Babysitters. It's war.

This is something that can be a huge source of controversy for people. Trust me. I’ve caused it myself. Good babysitter’s are often hard to find. And when you do, you have to be wary about who you rave to about them. Or you may well find the babysitter unavailable next time you call, because your best friend has poached them off you ;)

As a former teacher I was lucky in that some of my old students ended up becoming my offspring’s babysitter. It was brilliant that on the rare occasion I could get a hair appointment, or if I needed to go to the dentist, I could leave them safe in the knowledge that at the very least these were people I knew well.

I’d chat through with them what I needed them to do. Which included but was not limited to keeping my offspring alive while I was away. I needed the babysitter to play with the offspring and pop them down for naps if they were scheduled for one. And the last two were feeding them if required and the ability to change a nappy.

The last bit was the most stressful for me and probably for the poor babysitter. I always tried to ensure my kids were freshly changed before I headed out the door, but felt so guilty at the thought that this poor person would have to change a smelly nappy. Because as you know, there are few things scarier than changing the nappy of a child who is not yours. Or maybe that’s just me?

But what do you do when you can’t find a babysitter the way I did? My sister in law who recently moved cities tried a few ways. She contacted the local university and got a flyer put up. Then she interviewed a few students and observed them playing with the children. That gave her a good feel for what they were like with her three little ones.

My friend Gillian swears by word of mouth recommendation which leads me back to my original point that if you have a good babysitter it is important to keep them under wraps. I learned this lesson the hard way, that if you overshare your joy about a great babysitter you can often lose them!

How did you find a babysitter? What did you get them to do?