Who said going out with your sweetie on a date night would never happen after having a baby? Well, I believe going out on a date night is a must to keep your relationship strong and friends are bound to invite you out to a special event. So, it’s definitely in your best interest to find a good babysitter if you don’t have mom or sis to help out. 

If you’re a new parent how do you find the best babysitter to take care of your child?  Itsabelly Baby Planners has helped many new families find babysitters and nannies. Here are some of our key tips to finding someone you’re comfortable with and trust with your child.

The American Red Cross does not provide certified babysitter referrals however parents have several options to locate a babysitter in their area:

1. One option is to locate the nearest Park and Recreation center and ask if parents can post a notice looking for sitter.
2. A second option is to take out a personal ad in the high school newspaper at the school located nearest you.  Check with the career counselor as parents can often place a notice on their job board.  Sometimes, this same option works well at the middle school level.
3. A third option is Sitter City or eNannySource.com. Parents can look at the number of sitters registered in their zip code area for free; but it will cost the parent to access the sitter information.

• Ask Around – Ask neighbors, friends, other moms if they know of a good babysitter or nanny
• Check Ads – Babysitters post ads on community boards in churches, libraries and sites like Craig’s List
• Post an Ad – Use sources like Craig’s List, Sittercity.com or go to your local college/university and post on their job opening board
• Prepare for the Interview – prep your list of questions.  Run a background check if the sitter has professional experience as a nanny.  Do reference checks.
• Arrange a meeting or practice babysitting session with the sitter and your children

As the school year starts up again, more parents are concerned with the hours after school than with school itself, according to a survey commissioned by a national nonprofit coalition of more than 2,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and former victims of crime. The group is called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Their research indicates that the hours between when the last school bell rings and 6 pm are the peak hours for kids to commit a crime, to be in a car crash, to have sex, to engage in prostitution, to smoke, to drink, or to use drugs. This is also the peak time for innocent kids to be the victims of crime.

Parents are right to be concerned. Each day in the U.S., more than 10 million children are home alone after school, or hanging out at shopping malls (or elsewhere) without supervision.

Whether it is a parent home in the afternoon, or a quality after-school program, focusing on these key hours is an important way to invest in our children and in our society. Kids after-school deserve our care, our attention, and our support. Our youth will require our time, our attention, and our money one way or the other. How much better to choose how we will make this investment, rather than to wait until it is decided for us!

Dr. Greene’s Answer:

The first sleepaway camp can be both poignant and wonderful for kids and parents. The camp activities will usually keep kids pretty occupied, but warm touches from home can make a big difference. Sealed envelopes with a note to open each day are a big hit. You can also include a tin of treats to share with cabin mates on the first day, or perhaps a deck of playing cards.

Getting mail at camp is great for kids, as well as emails and faxes if the camp accepts them.  (Some do these days–camps have changed since I was a kid!) If the camp has a pay phone, make sure to give him coins; he might not need to call you, but it will make him feel more secure.

Plan a special welcome-back dinner or treat before your child leaves for camp. That will give him something fun to look forward to when he gets home. You might even want to let him pick the menu in advance.

“I’m sorry, but your child can’t come back to daycare until she starts antibiotics.” Statements like this led to a study that was published in the February 2000 issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The report concluded that directors of child care centers, in their wonderful efforts to protect children, often exclude sick children unnecessarily, refer children to physicians inappropriately and request antibiotic therapy for children who would be better off without them.

The great majority of daycare directors, for instance, believe that antibiotics should be given to children with bronchitis, and that excluding kids with cough and green nasal discharge will decrease the spread of colds. Childcare workers deserve better education about the basics of dealing with children who have common respiratory infections.