Hellobee Boards

Only family members at this point because they are readily available but I'd also have no problem with a good friend. When LO is older if be ok with an experienced sitter with personal references (I.e., a friend used them and had glowing review).

Your last option made me lol. So far we have only left LO with my parents.

No advice. We haven't been out on very many date nights since the kids were born. When we've gone, our parents (or my brother) have watched the kids. We more often do day dates and take the day off from work to do something while the kids are in daycare. Our daycare also offers date nights where they'll stay open late for parents to go out. Never hired a babysitter...

Well.. We moved away from family 5 years ago for a job opportunity. All our family lives in our home town, 3 hours away. They come visit often but we feel guilty saying oh thanks for coming, watch our kid!!! So we don't do it ever really. We had a really shitty anniversary dinner, (DS was bad, I was still recovering from an MC) so I text my mom as we left the restaurant and asked if she could watch our son for an evening the next time she came up. That was a couple weeks ago. Before that... At Christmas time we were staying at my moms and after we put DS to bed and went out for a drink. Before that... My mom again watched him while we went out for dinner when he was like 2 months old.

Basically... We don't get out much!! I don't trust a random baby sitter to put him to bed. I have friends I would trust, but they have kids too and I feel bad asking. One time once DS was in bed we went to a friends house and another friends step son sat at the house. He is 16 and quite responsible. Basically he did homework and watched Netflix and was told to call us if our son woke up, which he didn't.

We are going to a wedding tomorrow night and my BFF is watching my son at my moms house for us. She doesn't have kids but loves him so I'm sure they will survive!!

I think the best way to find someone is to ask mom friends. It was nice having my friends step son come over, he has a baby sister. Another friend works at a high school and has asked kids she thinks seem really responsible.

I voted only family for the poll.

MIL watches them the most. SIL/BIL and my friend have done it a couple times.

@Mae: our families live 8 hours away so we don't have luxury of family babysitting. We used care.com and also some high school students to watch our kids. They are still alive LOL and I have no issues using a sitter that is not family or friend.

Usually my in-laws or sister in law. If our old nanny is home from school we will use her. One of my sisters friends from home growing up lives nearby, so we have used her as well. We found our first nanny on care.com and I would use them again if I needed to find an occasional sitter. My local moms Facebook group is a good resource for recommendations as well.

Only family members, at this point. We've gotten many kind offers from close friends and post-college aged people from church, but haven't had the need to leave the kids with anyone but family yet.

Family only so far but we have a few close friends who I'd have no problem watching them.

We have so far only used family because all of our similarly-aged siblings happen to live in the same town as us. We usually just put DS to bed (he goes to bed super early so I don't think I'd have anyone else put him to bed right now) and they just sit in the house while he sleeps.

If we needed a baby-sitter otherwise, I'd probably get recommendations from our neighborhood listserv or use the "baby-sitting book" at one of the local colleges. We could also ask our nanny but I try not to infringe on her free time. We did find our nanny on care.com and she's been great so I'd totally suggest that as a possibility!

Friends of mine have also found baby-sitters at their local church and lifeguards from their neighborhood pool.

@Mae: Agree with you... I def am not comfortable with stranger yet, esp since DD doesn't STTN and often fusses at least once before midnight. I'd only ask the grandparents!

Only my mom, sister, or in laws have watched the boys. I do have a 15 year old niece that has watched them during the day for a short period. I would use some of her friends as babysitters too, especially now that the boys aren't babies anymore. My older son won't go to bed easily for anyone so his bedtime is usually around midnight the past few times he's stayed at my sister's house.

Eta: I wouldn't feel comfortable with a total stranger watching my kids. Even using care.com with referrals and background checks. The teens I would use I have known since they were around 5 and have been like my own nieces.

@Mae: my dad was navy and we moved every 3 years so no family around. We would get babysitters from high school kids on base.

So far only our parents have watched M.

Our babysitters have been:
- my parents (they live close and offer to babysit a lot)
- our nanny
- cousin of a friend (teacher in her early 20s)
- our friend's nanny

I would hire a babysitter that we didn't know if they had a strong recommendation from someone we trusted.

A lot of friends find their babysitters through other moms or they see if the daycare teacher or childcare worker at the gym babysits on the side.

Date nights are really important for mariatal happiness. A friend says "a babysitter is a lot cheaper than a marriage counselor, and I think there is a lot of truth to that statement).

Maybe this is regional? I live in a city and we use babysitters all the time and so do all of our friends! I obviously feel more comfortable the more times someone has come to watch our kids, but for special occasions (engagements, milestone birthdays, out of town visitors) we have very often used baby sitters we have never met! Most always they have a connection like a friend's nanny, students of teacher friends, neighbor's niece, coworker's husbands daughter, nanny's friend etc.

We were fortunate to have family nearby for LO's first 18 months so we had family watch her. On a few occasions we had babysitters but they were either friends (we have friends that are a little younger than us and still single) or recommended by friends.

We're having a bit of a hard time starting over in our new city but I would be okay leaving LO with a "stranger" that was recommended by someone we trusted. I guess I go off my gut feeling on people!

I said only family but we did use a neighbors college age daughter a couple of times, but my 10 yr old stepdaughter was there too and I felt more comfortable because she knew LOs routine and where everything was plus she could let us know if anything weird went on. She has since gotten a real job and moved out on her own so no longer an option.

Only family members so far, but I have a couple of very close friends who I would trust with DD (5 months). The reality is, I'm not overly comfortable with ANYONE looking after her but the few times over had to be out, I've left her with my mom, sister or MiL.

@yoursilverlining: agreed adult time is very important!