In the past 18 months that I’ve been a mom, I have never hired a babysitter. I have had my mom or sister come over on occasion, but they live a good thirty minutes away. Sometimes my husband watches the baby when he is home from work while I run errands. Hiring a babysitter is brand new for me!
When I first started babysitting, I was paid $3 an hour for watching a set of quadruplets! So I had major sticker shock the ONE DAY I hired a mother’s helper. I had a big cleaning project and wanted to work straight through the morning, while keeping the baby happy and away from the mess. My helper (a teenager from my church) came over for about four hours. Her mother dropped her off, and I drove her home. I paid her $40.
I can't afford a babysitter either. I have considered a co op but not sure many people can handle my kids. I have 1 with Autism and if you aren't careful things can blog up fast so we don't go out by ourselves.
I did the babysitting co op when my kids were younger. It was the only way we could afford to actually have a date occasionally!
Wow! Around here, the going rate is only $5-7 per hour. In our area, our YMCA occasionally offers drop in child care on Friday nights for a reasonable rate. There's also a local gymnastics academy that offers a similar service. They charge $20 for the first child, and $15 for the second. You can drop your child(ren) off anywhere between 6p-11p. Both of these places require that children be atleast 3 yrs old and potty trained. My husband and I also trade off babysitting with friends that have kids of a similar age. This has also worked out really well.
I am a going through my 2nd divorce right now so I have looked into this to find some "me" time in the evenings when the daycare is closed. My local YMCA that I am a member of has a Parent's Night Out on the last Friday of every month. It is from 4-9pm and costs $12 and they serve the kiddos pizza and juice. My youngest (3) can go have fun with other kids while I do something for me like go out to dinner with friends, get a haircut, etc. I like that there are multiple babysitters, they are background and drug checked and I trust them.
Since the economic downturn we have definitely felt "the pinch" and hiring babysitters is one of the first things we have cut back on. My husband and I sure do miss have more time to ourselves but its just not realistic at this point!
Yes, I trust my babysitter, she's 14 years old, She works for 20 dollars a night, It's not that expensive, When I was a babysitter I got 10 dolllars a night.
If you've got friends and/or family who are willing to sit, I'd go for it and provide them with some sort of token of gratitude. Babysitting fees definitely add up--$15-$20 per hour in my area. As the kids get older and more verbal, it gets easier to feel comfortable leaving them for a few hours and some couples time really helps when your kids are young!!