Parent Savers
Childcare Optiond for Working Parents

Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.

[00:00:00]
[Theme Music]

Dr. Lori Rappaport : The dreaded time has come when you have to find someone else to watch your child with so many different options out there. How do you find what’s the best emotionally and financially for your family? What are the pros, cons and cost? I am Dr. Lori Rappaport a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of https://www.growingupgreat.com. This is Parent Savers, Episode 5, Childcare Choices.

[Theme Music/Intro]

KC Wilt : Welcome to Parent Savers broadcasting from the Birth education center of San Diego. I am your host KC Wilt. Parent Savers is all about hoping new parents preserve their sanity by getting new expert advice from the baby years to the toddler years. Feel free to send us your comments or suggestions on our website, https://www.parentsavers.com or our Facebook page and you can call the Parent Savers hotline at 619-866-4775. I am a new parent myself, my son Carson is 16 months and I am also joined by three new parents in the studio.

Michelle Franklin : Hi, I am Michelle Franklin. I am 36 years and work as an editor. I have one child, a girl who is 7 months old.

Jane Park : I am Jane Park. I am 37 years. I am a Fund raising consultant and a stay-at-home mother. I have 3 children 2 girls and a boy and their age is 5,3 and 1.

Sunny Gault : I am surprised that you could remember all that.

Jane Park : I really had to prepare.

Sunny Gault : Hi, guys I am Sunny Gault. I am 34 years old. I am actually the host of our sister show which is Preggie Pals which talks about everything pregnancy related so that’s what I do as an occupation. I have 2 kids-- I can say that now “I have 2 kids” I just had a baby 2 weeks ago so it was always one kid. But now I have 2 kids and they are both boys, one is a newborn obviously a couple of weeks old and then a 21-month-old.

[Theme Music]

[Featured Segment: News Headlines]

KC Wilt : So, this week in headlines is big all over Facebook, all over twitter all over everything. It is the Time magazine with 26 year old Jamie Grammid and she is nursing her 3 almost 4 year old son on the cover of Time magazine and her 3 and 4 year old, 3 year old is standing on a chair and she has got her one breast out facing the camera and she has got her hand on her hip and a smirk to the camera “Yeah, that’s right.” And I am shocked it’s like everywhere it’s on MS and BC and I was surprised that they said 23% said “way to go” and 77%, I wrote it down but I forgot to bring it, said things that rather not see that. And I was shocked about thinking the women in Africa are like “what’s the big deal” I mean they even blurred out the boob.

Sunny Gault : Can’t even see nipple or anything.

KC Wilt : I know, I know.

Michelle Franklin : Well. You know I mean I think as a society, we’re so uncomfortable with breast feeding- still I am not surprised this created such a firestorm.

Jane Park: It’s polarizing.

Michelle Franklin : Which is, of course, why Time Magazine put it on the cover.

Sunny Gault : It sells magazines, right? That’s probably why couldn’t get it KC- the magazine.

KC Wilt : I know, I know and the funny thing is- the article isn’t about extended breast feeding essentially it’s about,

Michelle Franklin : Attachment parenting.

KC Wilt : Yeah, so I mean this article I would say the photographer was trying to use religious images of the Madonna and the child as a reference. And think about if you have a 2-year-old or 3 year old blocking at the bottle you don’t think twice. And if you were to see the picture of baby Jesus and Madonna there are some older pictures and her breast is hanging out wouldn’t it be so weird if he had a bottle in his hand you know.

Sunny Gault : I don’t think they had bottles back then-- you don’t have an option (laugh).

Michelle Franklin : Well, one of the interesting things that I have read but don’t remember the website but they were talking about this cover and they described a mother is having like a dead eyed stare. So, they really made it sound like, the way they described her like she was just kind of still doing it but didn’t want to, they make really unflattering things.

Sunny Gault : I don’t think that’s the way it looks at all. I think she’s liked determined like “Yeah, I am doing this”.

Michelle Franklin : But certainly if you read that interview, the way it has been put out it’s not her stance at all. So, it was really interesting that this other article described her that way like they were already sort of you know a negative spin on it.

Sunny Gault : But what I think it is really interesting too and KC and I were talking about this before is that you know that this is the picture of a mother and her son. Would we feel the same way if it was a mother and her daughter? You know, all the issues coming up with Oh! You know sexualizing, breastfeeding and Oh! You know that’s just wrong because it’s a male.

KC Wilt : You’ll have psychological issues later.

Sunny Gault : Right, but if we are a female would we be having these problems? Would we be saying the same thing? I think the answer is probably “No.”

