact care so you will have to look around to see what your options are. You should check the amount of infants they have to the amount of staff they have taking care of the infants. You do not want your child overlooked. It is a good idea to pop in and visit a daycare unannounced at different times during the day so you can see what they do and how they are handling things.

Other factors to consider when trying to find daycare facilities is the price as well as credentials of the daycare and its employees. You want to check to see if they are competitive with other daycares and if they are too cheap, you will want to know why are they so cheap. If you have more than one child, you should also ask what types of discounts they give for multiple children as this can save you money. Check to see if they do referral discounts as well and check around with your friends to see what daycare they are using or have used. Word of mouth is usually a top decision factor.

Look around the facility and see if they are clean and everything is up to code. Remember that your child will be spending a large portion of the day here so you want your child to be safe and well taken care of. Finding daycare is not as hard as you think it is if you just know a few things to watch out for when doing your search. Don’t forget to check out private daycares as well as daycare facilities. Sometimes you can get a more personal touch from private vs. public if you have a child that needs special care.

By: Demetrius Riggs

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Home security has quickly become one of the most common concerns for homeowners everywhere. Many people are deciding that the best option for them is to hire a good home security company to provide them with their needs. However, finding the perfect company may take some time and effort.

The easiest way to research security companies is to use the internet. Researching on the internet takes a lot less time than other methods of research, and the amount of information you can find via the net is simply amazing. Once you decide which search engine you want to use, the rest of your research will be as equally as simple.

By running a search with the search engine of your choice, you will generate pages of results. The most popular places will often be listed on the first three pages. You should read the descriptions under the links on each page to see which websites may help you out most. You will be able to decide from the descriptions which links will be most beneficial to you in your search for information.

When you are trying to decide which home security company might meet your needs best, you should compare the services each company can provide. While the services these companies can provide may be very similar, the prices and packages can be different. It is important to comparative shop in order to get the best deal for your money.

In addition, there are websites that have actual customers review the services they have received. It is always good to see what someone else has to say about a company before you decide if they are right for you. Customer reviews can be one of the greatest tools you use in your decision making process.

Finally, if you have any questions, you should request that they be addressed. Any legit company will provide a way for you to contact them to ask them questions. If you cannot find a way to get a hold of the customer service department of a company, you may want to reconsider paying for their services.

Home security is a very important part of being a homeowner in this day and age. No one wants to see everything they have worked hard for get stolen. By doing some research on the internet, you should be able to find all the information you need to hire the company that is best for you and your individual home security needs.

By: Robert Adler

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