What makes a good babysitting experience?

[ShaffaShaffs01]

I am a stay at home mother of 5, all under 5, but just because I'm a good mother to my own kids, doesn't mean that I'd be THE BEST childminder, childcarer, babysitter or nanny to another family's offspring, likewise just because my babysitter is a mother of two and has babysat sleeping children over 500 times doesn't mean she'll know what how to cope when my 9 month old screams for her night time feed and my 3 yr old starts crying out from his painful eczema on the opposite side of the house.

One just doesn't know how they will react in a certain situation especially if it's her first time with MY family. If the first time goes swimmingly THAT'S GREAT RIGHT? IS she the best babysitter in the world then? But what if you come back home to a frazzled babysitter because just by sod's law both babies woke up screaming at the same time waking up the other three and she's running around like a headless chicken, or worse? (is crying herself, has hit one of the kids, or screams at them out of frustration as you've just walked in) Does this make her the babysitter from hell?

It is so hard to judge someone when
a. you're not there
b. you can't get any constructive feedback from the babies because they are all too young
c. you don't get to really talk in detail with her of how it all really went before she leaves

Speaking from personal experience, I have whole heartedly, naively sometimes just trusted in babysitting websites without questioning what i'm getting. Why shouldn't I? I pay a one-off fee or subscription fee or booking fee and membership fee and pay the sitter all under the assumption they've done ALL the admin work for me to ensure I can relax....we bloody hope so, but the only way to judge the quality of a childcarer in the company of your children is by observing them in action yourself, once or twice or three times, because EVERY time is different (that's just my opinion).

SO I have read many bad and good reviews of all the websites in the UK. BUT what I never get to read is any detail as to WHY that particular experience was good, ESPECIALLY if it was the Parent's first time. Was it because the sitter constantly updated the parents? Did she do a bit of washing up? Did she do great first aid to a deep gash on a child's knee? Did she manage to clear all the chips off the floor after dinner so that no one would slip up on them later and go flying across the kitchen?

And then the bad reviews, mostly concerning last minute cancellations? Again no detail, how close to the appointment did she cancel? What was her reason? Did the website not check and double check and triple check that she was still available? How did they compensate for the disaster of a cancellation that has ruined an anniversary date with the husband that you have booked in advance months ago?

I have many stories of my own, good and bad but I just wanted to know what in your opinion Mums and babysitters out there is your account that makes an experience AN EXPERIENCE. What is it that helps you then rate a babysitter the best thing since sliced bread? OR you babysitters how do you rate a family being manageable or not?

Has anyone had the experience of being able to rate the babysitter directly by name? Does the rating feedback appear on her profile on the website? Because all the scathing reviews I have read have been towards the website itself, not the babysitter who should be a self-employed experienced self-managed professional indivdual (again in my opinion)

Please feel free to share stories, and just because I have asked ever so nicely pretty please, can it be in detail?

Look forward to hearing both sides

Just an interested mum x

Contact MNHQ. Go through the proper channels if you want fodder for whatever you're up to.

To The Lady with the Yellow Hat,

I am happy I made you chuckle. The wise old Elf is extremely wise he always depends on Nanny Plum the fairy to fix all the plumbing problems with magic....or if that fails a big great KICK....

Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly are hilarious because it's all REAL

What's MNHQ? What's fodder?

Now I'm totally lost!

You've stumped me! Would you be as polite to explain the abbreviation and meaning of these words?

MNHQ? Fodder?

Huh?

MNHQ? Fodder?

Huh?

To All,

It seems we have all derailed from the main topic of where all this began from

Home Childcare

Whether you do it yourself or pay for it, have it done for free by family or do the runs to playgroup, the stories that we could have all shared could have been enlightening ones and could have all taught us how to be prepared if ever....or for the next time....

I just read a post that said my 18yr old cousin boyfriend doesn't want to be dad to his daughter... THAT'S NONE OF OUR BUSINESS, they are adults dealing with their own emotional dramas. However with the booming babysitting services recently having their Chief Financial Officer having left Care.com it raises questions as to whether all the bad press and bad reviews may have influenced his decision in not wanting to be a part of that brand? Why? Because Childcare is a most sensitive issue and if all expressed clearly what are expectations are from the start maybe those horror stories would have never taken place

But if no one shares their feedback and further on suggest a way of improvement, our children are at risk, and it is our moral responsibility to help the government take NOTICE that we the power of the people are taking stand and will do anything to try improve childcare services from within as a community

So here I present to you all again?

