Free Babysitting!

The words "Free Babysitting" are strong enough to move almost any parent into action. Personally, I equate free babysitting with gold or some other precious commodity. Whether it is having the time for a date with my husband, a chance to go to the store by myself or simply getting to work, the need for childcare is the common denominator. In the early years of parenting I relied solely upon my parents and in-laws to provide care on an as-needed basis. Usually I tried to limit my calls for help to once/month for the truly necessary outings on the calendar. This worked fine for a few years but I find that as life has become busier (another child, more hours at work, and less time with the husband) that the need for childcare has increased. Where I live the going rate for childcare/babysitting is $13-15/hour for one and upwards of $15-20/hour for two kids. Sure, you can find a junior high student who will most likely charge less. But even at $10/hour, who can afford to stay out all night? Or get in more than one date night per month??


I have also become a huge fan of bartering in my quest for living large with less. Last year I met a new friend in the neighborhood and we decided to trade babysitting with each other once/month. One weekend, for 3 hours, we watched their child and another weekend they returned the favor. We used the hours of 5-8pm so that bedtime routine would be saved for home. Over the summer another friend of mine asked if my husband and I could store her couch in our spacious basement. She offered to give us a gift or a meal as a thank you. I quickly told her that what we would love was a night of babysitting and she readily agreed. We babysat her couch while she babysat my kids. And most recently a work colleague and I began swapping childcare so that we can each go to work. We are simply helping each other on the weeks when our regularly scheduled family members are unavailable, one 6-hour stretch per month is more than manageable. Personally I love keeping my hard earned money in my pocket whenever possible. Obviously there are times when one needs to pay a sitter and there is no problem in that, it just helps the bottom line anytime you can barter and save money in turn. Please feel free to share any other creative babysitting/childcare solutions you may have tried. Happy babysitting!