Would you have a babysitter for a 10 month old?

[Overthebow]

Me and my DH have an activity on the same night. We have no family nearby to look after our 10 month DD. I was thinking of getting a babysitter, but is this too young? Where would we even find a good babysitter we can trust? And would any want to do one night per week?

I did, because I was doing a degree and one of my classes was only offered in the evening. DH was working long hours and I couldn't be sure he'd be home in time.

A neighbor's (young adult, 19) daughter babysat for two hours every week until DH got home. We knew the whole family and they lived around the corner. Mind you, she was a placid baby and didn't mind being with a stranger.

We used to use neighbours teenagers to babysit. Any chance you know any?

Where are you based @Overthebow ? If you're down South then Like Minders are a brilliant agency to use.

@passthegin1234

Where are you based *@Overthebow* ? If you're down South then Like Minders are a brilliant agency to use.

We are in the south. Thanks I’ll have a look.

@Notaroadrunner

We used to use neighbours teenagers to babysit. Any chance you know any?

Unfortunately not, we don’t know anyone with a teenager.

I left dc (nearly 6 months), with my mum the other day for a couple of hours because older dc had a hospital appointment. Dm is in our bubble and sees us regularly though this is the first time she had him alone. He cried so much he vomited, milk coming out of his nose and mouth he was inconsolable. If necessary I would leave him again but not unless I absolutely had to, it's too upsetting.

Yes! I work in the Arts so lots of evenings,have used babysitters since mine were younger than 10 months.

sitters is a good place to start although personal recommendation is always the best place to start.

Many nursery workers do evening babysitting work.

I'm a nanny, I babysit lots of 10 month olds, and younger! I recommend the Bubble app for babysitters if you're in or near London (there's an option to do a pre-babysit meet I believe), I can also recommend a few nanny FB groups if you're in/around South/SW London.

We had a local college that ran a nursery nurse training course and got a sitter from there. She helped me out with the baby during the afternoons so I could spend time with our toddler and then babysat odd evenings for us. I preferred having the same person rather than pot luck from an agency (unless you were lucky and always got the same person?)

Of course I wold - well, did.
Personally I didn't have a weekly commitment like that (although my dd had a job looking after a boy for anything between an hour and 2 hours a week between Mum going out to her activity and Dad coming in from work, for about two years - she thought it was a great gig).
But we left all of ours as babies for one off things.
We'd never have gone out anywhere otherwise.

It is worth just talking to people you know OP (colleagues, or people that you want to do the hobby / activity with) and asking if people know anyone they trust, who would sit for you. You'll probably find people either have a sitter themselves or they have a teen / young adult who might like to earn a bit of cash each week.

Absolutely.

Ask around - do you have friends with teens, or students near by? 10 months is far from tiny. I used to look after younger babies as a teen babysitter and enjoyed it (and was good at it) but you can find someone older if it worries you.

We never did with strangers until they were much older - about 9 and 7. But we did have a childminder friend and family who were mostly available between them on the rare occasions we went out without them. If they couldn't do it we either took them along or ducked out.

We never did with strangers until they were much older

I always find this type of comment odd when it appears on any thread to do with babysitting.
I can't imagine many parents leaving their dc with 'strangers' at any age.

@CruCru

I used sitters.co.uk from about 5 months.

Same. Used them for over 10 years. Really really great sitters. Very professional and trustworthy.

I promise I don’t work for them but with no extended family support, they were my lifeline when the DC were little - even covered for me when DD too ill for nursery and we both had to go to the office.

Yes! My doula used to babysit for me pre-Covid. I never even thought twice about it TBH.

Not at 10 months, no.

Yes as long as the baby is in a good night routine - mysiater used the sitter site too.!

No i wouldn't. For me, 2 yrs is probably the youngest I'd get a baby sitter in, and even then I'd feel weird about it.