Looking for more advice...
It's probabaly too soon to go down this route (AJ is still <2 months old), but I'm looking for some advice on hiring a babysitter. Here are the questions:
- How old does AJ need to be to hire a sitter?
- What is the going hourly rate for a babysitter?
- Is there any prep work to be done prior to hiring a sitter?
Some context: We would be looking to hire a babysitter to allow us to get out at night once in a while. So we would be looking to hire a sitter to let us get out from 7-10 or 8-11PM on a Friday or Saturday night. The next door neighbors have a daughter who turned 16 and have offered her up for babysitting service when the time is right. I think she has little to no experience, so we would probably need to have her over a time or 2 to teach her the basics....
Thoughts?
3 comments:
Hmm...I don't have any great advice here. I think it would be so hard to leave the baby this early!
I think it would be a really great idea to have the next door neighbor girl over and just ask her how she'd react to certain situations...before she was in charge of AJ. Like, what would you do if the baby started crying? Do you know how to change a diaper? Do you know how to heat a bottle? That type of stuff. That way you can gauge her knowledge.
One plus side to having the next door neighbor girl doing the baby sitting is that her mom will probably be home in case she has any major problems. it is nice to have a fallback if she needs one.
Good luck!
I'd start by having the 16 year old come and watch the baby while you are home. (for an hour or two) that way you can see for yourself how she does with diapers, crying, bottles - whatever AJ can throw at her! :) Then, I'd make sure that her mom or dad was home when you decide to make the big break out of the house. (just in case, it's a great safety net)Leaving for dinner and/or a movie should give her some time to get confident with AJ, and you and your wife some much needed downtime. Good luck with it. It's hard to leave the baby the first 100 times or so. :)
I'd definitely say go for the neighbors kid, there is a big plus there. Talk to her parents and ask if they would be home the first time she watches AJ alone, that way if anything were to happen, there are responsible adults right there! Plus have her over one or two saturdays so that AJ gets used to her, while say you are cleaning up around the house, working in the yard or even just a short time while one or both of you run to the grocery store. This will build your confidence in her, or let you know that she is not cut out for the job. As for the going rate, you'll def have to pay her if she comes over while you are there but I'd say at least half of what you'd pay her normally. I'd say $8-$10 an hour when you are gone and $4-$5 an hour when you are there...just some thoughts.
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