How to find a nanny on short notice: emergency child care tips

Every parent at least once in a lifetime experienced this issue: babysitter cancels last minute and you have no one to take care of your kid. What to do? Where to find emergency child care? Whom to call and where to run?

At such moments the whole world stops for a second while your brain is hectically trying to solve the puzzle. As Christmas Eve is only in a couple of days, you definitely need to have a backup plan should something happen to your babysitter. Here you will learn about how and where to find a short-notice babysitter and how to ensure that you’re getting someone knowledgeable and not just a kid from next door who is a couple of years older than your own child.

How to find emergency child care for Christmas?

Don’t panic! There are several easy ways to get emergency child care for this Christmas holiday. And here they are.

Family

If you’re planning to spend this holiday apart from your family, then a perfect option for you is to leave your kid with a family member. This is, in fact, the best way out. First of all, you will see your family and can have a couple of drinks together – which is always a perfect reason to meet! Secondly, your child will stay with close people and won’t feel left or forgotten on such a cheerful holiday!

Friends

Friends is another old-school classic. Should you have no family in town, you definitely have at least a couple of friends or great neighbors whom you can ask to watch your child. In case your friends are not the way to get emergency child care, then you can at least ask them for some advice of reliable babysitters in the area who would agree to come on short notice.

The web

The web is huge and has thousands of sources where you can look for an emergency child care help this year.

• Social networks

  There are special online groups and communities where people from the same cities and even neighborhoods share their experience and offer their services. If you’re desperate to find a good nanny for this Christmas, you can turn to such places.

• Special websites

  Besides social networks, the web can also offer specialized websites for people looking or offering a job. All you need is get to such listing directories (for instance, Nanny or HireRush), where you can just put your region and requirements to get a babysitter very fast.

• Apps

  Aside from special websites, you can also opt for phone apps, such as Sitter, Sittercity, Urban Sitter, etc. Just put your city into the app and check profiles of registered emergency child care experts. That is as easy as that!

How to get comfortable with emergency child care services?

It is of utmost importance to feel comfortable and 100% confident about emergency child care that you hire, otherwise it makes no sense. Of course, it might be scary in the beginning to entrust your child to a person you’ve just met online several hours before. But here are a few things that will help you feel on the safe side with whoever you choose.

1. Ask friends

   Yes, we talked about this before; when you hire an emergency child care expert who was recommended by a person you trust, you will feel much safer! Should your friends have no ideas in this respect, ask them to ask their friends. This method is called “a big bubble” and it can easily help you find the right babysitter for the evening.

2. Check the background

   Whether you’re planning to hire an emergency child care professional through recommendations or with the help of some app or website, always perform at least the simplest background check. Go online and read reviews about this person, check his or her social media profile, if possible, ask other parents online about their experience with a particular babysitter.

3. Ask about additional skills

   Here you may hear that a person worked with disabled kids or that there is CPR experience. Some babysitters also have First Aid training or DBS Certificate. Any additional abilities would work “for” the sitter you’re considering to hire.

4. Call the sitter

   And before you actually hire an emergency child care person, make sure that you ask questions to ensure that your probable nanny is the person you’re looking for. A quick phone call (or maybe even via Skype or FaceTime) can get you a better picture of the sitter and also set the tone of your further relationship.

And the last tip for hiring emergency child care is not to think of this person as someone you’ll be dealing with for the rest of your life. You need someone who feels and looks nice, whom your kid might like (or at least can stand), who is not crazy, and who won’t cost you a fortune. You’re looking for a one night help, so think of it in this way and who knows, maybe you’ll find a perfect babysitter!