Any stories?

Shaffa you aren't getting responses because your OP and subsequent posts read oddly and a bit aggressively (lots of capital letters).

If you'd simply said "has anyone one used a babysitting website and how do you pick someone" you'd have probably had lots of responses.

Your personal stories have not come across well I'm afraid.

Does anyone have a babysitting stories that tell us why that babysitter was exceptionally good after just using them once?

Do any babysitters have any stories that tell us why they thought a family was exceptionally nice after just meeting them once?

If you were to never meet each other again, how can other parents trust any sort of feedback or rating system? Are there any key points that can be highlighted of how to TRUST another babysitter or a different family for the next time?

Key Signs:

Pro-activeness
e.g. My babysitter used to make my eldest child the 'teacher' so that she could feel confident that she taught her younger siblings how to brush their teeth, to follow 'teachers' actions, the way mummy taught her. The babysitter would supervised them all quietly and awarded my eldest child with an extra star on her star chart which made her pleased as punch

I can't even

I have diarrhoea

At 5am. Seems appropriate

Ah, here we go. OP, what is your connection to care.com and its CFO? Why do you mention it specifically?

interesting post, I think perhaps you need a different audience... People here are more interested in tragic situations like mother in laws, useless boyfriends and avoidance techniques for gross misconduct... and other life changing events. Good and don't waste anymore brain matter on some folk in cyberspace.

Thank you ColemansCat for your feedback.

I have read many reviews already of parents having used babysitting sites. Everyone seems happy to give five stars as to how they rated their experience but when asked why no one seems to be able to give a good enough answer as to why they deemed that experience five stars.

My OP was just asking for babysitters and parents alike to share stories or key signs

This was met with cynicism, scepticism that I was either stealing stories for a magazine I work for, or a bitter babysitter myself to blog horror stories. What I have learnt from all of this is that if something by luck goes well it's 5 stars, if it goes wrong, someone has got to pay. No one's expectations are met because no one cares to share what they are in the first place

I want to trust a site or a babysitter another parent has recommended to me, but why should I trust your judgement because it if you have only met once what then?

when I have asked ""why should I trust your judgement what is that founded upon? I have been met with confusion and people's inability to pin point how they trusted a stranger and then didn't think that maybe they were just lucky, and maybe their feedback on their experience could help avoid other parents be "lucky" and more prepared

So I came on here to start a thread where people could give advice on anything that they have learnt of all their experiences with babysitting sites and babysitters and what could be done better

and no one can be bothered, and that's the abysmal truth of all this all. No one wants to help another despite CAPITAL LETTERS. No one wants to build a better way of working because "what's in it for me" attitude or "who the hell are you" attitude takes precedence.

No one cares enough about anything anymore and when BRITISH born Stephen Hawkins recently predicted that Humans have only another 1000 years to live, no one gives a damn because a. they think he's bizarre, weird, odd, AGGRESSIVE and American because his computer's voice.

We will all die out of stupidity and selfishness because we didn't believe in the bizarre or care enough to read over OP one more time to make sure they read it right

Anyway

I have chosen to end this thread because no one cares enough about their butterfly effect on the generations to come. They care only about now, and this post is old news.

I did have a good babysitter once
She was ace at getting the DC to take their medicine, she used sugar with it, I think
She also got them to tidy their rooms, not sure how she managed it, she must have had magic powers

You're so wrong Shaffa - don't forget they are also concerned on hot topics like www.thesun.co.uk/living/2413945/mumsnet-cheating-whatsapp/

Honestly - Why on earth did you think they would be bothered on a thread to do with childcare on a site focused on it, when they have more pressing matters like sex lives, unemployment/sacking and trolling?

I quite like Stephen Hawking actually.

I find his writings to be verbose and concise and would give him five stars.

Op, you are right
I did think Stephen Hawkins was American because of his voice computer
😜
Thank jebus for Wikipedia

:)

It baffles me how I seem to weird everyone out

Does it baffle you? Really?

I wonder why SH has stuck with the same voice. There are lots of available voices now. (Never used to be). I've just switched my son's to 'Brian' (adult British male). Maybe because he's had it so long others see it as SH voice. Last time I tried to switch my son's voice he insisted on sticking with a female one (prob because he hadn't realised his own had broken).

Just to clarify, it was several years ago that I found out about SH and not because of this thread
I think he should have a voice like Brian Blessed

Brian Blessed would be a fantastic AAC voice. I'd switch ds1 to Brian Blessed straight away.