How can we find a good babysitter?

Candi says, "We just moved to Texas and we don't know many people yet. I stay at home with our son and my husband works long hours. We haven't had a night out in months and we need a break. Can you offer any tips on finding a trustworthy and reliable babysitter?"

"I've decieded to hire a tenneager to help me with the baby & with basic household chores this way I can get to know her 1st! Or you can ask other parents in the neighbourhood about their sitter(s)."
-- Kelly

"Candi - I work for a YMCA which hosts "Parent's Nights Out". Y staff watch the kids, offer crafts, they watch a movie and eat pizza while the parents get to have a night on their own. Also, we offer a babysitters training for local teens. Check with your local Y branch and see if they have any similar programs. Good luck!"
-- Anonymous

"I would recommend calling your local church and seeing if they have a list of babysitters. I am getting ready to return to work after the birth of my first child and that is how we are finding our full time care, they also have part time for just an evening out."
-- ethansmom

"Want a reliable, CPR-certified person to watch your child in a guaranteed safe home? If you are willing for your son to go to some else's home for the couple of hours, I would recommend contacting your local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) if you have one. I don't know your location, but in my experience most towns have some version. The services are FREE, and you are given names and numbers of licensed/certified child care providers in your area that are available the day/time you are looking for. Feel free to email me at McKessidy@attbi.com if you need more information, and good luck!"
-- Mother of 2 under 2

"Make sure you do vigorous interviewing before you decide on someone... ask plenty of questions. For example, ask them what they would do if the baby started crying. When they answer, ask them what they would do if that didn't work. Everytime they answer, ask them what they would do if their previous answer didn't work. After a few times of this, they will get frustrated.. just as they would if the baby was crying and none of the things they tried worked. This will give you an idea of how they deal with the emotional strain of caring for an infant. Lots of luck."
-- Janelle

"Hi. I checked with neighbors and our church to find names of teenagers who are of babysitting age. I found a young girl across the street and had her over a couple of days a week afterschool to spend time with my son while I did things around the house. I was able to see her interact with my son and teach her a few things. Once I felt comfortable, I left for an hour or so. Now I have no problem leaving him at night or for several hours. I also found an experienced sitter at church. Ask around. Other parents know which babysitters are trustworthy."
-- Karin

"My husband and I found a sitter and now after a month we are starting all over again. Now with no sitter one of us has to take care of the kids and still manage to keep our jobs! Someone please give us some kind of advice, we've tried everything."
-- ewmorley msn.com

"Have your husband ask his co-workers about their babysitters or if their children do any babysitting. My daughters friend has an older sister so we gave her a chance and now she is not only the first babysitter we have ever had, she is our weekly sitter."
-- Anonymous

"I'm a stay at home mom of a special needs child and needed to find qualified sitters. Monstertrak.com is a nationwide service that advertises at colleges and universites nationwide, there is a small fee; however in my opnion worth the time and money! Good Luck"
-- Katie

"Churches are great resources, as mentioned, and creating a babysitting co-op is great, too. You can also look into whether your community has some sort of child care council. We have one, and I've gotten references that were great. Everyone has to be fingerprinted and have a background check so that the freaks are filtered out. Good luck."