How to Find Reliable Childcare for Date Nights

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Being a mom  is a lot of hard work isn’t it? First, there are the physical attributes that comes with being pregnant and then having a baby. But after you have past those hurdles, then that’s where it gets really challenging. These little people depend and demand that you feed them, clothe them, change them, entertain them, transport them, minimally for at least 18 years.

 

Good luck with finding time for the occasional date night or mom’s night out, especially if you have young children. If you have parents or relatives that live nearby that can pitch in, then consider yourself blessed. For the rest of us, here are five resources to find reliable child care so you can invest sometime getting back into you.

Nanny Sitting/Baby Sitting Services

Services like Care.com and Sitter City make it their business to make sure families find reliable childcare. It’s like using a dating service but for childcare. Of course like anything else, you should still take every precaution to make sure you are making the best decision for you and your loved ones by taking advantage of background checks, references and recommendations if you can.

If “live in” help is what your family needs,  Au Pair in America has been doing just that for the last 25 years. Your family will be able to host a live-in child care professional from another country with child care at your disposal as much as you need it. A close friend of mine is using a similar service and has had great success.

Child’s School

If your children already attend a preschool or daycare, you could ask about “after hours care”.  Even if there isn’t an established after hours care serivce, sometimes teachers or aids will make themselves available to families in a pinch. The benefit is, you and your child already know these folks and they know you.

Church

If you are already a member of a church, the church nursery and Sunday school class should be at the top of your list. There is a great possibility that the folks in those ministries have already come into contact with your children and have even worked with them. Even if you don’t know someone directly, it is quite easy to ask other trusted church members for childcare recommendations and use those recommendations as leads in securing the child care that you need.

Friends

Friends are great resources to tap into for reliable childcare. You already know them, their families and their character. Start a babysitting sitting swapping arrangement where you babysit for them and they do the same for you. This has the possibility to be a great win, win for everyone involved.

Shared Childcare

If your friends already have a reliable and trustworthy nanny or sitter, they may be willing to share their golden resource with you. This can get a little sticky if both sets of parents need the sitter on the same night. But really, everyone can benefit. You can get a night out with access to a reliable sitter, the sitter can make a few extra bucks and your friend will feel good that they were able to help you out. Another option is that you and a friend can occasionally pool the children together at one home and split the cost of the sitter.

So if time alone or with your spouse has been pretty slim pickings lately, do something about it! Start working on a plan to get reliable childcare in place with people that you can trust. Don’t rush. Like everything else in life, the process will take time, but it will reward you with time too. But this time…is time earned and time well spent.

 

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