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Babysitter

What to Pay a Babysitter on New Year's Eve
Holiday Living

5 Tips For Hiring a New Year's Eve Babysitter (It's Not Too Late!)

Congratulations — you not only made it through 2012, you were wise enough to make plans (child-free ones at that) to ring in the new year.
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Congratulations — you not only made it through 2012, you were wise enough to make plans (child-free ones at that) to ring in the new year. Now comes the tough part — finding someone to watch the kids!

We spoke with Katie Bugbee, managing editor of Care.com — the online caregiver community — about the challenges of finding a sitter during the holidays. While babysitters are certainly at a premium, she says, "there are reliable local caregivers who are still available for New Year's Eve." The trick is knowing how (and where) to find them and what mama needs to do to keep them happy! Keep reading to see her tips, including the all important answer to how much you should be paying your NYE sitter.

Finding a Sitter Be Clear About Your Plans Plan Some Fun For the Kids and the Sitter Expect to Pay Plan Her Transportation Home
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What Is Rent-A-Grandma?
Poll

Rent-A-Grandma: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Add Grandma to the list of rentable clothes, products, and services geared toward parents and kids.
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Add Grandma to the list of rentable clothes, products, and services geared toward parents and kids. Rent-A-Grandma is a new employment agency specializing in placing women over 50 years old with families looking for babysitting or light housekeeping services. Operating under the tagline "Always Trust Your Grandma," Rent-A-Grandma believes that its employees — averaging around 60 years old — aren't just an alternative option to hiring the teenage girl next door, but a superior one. In an interview in this month's Entrepreneur Magazine, the company's founder explained the logic behind his older is better claim:

Not everybody over 50 is the best ever. But about 90 percent of our grandmas have previous domestic experience. These are not retired women who are bored. These are women who are passionate and want to work. It's kind of disappointing to see how many good, older women are out there who can't find a job. A lot of times people in their early 20s are thinking about their career or going back to school, or they meet somebody and get married and move away. They're in a different stage of life. We recommend clients interview at least three grandmas before hiring them. We're trying to create a lasting relationship.

How Late Do Parents Stay Out
sleep

How Late Do You Stay Out on Date Night?

Tonight's the night .
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Tonight's the night . . . well maybe! When you and your partner get the green light for some kid-free time out on the town, how long do you last? While some couples try to party it up like they did in their prebaby days, others are more conservative with their outings. During a recent date night twitter chat, @npjohnson tweeted, "11ish. Tad past my bedtime to make it feel special." What do you do?

Photo courtesy of ABC

How Much to Pay a Babysitter
parenting

The Price of Parenting, How Much Do You Pay Your Babysitter?

The going rate for an adult babysitter in my neighborhood is $25 an hour if you have two or three kids.
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The going rate for an adult babysitter in my neighborhood is $25 an hour if you have two or three kids. Though there are online caregiver calculators to do the math for mom, some parents prefer to do some research at the playground or inquire among friends to figure out a competitive rate. If they are attempting to steal someone else's sitter, the stakes are higher. Other factors like driving children, doing light housework or tending to tots overnight may up the ante as well. How much do you shell out (per hour) for a babysitter? And, how often do you hire help?

Dog Howls to Hush Baby
Dogs

Pup and Baby Have a Moment

The bond that forms between the family dog and the baby of the house is an inevitable and mysterious thing.
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The bond that forms between the family dog and the baby of the house is an inevitable and mysterious thing. The dog is usually jealous at first, but eventually grows overprotective of the crying, crapping, crawling, yet oh-so adorable, new rug rat. So is the pup below trying to steal the spotlight from his whining companion or simply trying to soothe the child? Who knows. But he's pretty darn persuasive . . .

Do Tell: Would You Hire a Good-Looking Nanny?
Love and Sex

Do Tell: Would You Hire a Good-Looking Nanny?

Jude Law did it, so did Ethan Hawke, but that doesn't mean falling for your kids' nanny is right.
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Jude Law did it, so did Ethan Hawke, but that doesn't mean falling for your kids' nanny is right. Of course you can't help who you love, but you can avoid bringing temptation into your home. If you're one of the lucky ones who can afford a nanny, sometimes her beauty can be overlooked — being a good caretaker for your children is much higher on the totempole after all. So ladies, if you were to find someone who you completely trusted with your precious little ones, but she happened to be incredibly attractive, too, do tell, would you hire her as your nanny or would you go back to the drawing board?

Source

Babysitter Dances For Webcam, Neglects Baby
Humor

Time For a New Sitter?

When Mom and Dad are away, the babysitter will play.
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When Mom and Dad are away, the babysitter will play. As for the uncoordinated toddler, well, he'll just have to figure out something else to do.

Monkey Babysitter!
Humor

Monkey Babysitter!

Who needs babysitters when we got monkeys?
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Who needs babysitters when we got monkeys? No joke. A monkey in India took a liking to this family's newborn and started making regular visits to play with the infant. Before long, the monkey became the family babysitter. While Mom spends the day accomplishing household chores, the monkey tends to the baby and all its pretend buggers. Do I hear Disney calling?