Need Nanny help!

[Alyson]

I'm going to be gone for a week in September and we have nobody to watch the kids. We're considering hiring a nanny for a few of the days, assuming that Matt can take 2 days off of work. I know that a couple of you have/had a nanny before.. can you direct me to a reputeable agency/website?? TIA!

[gulp!]

we've just always used Craigslist. If you're only looking for a couple of days, you might see if there is a service similar to Parents in A Pinch: http://www.parentsinapinch.com/ParentsInAPinch.aspx

[Alyson]

Thanks! Craigslist makes me nervous though.. I could do my own background checks and all though right?

[milliez]

My sister also found her nanny through Craigslist and they love her. She's been working for them for a year now and is fantastic.

~ Melissa

[Bonnie]

I've used Craigslist too... Since you only need someone for a week, you might find someone whose regular employer is on vacation or someone who wants to pick up extra hours and you could get a quick reference from their regular employer. We did that once and got a great girl for a week who worked for a local family. There is sittercity.com which you can look at free to see if there are any people who appeal to you , but you have to sign up and pay to contact them, some have background checks, some do not.. there are some other similar sites too. Also, do you have a college near you? That is a great resource. They sometimes have websites you can post on.

[kika]

I used to work for Parents in a Pinch while I was at Wellesley College. Great company.

I have used Nannies 4 Hire for informational purposes (like what to expect as far as salaries in my area), but have never actually joined.

Alyson, is there a college or university in your town? Wellesley College has a public website where parents can interact with students. Parents can post requests for babysitting jobs (either temporary or long term) and students can list their services. I think Harvard may have had something similar, too, but I am not sure if it was available outside of the Harvard community. I know the Wellesley one was public. If you have a college or university in your town, maybe they have a similar website?

Would you feel comfortable hiring a college student?

[Alyson]

Melissa.. thanks! It's good to hear from so many that they've had great experience with Craigslist!

Bonnie, I was just going to PM you! haha.. since I know that you're at least in the same state! I totally forgot that I'd signed up on Sittercity.com a few months back. I'll have to check there!

Thanks Kika.. and yes, there is a junior college about 2 blocks away. I'll have to check out their website and ask around. I'm fine with hiring a college student. I actually asked Brookelyn's violin teacher if she knows anyone that would do it.. but she doesn't. Darn, because I would really trust her judgement!

Ok.. thanks ladies! Off to look at Sittercity.com