Finding a baby-sitter (for "date nights") and how much to pay

I am looking to find a babysitter for times my husband and I want to go out by ourselves.

My mom was our usual go-to but she's undergoing chemo and not up to watching a 6-year-old.

Where do you go about finding a babysitter and what is the going rate for sitters?

Re: Finding a baby-sitter (for "date nights") and how much to pay

Check with your local library. Our library has babysitter classes....safety and first aid, babysitting basics, and a class that teaches them songs, games, crafts, etc that they can do with kids. It is geared towards teenage kids and I believe it is for ages 14 and up.

Once all 3 classes are completed they recieve a babysitter certificate, and they get added to a registry of available babysitters in the district. You can go to the library and get the info from the front desk, and then make phone calls and do interviews.

Several times a year they also have "Meet & Greet" events at the library where all registered babysitters are available, and you can go and talk to them and get to know them.

Re: Finding a baby-sitter (for "date nights") and how much to pay

As far as how much to pay...we pay our babysitter (She is 14 years old, lives on our block) $10/hr. The most we've ever used her was for 2 hours. We used her as a Mother's Helper last school year first, so that I could get cleaning done while they were upstairs playing. Now she will watch Emily while I run errands and do grocery shopping.

If we were going on a date night ... maybe 3-4 hours, I might cut that rate down a bit. $40 plus paying for dinner and a movie would be a lot for us. So maybe I'd ask her ahead of time if we could do a set rate for the night and promise that I'd be home by a certain time.