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A demographic mismatch has the parents of young children
scrambling for the services of teenage baby sitters. Thanks to a
decline in birthrates in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there are
fewer 13- to 17-year olds. At the same time, there are more babies,
toddlers and preschoolers.
All this means more competition for the services of
the teenagers who baby sit. But this doesn't mean that you should
lower your standards and hire any available kid out there. You're
still entrusting your children to a particular baby sitter, and
the onus is on you to make sure that the baby sitter is mature and
responsible enough to rise to the occasion.
So what to do? Word of mouth is a great way to find responsible
sitters in your neighborhood. Check with your friends and the mothers
of your children's friends and get some names and numbers. Teenagers
who have completed a Red Cross or other baby-sitting course are
good bets, as are those who have experience caring for younger siblings.
And don't overlook responsible boys. They bring a different dynamic
to the sitter-child relationship and can be especially good with
young children with lots of energy to burn.
Pay issues can be difficult, especially for parents who remember
sitting for $1 an hour and are shocked at rates that can approach
$10 an hour in large metro areas. It's best to discuss payment up
front so you're both comfortable with the arrangement. And a good
sitter is worth her or his weight in gold, so it is no use grousing
at the prevailing hourly rate, especially when everyone else is
paying that and more.
Before you leave the house, make sure your sitter knows where things
are and how to reach you. If they are supposed to feed your kids
dinner, leave something easy to prepare that your kids like and
make sure there are some snacks available for both the sitter and
kids.
While most parents leave some information for the sitter such as
bedtimes and contact information, there are frequently gaps in that
information, especially for a new sitter. A Columbia, S.C.-based
family online community site offers a very comprehensive baby
sitter checklist. You can type it up and leave it out for all
your sitters so you don't have to write a note every time you hire
one.
Realize that not all baby sitters are a good fit with your family.
Hang on to the ones who are, at least until the wonderful day that
your kids are old enough to stay by themselves.
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