Remember the Baby-Sitters Club series, the quintessential young-adult books about the teenage girls who all sit at someone’s house in Connecticut every week, waiting for the phone to ring with parents looking to book babysitters? There was Kristy, the responsible one, Stacey, the cool one who for some reason had diabetes, Mary Anne, the quiet one … Why do I remember so much about these books?
My point is, what I wouldn’t give to call the Baby-Sitters Club right now and hire one of them to take care of my kid. Because man, is it ever difficult to find a good babysitter.
There are a whole bunch of reasons why finding a babysitter is so hard. To name a few: 1) Parents care a whole lot about their babies, so they have very high standards for who’s taking care of them, 2) There are only so many experienced, qualified, nice-to-be-around, trustworthy babysitters out there, and 3) A lot of people who are experienced, qualified, nice-to-be-around, trustworthy babysitters already have a job, whether it’s as a nanny or in an unrelated field. And then there’s the whole macro-level economic situation going on right now, in late 2021: The labor shortage. Everywhere is hiring, and there aren’t enough workers looking for jobs.
I’m getting ready to head back to work after maternity leave number two. I’m one of the lucky ones, with nearly five full months of 100% paid maternity leave (for each baby) and I’m forever grateful for that. But now that I’m heading back to work in five short weeks, I’m feeling the stress. My husband and I need to find someone to care for our baby girl, and we need to do it quick.
Miles goes to daycare, but I’m just not feeling ready to send my little baby girl out of the house to sit in a room with several other infants. Something about that doesn’t feel quite right to me, although I know that is the right solution for a lot of families. I think it’s because I’m going to be working from home and it’ll be nice for me to share the same space as my baby, even if I’m not actively interacting with her while I’m working. So because we’re not planning to send Linnea to daycare and we don’t have help from family, we need to find a nanny.
So … how DO you find a nanny?
When we tried to find a nanny for Miles after several months of maternity leave and several more months of babysitting help from my cousin, it didn’t go so well. We hired one gal who quit after two weeks, making me feel like A) I was somehow inadequate or unlikeable, B) My child was somehow inadequate or unlikeable, or C) All of the above. Then we hired another gal who seemed GREAT – we were really excited about her. But when I checked her references and did a cursory background check, I figured out that she was lying about her references and her work experience. So in the end, we sent Miles to daycare. And honestly, it has been great for him. He likes his teachers, he enjoys the other kids and he’s kept busy with activities all day. That all worked out the way it was supposed to.
Because of our lack of luck finding a nanny the first time around, I’m feeling a little pessimistic this time. Is there anyone out there who meets our specifications, falls into our price range, lives in the area, and who we generally trust and click with? Hopefully there is, but maybe there’s just … not.
I’m posting an ad on Care.com and starting to ask around today. Maybe I should start by turning my pessimistic attitude around. I will find a wonderful nanny, I will find a wonderful nanny, I will find a wonderful nanny …
And if I don’t find one soon, does someone have Kristy’s phone number?