Finding A Babysitter

Getting a babysitter for the evening when you are a single mom is almost like getting a little vacation. It’s wonderful if you have family that can care for your child, but sometimes you have to get a babysitter, and that can be scary. Most teenage girls baby-sit at one time or another and the majority of them are really good with the kids. They are close enough in age to remember what is was like to be smaller. When you are looking for a teenage sitter, word of mouth is the best way to find a really good one. … Continue reading

A Babysitter for Kids Who Have Special Needs

Every parent needs a break once in a while. It can be difficult to find a babysitter for a child who has special needs. Often, this leaves parents in constant caregiver mode, without time to spend with their spouse or by themselves. Here are some ideas about how to find a good babysitter that will understand your child’s special needs. Parenting can be an extremely rewarding experience. It can also, at times, be overwhelmingly stressful. This is true for all parents, however, parents of children who have special needs can face an additional amount of stress. There are times when … Continue reading

Do You Use Your TV as a Babysitter?

Don’t be ashamed if you answered “yes.” My BFF in Hawaii pays a TON of money to get Noggin, Nick Jr. and the Disney Channel, which is one of the reasons she unabashedly refers to her satellite provider as Diego, Dora and Kai-Lan’s pimp. What’s more, you won’t catch my BFF cowering in a corner when confronted about her kids’ television viewing habits. She doesn’t flinch when admitting that she uses her TV as a babysitter quite regularly. In fact, she jokes about it all the time. My BFF reasons that if she were to hire a human babysitter, the … Continue reading

Baby Blog Month in Review: June 2008

June was my first official month posting for the Baby Blog. It has been a great experience. I love learning new things about babies and sharing it with friends. Of course, I could use your help. Whether you are a first-time mom or an experienced mom of a large family, I want to hear from you. Please share your advice, your questions and your comments. On which topics would you like to see more blogs? Meanwhile, take a look at all of the articles we had in June. June 2nd Introducing Babies to Birds Perhaps it is the fact that … Continue reading

Baby Blog Week in Review: June 9th Through June 15th

Well, this past week was my very first week of blogging here in the Baby Blog. How did I do? If you missed the articles about breast feeding having a greater benefit for girls or what to expect if your baby is jaundiced, check them out now. Here is the Baby Blog week in review for June 9th through June 15th. June 9th Baby Name Trends: Place Names What are some of the trends that are affecting baby names this year? Can you find a name that is both popular and unique at the same time? The key to a … Continue reading

Celebrate NOT Needing a Babysitter

I know that those of you with young children may find it impossible to imagine, but the day will come when you will no longer need a babysitter. As a single parent, we often spend a great deal of our energy and income trying to arrange for quality childcare for our children when we are working or during the summer months. That is why I think when the day comes that the babysitter is no longer needed, we really need to celebrate! To be honest, I am still celebrating and still counting my blessings and acknowledging appreciation every time I … Continue reading

It is Okay to get a Babysitter

I know that it can be expensive to hire a babysitter and I also know that as single parents, we may feel like we work so much and are away from our kids so much as it is, that hiring a babysitter is a bad thing. I have not yet met a single parent who did not carry around a fair amount of guilt and spending non-work, non-obligation time away from a child or children topped the list of guilt-inducing activities. I am here to say right now, however, that it is OKAY to hire a babysitter. If expense is … Continue reading

What do You Look For in a Babysitter?

When my kids were younger, my favorite babysitter was one of my coworker’s daughters. She was what I thought was the perfect baby-sitting age at the time–fourteen-fifteen. I think this is the ideal age because they are old enough to be responsible and authoritative, but they are not old enough to really be into dating, driving and having a life (so they tend to be pretty available.) I didn’t find babysitter’s easily either since I had three kids, all a year or so apart. Not an easy gig for the average sitter! For longer babysitting challenges such as weekends, I’d … Continue reading

The Bedroom TV

My father just offered to purchase a television for my daughter’s bedroom. I’m still waiting for John Quiñones to pop out of my hall closet because there’s no way my dad’s proposition can be legit. He’s testing me right? Like Quiñones does to all those unsuspecting individuals on “What Would You Do?” A new flat screen TV for my 8-year-old’s bedroom… riiiiight. From a guy who refused to allow me to touch our family’s TV, which didn’t move from its spot in the living room.  The same dad who mandated that an egg timer be set each time me and … Continue reading

The Shift To Summer Schedules Is Coming

Many home – based professional parents are able to work the hours that they do because their children go to school. However, school is not a year – round activity. When summer comes, home – based professional parents must decide what they would like to do with their work schedule. Sometimes, it is possible for a parent to scale back their work during the summer months so that they can spend a lot of time with their children. There’s also the option of hiring a babysitter or a parent’s helper to take care of the kids for a few hours … Continue reading