I'm a working Mom and I have tried and struggled through every childcare scenario out there. It was horribly hard to leave my new baby with anyone besides family. But at some point you branch out to friends, then perhaps to a paid stranger. The benefit of the paid stranger is that you are paying them and you don't have any strings attached.  They WORK for you. Once they're kids and not babies it's easier, as they mostly just need to be entertained. So where do you find babysitters in Fort Collins?  How much do you pay them?

I'm not sure the day of paying teenager $5 an hour are as common as they used to be. But I believe you can find solutions for your family and your budget by being upfront. Most babysitters would rather work for less for a family they really enjoyed, rather then get paid more to watch the kids from hell.  So finding a good fit is most important.

How to find a babysitter

CSU RAMWeb has been an amazing resource for us to find childcare.  It's free and very easy to post a job listing. You just have to pay at least minimum wage.  And remember CSU has a huge Early Childhood Education Dept, so many of the applicants are more "educated" about kids than you are.  Craigslist is where we found one of our longtime daytime care providers. However you decide to search, make you have a system. Here is mine.

  • BE SPECIFIC in your ad. Talk about the kind of parenting you practice and what you expect from the get go, so it's clear to applicants who they are talking to. Include things like light cleaning, must love dogs, must understand allergies, etc.
  • EMAIL INTERVIEW- Send out an email of a few questions to the applicants and pick your top 2 or 3 to actually interview, this will save you a ton of time. Use some questions that really represent your concerns and family. I used these 3 last time and it helped me weed several out.
  1. Will you be in Fort Collins over the summer?
  2. What experience do you have with soothing a baby/toddler to sleep?  What methods do you use?
  3. Since she's almost two,  she gets into everything, do you believe in discipline at this age?
  • ACTUAL INTERVIEW- Make sure your kid(s) are present for the interview, how they act when this person is there will tell you a lot.  And you'll see how this person initially reacts to  your kid(s) and if they use an annoying baby voice or anything. ; )  As far as these questions go, it depends on what you are looking for and what you expect to be done during their time. I only usually ask a couple questions, mostly so I can watch them nervously respond.  Then I ask if they'll do something with my child well I go in another room.  That's the best test.  If you watch the video below, you'll see my daughters love for "Angie".  Angie was one of 3 interviews in an afternoon.  We asked Tula after they left who she liked and she said "Angie".  Clearly this was the right decision, because she still has this reaction a year later.
  • I always ask the babysitter to TEXT me a few times through the night and let me know what they are up to and send a picture if they can. This makes enjoying your time out so much better. The American Red Cross has parent forms to guide you if you need more.

If you have any other great tips please share below.

Angie made it so we felt no guilt when leaving.

More From 99.9 The Point