Diaper Swappers

babycat42 · 11-25-2012, 11:28 AM

Is sittercity worth the cost? My mother used to provide all of my childcare but she is now in the process of divorcing my father and is very emotional and because I chose one time to tell her that her divorce is not my problem she has decided to cut herself out of my life.
I have severe social anxiety and I have zero friends. I still need a couple of hours away from my kids a week to maintain what little sanity I have left.
So would it worth it to pay for a subscription for Sittercity? or Should I play Craigslist roulette?
I don't belong to a church. I spend all of my time home alone with my kids.

luvsviola · 11-25-2012, 12:41 PM

I won't have a stranger in my home. I did MDO at a church instead. More people around and my kids get to play with other kids. I got to be friends with another mom who I now trade child care with occasionally.

At $10 an hour for a sitter, MDO wasn't much more expensive than a sitter twice a month.

babycat42 · 11-25-2012, 12:59 PM

I am not interested in cultivating any friendships at this time. I only want time to be alone.

jac1976 · 11-25-2012, 01:03 PM

I used Sittercity when my DH was deployed. I didn't have to pay for it since we're military, but I found some great sitters! Once I found a few go to sitters, I stopped using the site. I liked it because you could see the background on the sitter, whether there was a background check or not, and even see reviews if there were any.

luvsviola · 11-25-2012, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babycat42

I am not interested in cultivating any friendships at this time. I only want time to be alone.

MDO is drop-off care. You don't have to talk to people. But generally at drop-off and pick-up you meet the other kids moms.

Ours was two days a week from 9-3.

KelseyH · 11-25-2012, 01:08 PM

We found a fantastic sitter on SitterCity. We paid like $13 for a background check for one and performed interviews with several. I think for the most part it is reputable sitters.

Riverleaf1772 · 11-25-2012, 02:27 PM

They seemed fine and we had some good and bad options. I just found that the sitters willing to work for what I can pay were not reliable enough for me. I ended up going with a friend's niece.

Palooka · 11-25-2012, 02:33 PM

We found our current nanny on sittercity. She is extraordinary. It was definitely worth a one month subscription, which we then canceled after hiring her. I recommend the website to everyone. Just know that it is basically a social website, not a service, you still need to call references and do all the vetting you would do with any other stranger about to watch your kids.

Belle · 11-25-2012, 02:52 PM

I used it and think it's a great resource if you interview and get references. That said, I used it when we were in a major city (DC), so I had tons of people to choose from. I also didn't pay for it since we are military. But, if I ever found myself in the same situation (no friends, family or acquaintances close by) I would pay the subscription for a month or two to find a couple reliable people.

After an initial interview I would also pay any new sitters to come over for an hour or so to play while I was home.

songbird516 · 11-25-2012, 04:34 PM

I am a sitter on sittercity, and I like the way it works for sitters. I got really great nanny job through there but got laid off when pregnant. Seems like it would be worth trying for at least a month

11-25-2012, 11:28 AM	#1
babycat42 Registered Users Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Az Posts: 1,822 Ratings: 18 Feedback: 100%	Sittercity Is sittercity worth the cost? My mother used to provide all of my childcare but she is now in the process of divorcing my father and is very emotional and because I chose one time to tell her that her divorce is not my problem she has decided to cut herself out of my life. I have severe social anxiety and I have zero friends. I still need a couple of hours away from my kids a week to maintain what little sanity I have left. So would it worth it to pay for a subscription for Sittercity? or Should I play Craigslist roulette? I don't belong to a church. I spend all of my time home alone with my kids. __________________ Wife to Andrew, Mother to Zoe(6), Luke(4), and Henry(2) http://lbdm.lilypie.com/8UxNm7.png

11-25-2012, 12:41 PM	#2
luvsviola Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 15,192 Ratings: 115 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	I won't have a stranger in my home. I did MDO at a church instead. More people around and my kids get to play with other kids. I got to be friends with another mom who I now trade child care with occasionally. At $10 an hour for a sitter, MDO wasn't much more expensive than a sitter twice a month. __________________ Kristen Mommy to Abigail ~1/24/07 and Kendall~3/17/2011 and FINALLY adoptive mama to LEDGER~4/4/09!!!--G-J tube, asthma, oral aversion, reflux, SPD, drug exposure, and still searching for a diagnosis of the rest... Ask me about extended rear facing! Last edited by luvsviola; 11-25-2012 at 12:42 PM.

11-25-2012, 12:59 PM	#3
babycat42 Registered Users Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Az Posts: 1,822 Ratings: 18 Feedback: 100%	Re: Sittercity I am not interested in cultivating any friendships at this time. I only want time to be alone. __________________ Wife to Andrew, Mother to Zoe(6), Luke(4), and Henry(2) http://lbdm.lilypie.com/8UxNm7.png

11-25-2012, 01:03 PM	#4
jac1976 Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,613 Ratings: 134 Feedback: 100%	Re: Sittercity I used Sittercity when my DH was deployed. I didn't have to pay for it since we're military, but I found some great sitters! Once I found a few go to sitters, I stopped using the site. I liked it because you could see the background on the sitter, whether there was a background check or not, and even see reviews if there were any. __________________ After struggling with PCOS, IF, and multiple miscarriages, my family is complete. DS 2005 and DD 2007

11-25-2012, 02:27 PM	#7
Riverleaf1772 Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 650 Ratings: 37 Feedback: 100%	Re: Sittercity They seemed fine and we had some good and bad options. I just found that the sitters willing to work for what I can pay were not reliable enough for me. I ended up going with a friend's niece. __________________ Pam - in love with BFDH & mama to Isobel 11/5/09!