A Q&A With Sensible Sitters

[Two Special Editor’s Notes]  

1. New York Family & The Plaza Hotel are giving away a
two-night Babymoon to new and expectant parents (with infants or
toddlers.  Sign Up Here. 

2.  New York Family has just established a wonderful (and free)
weekly e-newsletter for expectant and new parents (up to toddler). 
Check out the first one and up for it  here. 

And now for some really good advice about babysitters: 

Need a sitter? One of our favorite local services, Sensible Sitters, is a great way to find the childcare help you need. —%uFFFD

Founded by Vanessa Wauchope in 2005, Sensible Sitters only refers babysitters who are fully
background checked,
CPR-trained and certified and introduces them to families by resume with
their
childcare credentials. And this spring, the company is launching a comprehensive Sensible Sitters Curriculum, making it the only national babysitting
company to supply sitters with age-specific courses like Baby Basics (diapers, bottles, development in infants), Toddler Training (separation anxiety, pre-school prep), School Aged (homework help, healthy eating
habits), and Pre-Teen (social media, boundaries).

Like most parents, we had some questions about babysitting and the benefits of using services like Sensible Sitters. Curious? Read on to find out what makes a great sitter, and how you can find one for your fam!

1. What makes a great
babysitter?

With each family comes their own set of unique needs
regarding the right babysitter for them. Sensible Sitters strives to refer to
families, sitters who meet their specific needs. There are certainly qualities
that make a sitter “great.” Among them are a sitter who is prompt, reliable,
responsible, engaging and proactive. Different ages and stages will require
different skill sets, but the most important quality in a sitter is their
ability to put a parent’s mind at ease when they leave the home. To know your
child is in good hands, in your absence, is priceless.

2. At what age can
you start leaving your child with a babysitter?

This really depends on the parents’ comfort level and needs.
Sensible Sitters refers sitters to families with children as young as 2-3 weeks
old. It is very important to make certain that your sitter is trained properly
for your child’s age. If you are leaving a newborn or infant, you will want to
make certain that your sitter is CPR-trained for infants and knows your
child’s routine. For an older child, you will want to make your child as
familiar with the sitter as possible so as to mitigate separation anxiety.

3. What can you do to
prepare your child for having a babysitter?

We recommend telling your child about the sitter and
relaying any mutual “friends” you may have, whether that is another sitter or
teacher. You can introduce the sitter as “Grace’s friend,” should Grace be
another sitter or acquaintance and this will help your child associate the
sitter with a familiar face. At Sensible Sitters we add a photo to our sitters’
resumes so that you can show your child who will be arriving. You may also want
to take out an art project or a toy that you know your child will enjoy. You
can encourage creativity in tandem with a fun activity, and ask your child to
assist in picking the “special activity.” If a child feels involved in the
decision-making process, they will be excited to share their choices with the
sitter and it gives them an immediate point of connection.

4. What are the
benefits of hiring a sitter versus leaving your child with a family member or
neighbor?

While we love sending sitters to families, we know that
there is no substitute for grandparent time! However, hiring a babysitter who
is not a family member can be simpler. When leaving your child with a
family member, you do open yourself up to unsolicited advice or opinions. For
example, a friend recently began using Sensible Sitters because each time she
asked her mother to babysit she had to justify why she was going out “again.”
It is also sometimes hard to keep children on schedule when babysat by family
members or close friends. A child may be kept up later or skip a nap because
they “wanted to keep them up and play with them” or they may get the cookie
they were not supposed to have because Grandma could not resist. If this were a
hired babysitter, you would have no problem instructing them differently the
next time – but that is easier said than done with a relative.

5. What is the
average cost for a babysitter in Manhattan?

Sensible Sitters rates begin at $20 per hour for one child
and does have an annual fee of $150. However, new clients may trial the service
3 times prior to paying the membership fee. In addition, CelebrateSensibly, our events team,
charges $30 per hour and coordinates all childcare needs for group events and
parties. Our rates can be viewed here.

BONUS: Why is
Sensible Sitters a good option for NYC families? How does it differ from simply
finding a babysitter on your own?

Here at Sensible Sitters we take pride in servicing both of
our client bases, our sitters and our families. We spend as much time getting
to know our families as we do our sitters, making it easier to refer the right
sitter for each family. We match on a 4-point scale: a sitter’s location and
proximity to a client’s home, experience with their children’s ages,
availability so as to provide consistency moving forward and energy. You may
ask, what do you mean by “energy”? This is our most important matching point.
We take into account all the details we know about your family and match the
sitter whose values and lifestyle will complement yours. For example, the
family whose child has a food-related allergy might appreciate the sitter who
is studying to be a registered dietician. On the logistics end, we handle the
booking and the billing. There is never the possibility of your sitter falling
through, as we always have a superb alternate available to sub in should
someone become ill or be unavailable. Sensible Sitters allows for you to hand
over your dates – we do the rest. Don’t you have enough on your to do list?
%uFFFD

For more information, visit sensiblesitters.com.