Apryl Duncan, one of our About.com guides, came up with a wonderful idea of parents coming together in a co-op babysitting group where parents would watch each other's kids for free, thus saving money and never having to worry about scarmbling for a teenage sitter you may not know or trust.
You could have one person coordinating which parents will babysit your kids on a certain time or individual parents can work it out themselves but remember that a babysitting co-op is a two-way street. As many times as you request parents to watch your children, you need to be willing to return the favor or the whole operation will not work. This co-op idea not only is a cheap alternative to hiring a babysitter, it also can build relationships between couples and begin friendships that could last a lifetime.
I think we can always ask friends are relatives that have a little bit of childcare experience to lend us a helping hand. The hard part is its a bit embarrassing or a hassle to ask someone we know. Sometimes asking a favor is the hardest part of the job.
Saving money on child care could be great. But, why are we willing to spend money on child care? Parents, like the founder of Smart Start Sitters, realize that finding someone who will nurture and enhance your child the way you would is rare and hard to find. This is why Melody Rubie created Smart Start Sitters, training all her sitters to see the person within all children. This she explains in her article “The Person Within.”
Click here to read it: http://www.smartstartsitters.com/?page_id=223
Co-op babysitting groups is a great money saving tip.
This is a great idea