How to Find a Babysitter Near Me?

Find yourself googling “find a babysitter near me” more frequently lately? Whether you need someone to care for your newborn on a regular basis when you go back to work, or simply want someone to watch the kids on date night, looking for a sitter can be difficult. It takes time, energy, and good old-fashioned trial and error. In addition, COVID-19 considerations now make the process even more complicated.

However, there are plenty of ways to fast-track the process and find local sitters who meet your needs. These are some of the most common methods to consider.

Ask for Babysitter Recommendations From Family and Friends

Your close friends and family members are some of the best people to turn to for sitter suggestions. After all, like you, they have your kids’ best interests at heart. They are already aware of what your children need, including any special considerations or needs that they may have.

In some cases, they may even be willing to do the babysitting themselves. With this arrangement, you can usually rest assured knowing your kids are in good, loving hands. Friends and family may be also easier to contact than a professional babysitter and can help you cut down childcare costs too. However, before you hire a family member or friend for your childcare needs, there are some potential disadvantages that you will need to weigh in on:

• Your parenting style may be different from theirs, and you can’t instruct them the way you would a babysitter. Meaning, they may bend or break the rules you’ve already set up for your kids.
• If you have certain responsibilities you expect your family member or friend to shoulder but they prove unable to perform them, you may find it hard to fire them.
• Your friends and family members might not have technical skills like first aid and CPR.

In most cases, these concerns are easy to resolve or prevent. However, they’re still worth considering before you ask your parents, siblings, or friends to watch your kid. If it doesn’t work out, you can always just hire the sitters they recommended. Just make sure to perform the necessary background checks and assessments so you can verify their qualifications.

Open the Position to Babysitters in Your Neighborhood

If your “find a babysitter near me” search is still coming up empty after recommendations from your social circle, it may be time to cast a wider net. For instance, consider tapping into the network of parents in your neighborhood. After all, they probably already have a pool of regular babysitters in rotation. Ask neighborhood parents for referrals or arrange a nanny to share with them. (The latter can be a particularly good option for older children, especially for after-school care.)

Should you choose to take your search a step further, you can also hit local neighborhood advertisement spots or check community publications for any babysitters looking for jobs. On the flip side, you can also choose to post your own babysitting job ads so prospects can get in touch with you. For this, you may want to consider the following places to post:

• Home Owners’ Association Newsletters
• Community Website or Social Media Page
• Local Recreation Park
• Community Center
• Neighborhood Churches

Once the applicants start rolling in, you will need to evaluate your candidates. Make sure you have a concrete idea of the responsibilities you expect your sitter to shoulder so it’s easier to determine whether a candidate can meet your needs. You should know whether or not a babysitter is qualified to provide the childcare you need before you hire them.

Join Parent Groups and Trusted Community Organizations

The beauty of today’s digitally connected world is that we can easily get in touch with other people no matter where they live. Meaning, if your family members or neighbors are hesitant about sharing their go-to babysitters with you, you can always try joining online parent communities and seek help there.

Try joining a mommy-and-me class or a parent support group to widen your network. Alternatively, you can actively participate in your local church’s ministry or your school’s parent-teacher association.

Connecting via social media is also a great option. Social media platforms are teeming with groups dedicated to parents. You can definitely find an answer to that stubborn “babysitter near me” question online—and get leads on trusted babysitter service providers. Who knows? You might even find fellow parents who live nearby and are willing to do a “nanny-share” with you.

The only caveat here is that you will be dealing with strangers, at least to start. So make sure to do your due diligence. For starters, learn how to conduct a background check on your babysitting candidates. This way, you can verify the identity and credentials of your applicants and ensure that they truly have experience caring for kids.

Use Call Emmy to Hire Vetted Babysitters Near You

When it comes to your little ones, settling for a so so babysitter is not an option. It makes sense to get recommendations from friends, loved ones, and fellow parents who think the same way you do. However, as a modern parent balancing your career and home life, you may not have the time to gather these recommendations and evaluate candidates.

To speed up and simplify the process, try out a babysitter app like Call Emmy. Created to ease the childcare frustrations of parents across the U.S., Call Emmy offers a network of on-demand sitters and nannies spanning most metro areas across the country. A simple sign-up process and ZIP code search will show you all available babysitters in your area, along with qualifications and reviews. Should you have unique preferences, filter results for specialized childcare options.

Call Emmy runs extensive background checks and assessment tests for all childcare professionals in the network. This means you can rest assured that the sitters you hire are fully vetted and have the qualifications necessary to provide the best possible care.With Call Emmy at your disposal, you’ll never have to cross your fingers and hang your hopes on “find a babysitter near me” search results again. Sign up today!