introducing babysitters

[leaveit2beeker]

Ds has never had anyone watch him other than his grandma and grandpa and I can count those occasions on two hands. (Ds just turned two.) It's been recommended by our couples counselor that we get a babysitter for regular and frequent (3x a month, 2x at the least) date nights, if possible. We simply cannot rely on dp's mom and dad to do this for us. Has anyone introduced a non-family babysitter after 2 years old? How often is your LO watched by the sitter? Any other info you'd like to share would also be helpful, like if the sitter only comes to your home or if you allow the sitter to run errands with your LO.

TIA!

[MissMommyNiceNice]

We use a neighbor girl in the summer time when she's off school. DS loves her. She started when she was about 13 and he was 1 1/2. I had her come over & play with DS for a couple hours while I tried to do things around the house (internet, projects, etc). She would play with him & take him to park. After that went well for a few times, I started leaving him with her for 2-3 hours at a time while I left the house. Her grandparents live 2 doors away, so i felt comfortable an adult would be near in case of emergency.

Honestly, you're probably more worried about it than you LO will be. Most likely, babysitter will become DS's favorite new friend and mommy & daddy will cease to exists while babysitter is near.

Alternatively, we also use a neighbor friend who has a boy around DS's age, so it's more like a play date than anything else.

[gbailey]

The young lady who watches DD has watched her twice already. We had her come over when I was home so DD could get acquainted witih her. If I remember correctly, the first time I just went into the bedroom but kept popping in. The second time I stayed in the bedroom and then went to a local store. It was enough time for me to know DD really likes her. Since then she's sat with DD twice. DD has a new buddy to play with. She's very hands on with her. No sticking her in front of the tv but singing to her, reading and playing with her toys. We were fortunate that it turned out to be a good match. Things will work out for you too

[justthinkn]

One "trick" that has helped us in the past, besides letting the LO play with the sitter with you there a time or two, is putting a photo of the sitter in a little book so you can talk about her together in-between babysitting times - keep the memory fresh

[Rowansmama]

I recently found a fantastic sitter for my 2 year old. She's Montessori trained and I just got a wonderful vibe from her when I met with her. It's the first non-family person I've had to look after my daughter.

The first time she came over for me to interview her, she sat down with my daughter and read stories, talked with her, and just got to know her. DD took to her right away, which made me very comfortable.

Then the next time she came to actually sit for me, I had her come to the house about an hour before DD went to bed just to hang out with her. I didn't want my daughter to wake up while we were gone and be surprised that there was someone else there.

The third time she came, I had her put DD to bed while we were still in the house. There were no issues and everything went smoothly.

So now I feel totally confident about having the sitter do all the bedtime routine stuff, and know my daughter is comfortable with her. In fact, I'm hoping she'll become more of full time sitter when I go back to work after this next baby. We've never been in the situation where she had to take DD anywhere (errands, etc) but I'd feel totally comfortable with it.

We usually go out about 3 or 4 times a month for up to 4 hours. I can't really afford any more since we pay her $10 an hour. She only asks for $8, but I give her $10 because she's worth it!

I'm sure you'll find someone that works well for you. And like the PP said, you're probably more concerned about it than your little one will be. Most toddlers take to anyone new who gives them undivided attention and plays with them. Good luck!