Baby sitters advice please!

[poshsinglemum]

DD is one year old and I have decided to go out once a fortnight to stop myself from going mad. Mabe just 3-4 hours on a Friday night.
Can anyone advise me on how much is the going rate? Do companies such as Sitters introduce the sitter with your child before the night of babysitting or do you just get sent a random? I'm a bit loath to leave dd with a total stranger tbh but i do need a break.
Does anyone know of a company whereby you can get the same sitter every time so as to build up a relationship with the child?

Going rates vary around the country and will vary depending on the person you decide to have babysit. A qualified childcarer will usually cost more than a teenager.
I would suggest avoiding agencies as while they may try to send the same person each time, they won't guarantee it.
Instead look for someone local to you, someone who over time will get to know you and your DD. Sure they may not be available every time you want them to babysit but then if they aren't available on the evening you want, you may find that you can switch the evening to a night they can do.
Keeping it local also means that you are keeping money circulating in your local area, rather than having a percentage of it being taken by a corporate entity located somewhere outside of your community.
As a nanny I babysit for local families. Sometimes people look at my website (click my name to see my mumsnet profile) and think that I am an agency... though I feel I state quite clearly that I am an individual. By being an individual rather than an agency I am able to do things the way I want... so that means that I never babysit for a family I haven't met. I arrange to meet the children prior to the first time I babysit, so that should the children be in bed when I arrive and wake up, they don't wake to find a complete stranger.

Where are you located? Finding a local nanny / childminder / nursery worker who can babysit for you will in my view be better than using an agency, as you are wanting someone who will build a relationship over time with yourself and your DD.

As nick said costs do vary depending on the area and person

you can expect to pay from £10 for the eve for a teenager upto £40 for 3-4hrs for a qualified and very experienced nanny to babysit.

poshsinglemum - where abouts are you? You may find someone on here who lives locally to you who would be willing to do it!