Figuring out reliable childcare is one of the most challenging part for working moms. There are many instances where your designated child care provider can bail out at the last minute.
It could be your friend or family or a nanny who has an emergency and can’t babysit your child. Also, it could be that you just moved into a new city or location and want an emergency childcare option fast.
Such situations leaves you agitated and desperate for finding baby sitter immediately. But where do you start?
Where and how do you find last-minute babysitters?
Which are the fastest channel to find nannies and babysitters urgently?
Where and how do you find babysitters in a new city or area?
Fast & Easy Ways of Finding Babysitter/Nanny Urgently
1. Check Nanny Websites/ Online Agents
There are excellent internet sites that connect parents with caregivers and help them find urgent care easily. It is very convenient especially if you are looking for a caregiver who can show up as a matter of urgency and you do not have much time to seeking referrals from other people.
The most popular online websites for finding nannies and baby sitters include care.com, sittercity.com, urbansitter.com, indeed.com, and craiglist.com among others. All these care giver websites are equally effective in connecting you to a care giver quickly within short notice.
However the trick to finding a last-minute babysitter on these websites is going through the care provider listings and contacting possible matches to see if they are available. By directly making contact you can get a nanny or a babysitter within a few hours or within the same day
A standard process of posting an ad on this site to connect with a nanny or baby sitter will probably take you a while and you may not get a care giver urgently.
Read a review of sitterycity.com
2. Word Of Mouth – Ask Friends, Family, Neighbors etc..
Parents have been relying on word of mouth to find nannies and babysitters for ages now. Even with the advent of technology and the internet, the medium still retains its glory. And the good thing is that the word can spread fast, connecting you to a nanny or a babysitter in short notice within same day.
However looking and getting a care giver will be easier and faster when you have an extensive connection with friends, family, and colleagues. Just randomly mention that you are urgently looking for a nanny and if they happen to know one. You will easily just find some to report to work same day.
3. Post on Social Media for Wider Reach
Social media does more than its share of allowing people to connect and share their social life. By its ability to instantly and conveniently connect people, you can capitalize on it to find babysitters last-minute when you urgently need.
There are many amazing Facebook groups where you can post your ad or go through listed profiles of babysitters to find one available on short notice. You can simply post on your profile that you are looking for a baby sitter and have available baby sitters contact you. Alternatively you can post within groups or on pages for these local nannies and baby sitters.
4. Enquire from Local Agencies
Local agencies are also resourceful in finding last-minute childcare. They are one of the most common and fastest way of getting a nanny or care giver within short notice because they often have people waiting. Child care agencies maintain a database of nannies and babysitters, which you are likely to find helpful because most are waiting to be connected.
If your area has a local agency, call and check them out, and they might have the perfect person to babysit your child on short notice. In fact you can get a care giver within one hour or two of contacting them.
Ask around which agency is more popular and start there. you are more likely to to a care giver if you ask from the most popular agency because it has the most availed caregivers ready to be employed.
5. Request Mom Friends to Help
Mom friends are very beneficial to have as a working parent. In addition to connecting moms for support and play dates for their kids, they are also helpful in finding childcare, especially urgently on short notice.
Mom friends can help one by giving you referrals of babysitters who are possibly available last minute. If you share this with your om friends you can get a new care giver within same day.
Alternatively, the moms in the friend’s circle can offer to babysit your child. Also, you can find moms who are willing to take in your child for a nanny to share with their kid on short notice.
Find out how to make and keep moms friends here
Rates for Short Notice Nannies
Nannies or baby sitters who are called in within short notice tend to charge a higher rate than those who are given adequate time and notice to report to work. The additional charge is reasonable to compensate for the inconvenience that the nanny may have incurred to report to your home.
Further care givers available for hire on short notice are few and hence the demand versus the availability has raised the charges these caregivers will charge you.
However if your nanny will be hired for a longer period, there may be a need to adjust the rates after the nanny has settled.
Also some nannies may not charge a different rate even when they are called in within short notice. However it is important that you discuss the rates before the new baby sitter reports for work.
How to Get a Babysitter/Nanny is New Area/City
1. Check Online Nanny Hiring Services
If you moved to a new area, find out which caregiver site is popular there. The quality of nannies or babysitters you find depends on the number of users it attracts. You are probably successful if you use the most popular service in that area.
Examples include care.com, sittercity.com, urbansitter.com, indeed.com, and craiglist.com. All are equally good in helping you find an urgent baby sitter or nanny. It will be very helpful to you because you just moved and hence barely knows no one.
Since you are limited by the other options, online websites are very helpful in finding care givers easily and conveniently. Go through the normal process of posting for an ad on this site and take time to do a background check on the babysitters before you can hire someone.
2. Ask for Local Referrals
Just like in business, referrals in caregiving works great too. If you are looking for a babysitter or a nanny in a new town that you just moved to, ask for referrals around that area. You are likely to get credible and quality caregivers this way.
People are unlikely to refer nannies and babysitters to whom they were not happy with. In a new city, such recommendations from people who already live in the area are beneficial. Therefore count this as a very effective and easy way of finding nannies and babysitters fast in a new area.
3. Post on Social Media
Social media will allow you to connect with people worldwide, wherever you move to. Even when you move to a new area or city, you can capitalize on it to find nannies and babysitters when you need them.
Because you are in a new area and urgently looking for a babysitter or nanny, you may need to post into the local groups of the area you have moved into. Just join local social media groups such as Facebook groups. You will also find many reviews and recommendations on caregivers and agencies to use.
4. Get Nanny from Local Hiring Agencies
Local agencies are also resourceful in finding childcare in a new city . Because you are new to an area, you may lack referrals for a nanny or babysitter, but you can use the local agency. If the new area you have moved to has a local agency, check out what potential nannies and babysitters they have and see if there is a match.
Child care agencies maintain a database of nannies and babysitters, which you are likely to find helpful to get a nanny or baby sitter. If they do not have some one who is ready you can have them look for someone who is a specific match to your needs. The process may however take a longer time for you to connect with the right caregiver fit.
5. Ask New Mom Friends for Help
Mom friends are very beneficial to have as a working parent. It is better to get personal recommendations, so I would recommend networking immediately after you move. Being in a new area, you need to immediately join one as they will come in handy in helping you find an urgent nanny or babysitter.
They are one of easiest ways to access help in form of baby sitting after you have moved. They can give you referrals of babysitters that are likely to match your needs or offer to babysit your child before you figure out a long-term plan, or they can take in your child for a nanny share with their kid on short notice.
Find out how to make and keep moms friends here
6. Find Nanny from Local Universities/Colleges
You can easily get some one to baby sit your baby after you have relocated by asking the local students. Many students are willing to nanny or babysit, especially at an affordable rate. Many community colleges offer child development classes with students going for a degree in that area who are likely available for babysitting within a few hours.
If you are having difficulties finding a babysitter or a nanny in your new town, make a call to the university or college and ask if they have students who offer nanny or babysitting services—especially students who are on ECD or childcare-related programs.
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