Why can't I find a nanny/ babysitter???? HELP!!

amother

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 4:35 pm

I have never worked out of the house full time. Starting next week I will be! And we are talking crazy hours.

I need a babysitter on Sundays, mornings from 7am-9am, and evenings from 3:30-7:30. Plus once a week until 11pm!!

I have tried sittercity.com. two nannys cancelled thier interviews last minute due to illness. I dont know if they will be better by the time I need someone to start!

What are my other options? I am in Flushing, NY.

I dont know anyone that is looking to share their sitter!

Please help me! Finally I want to be out of the house working full time. Finally I'll be doing something I love. But I need my children cared for. I no longer want an excuse to stay home. I WANT TO WORK, and I have already accepted the job. What do I do???

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 5:27 pm

I also think you aren't getting that many candidates because of the hours. It sounds a bit too much to ask one person to do all those hours, esp Sundays and late night (and be back 7am the following morning?)

May I suggest trying to find someone to cover core hours (7-9am and 3:30-7;30pm), which don't seem unreasonable. Hopefully it would give enough hours and still leave time in the middle of the day.

Then you need to find someone to cover Sundays (is that allday?) and just a babysitter once a week.

I usually use web-based nannysearch database, some for fee. Gumtree may work though it generally attracts younger/less experienced types.

self-actualization

Wed, Jul 24 2013, 11:48 am

It sounds like you are trying to penny pinch by sending your child to a camp or daycare during the day and only wanting to hire a babysitter for the hours that your child is not in camp. This is a classic blunder and leads to a lot of frustration.

I would suggest taking your child out of camp if he/she is young enough, and getting a good babysitter full time who will take your child to the park (because I am assuming that you can't pay for both a full time babysitter and camp). That being said, 7-7:30 is a VERY long time for a babysitter to be working (I have had babysitters for many years that work 11 hour shifts and I thought I was REALLY pushing it).

Next suggestion - your husband watches your child/children in the morning and takes them to camp, and you get a babysitter for the afternoon hours. You might be able to find someone just for the afternoon, and save money that way. But what about the 54 working days that your child (or children) will not have camp or school (including: 1 week between school and camp, 2 weeks between camp and school, pre-holidays, Chol Hamoed, winter vacation, etc)? People who go down this road are always agonizing over those days.

So in conclusion, I would say: be prepared to pay about $450 per week, and hire a full time babysitter from 8:30-7:30 (if you can delay the start time until 8:30) or 8-7, or some other 11 hour day combination. You can call Avi Hakimian who runs the Avihak nanny agency in Queens, NY (I don't have the number offhand) and he will give you the lowdown on the babysitter situation.

[THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION AND OTHER PEOPLE FEEL DIFFERENTLY] In line with many of my prior posts, it is still worth it to go to work even if ALL of your money goes to the babysitter, if a) you will eventually advance or b) you need to get out for your sanity. Additionally, in about 10 years or so your babysitter years will end and you will be left with money, experience, and a sharp brain. Other people may have differing opinions but this has worked for me B"H (in my first job I paid all the money to a babysitter).