I am looking for a Sitter and i am torn.?

okay so the deal is i am about to go back to work and I dont want to send my 5 month old daughter to daycare so i am looking for a sitter.... here is the dilemma. A friend of mine that i just ran into ((i havent talked to her in 3 years)) said that she can keep her but she just had a baby herself that was a EXTREME preemie ((a 24 weeker)) or i have her grandma ((her dads mom)) that is watching 4 babies under the age of 3 ((with lily she would be watching 5!)) and there is a particular little boy that is 1 1/2 that she watches and he is rotten and i dont want him to hurt my baby... also i dont know if she can give my daughter the attention she needs and watch all the other kids at the same time... what do you think?








**I am a REALLY attached parent so this is REALLY hard for me**

I am looking for a Sitter and i am torn.?
If you are concerned about the amount of attention your child will recieve at the babysitters, then you should probably consider a new babsitter. I mean, you if have to constantly worry about your child, it'll affect your work and probably your home life too. Find someone who you are 100% comfortable with. It's better to hurt grandma's feelings a little bit then to look back 3 months from now (if something happens) and wish that you'd made a different decison.





Have you gone to a nanny website, or to a sitter site? Sometimes you can find the perfect, caring person to watch your baby on websites like those. I've used Craigslist before, it's pretty good. You can post an ad for your area and then interview all of the people who respond (who's emails you liked) and see how they interact with your daughter.





Also, have you considered a college student? Most colleges let you post on the bulliten boards, and you could find a child care major, or pediatric nursing major, an early childhood education major, or an early childhood development major to sit your baby. I know you're probably cringing right now, at the thought of trusting your child to a college kid, but it's a really good idea. I'm majoring in Early Childhood Education, and I plan to work in an infant or toddler room in a daycare, so every summer I get a job where I care for small children while their parents work. If you pay well (better than McDonalds, say), then there will be plenty of students willing to take night courses when promised a full time, steady daytime job. These kids want the extra experience, and they could even list on their resume when they're trying to find a job after they graduate, so I think it's worth considering.





Anyway, I hope I was helpful, and I hope that you find your dream sitter!
Reply:I would not suggest Grandma. Although by your description it already sounds like you're opposed to that anyway. (Read it back to yourself and you'll see what I mean.)





If your friend has a "24 weeker" how is she gonna feel if God forbid your daughter gets sick?! Is she going to want her there with them since the risk to her baby is so great?





You probably don't live close to me otherwise I'd watch her. We just found out I can't have anymore kids.





You may just have to look elsewhere to find something that will really suit you rather than what is just convenient at the moment. Good Luck!
Reply:personally i would do a mix maybe your friend can watch her two days one week and grandma can watch her three days then the next week you switch. i personally just can't see myself sending my child to a strangers home. they could be one way to your face and a nightmare behind your back and you would never know because your baby is not old enough to talk. my sister-in-law is a single parent and she has to work (obviously) anyways she called around every week and finds friends and family to babysit for the days she has to work. every tuesday a certain grandma watches her then saturdays someone else and fridays her mom. the rest she finds people for. she's been doing it for 7 months and so far she has never had to take a day off because she couldn't find someone.
Reply:It is a really tough call. I think the smaller ratio of sitter to babies the better. I can't imagine keeping 5 babies. Perhaps you ought to look for other at home sitters that have a smaller number of kids My son started daycare 2 months ago when I went back to work and I ended up deciding to go with a center. They were CPR trained, SIDS trained, and shaken baby syndrome trained. They have no more than 4 babies per adult (state law). They also have longer hours (6am to 6pm) which works for days I have to go in early or late. I wonder sometimes though if I should have gone with a home daycare person because he wouldn't be exposed to as many germs as at the center. He has had 3 ear infections in the 2 months since he started. I had friends that used at home care that had problems with the sitter getting sick or wanting a day off and they had no one to watch the baby. Just do what you feel most comfortable with and then if it doesn't work you can always look for other options. Talk to other working moms and see if they have any recommendations.



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