KC Wilt : Well, I saw an interview with her on MSNBC, and she was saying that the attachment parent-- she is kind of created enemies with the people who believe in attachment parenting and extended breastfeeding because it’s not about “This is my boob, I am feeding my child in public” because they are not eating in public as much as a newborn is. And but she’s saying you know it’s all about coddling and holding and nurturing…

Jane Park : I think that’s the problem that I have with it in general. My first reaction when I saw was this is giving breastfeeding a bad name.

KC Wilt : I thought the same thing.

Jane Park : It was extreme and radical and you know I am a lactivist as much as,

Sunny Gault : I love that.

Jane Park : A breastfeeding person but what I really didn’t like is that this is not really making any friends which is the point that you just made KC. And I think that this just goes along with the negative aspect of our culture which is feeding off of this extremism wave. She is gonna a book deal. Just like this Tiger parenting and this French parenting thing, it’s just causing a stir and I don’t think it’s really casting a favorable light on the positive aspects of breastfeeding in general, attachment parenting and extended breastfeeding.

Michelle Franklin : Alright.

KC Wilt : Well, I wanna say it is so funny because the one thing that has upset me at the end of the day is that everyone’s comments on the Time magazine and people are calling her a whore and horrible stuff.

Jane Park : You know at the end of the day I don’t think it is anybody else’s business.

Michelle Franklin : Yeah.

Jane Park : Yeah, she did choose to pose on the cover but and people she is gonna get backlash about it. But I really think that is one of the big issues is that-- You know what, this is a personal choice she is not doing any harm to anybody, not even her own son.

K.C. Wilt: So, one of the interview on this is she says “There are people who tell me they are gonna call social services on me that it is child molestation and I really don’t think I can reason with those people” That’s actually a really very healthy mind. It seems to be a war going on between conventional parenting and attachment parenting and that’s what I want to avoid. I want everyone to be encouraging, we are not on opposing teams. We all need to be encouraging to each other and I don’t think we are doing a very good job on that.

Jane Park : I agree with that message and I personally I not am a big fan of these hooter hiders because…

Sunny Gault : Show it off, baby.

Jane Park : Because she is making a point that breastfeeding is in fact is a natural thing. I think that it’s creating more of a stigma and more discomfort for women who are breastfeeding by making them feel compelled to cover themselves.

KC Wilt : Well, that was a great discussion thank you so much. If you like to be a part of it by joining our discussion on the Facebook fan page or send us an email on our website https://www.parentsavers.com and we will include you in our upcoming episode.

[Theme Music]

KC Wilt : Well, today on Parent Savers we Dr. Lori Rappaport from https://www.growingupgreat.com. It’s a parenting program and she is here to help us to cypher the choices in childcare. So, start from the beginning what are our options?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Well, there is a lot of options out there and I think the basic ones are a day care center where you have usually got the coverage from early morning till evening hours. A home day care that you can sometimes find in your neighborhood that has a varying amount of hours. Some people choose to have nanny come in to their own home. There is Preschool that’s also an arrangement of child care and they vary as what they have to offer. Relatives often come in to help with child care part time and full time and then of course moms that choose to stay at home.

KC Wilt : So, well let’s just talk about the first couple options we have got daycare, there is a home daycare and there is Preschool. What are the differences between those three?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Well, a day care center typically has hours from early in the morning some you know even as early at 6.30am or at 7.00am in the morning to drop off prior to work and the pickup hour is late at 6pm or 7pm. So, that’s not to say parents leave their kids all day but they have that option at any point in the day to drop their kids off. And there is often times there is a Preschool component to that but it’s largely based around the flexibility and needs of a parent. A home daycare has very set hours typically and those will vary based on the person who is having you know who is offering the day care. And then Preschool many times has a very strict hourly 9am to 12pm, 9am to 1pm sometimes little bit extended and so it limits there for parents who need to then work their schedules around that. So, those are the differences in terms of hours that vary differently in what they offer.

Jane Park : And what are the pros and cons of these different options?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Well, a day care center the pro is that you have a lot of flexibility and some of them are set up where you don’t necessarily have to commit every day to the same time schedule. So, for some parents, that’s very helpful. For parents who are working full time they have the ability to bring their kids there, they don’t close. So, unlike someone who is a nanny come into your house and make it second catch show up or home day care who has a problem. Their facilities are they larger numbers of staffs so they are always open and you usually can be very dependent on them. A home day care is different in the sense that you are bringing them to someone’s home people have their own personal circumstances. Sometimes there are emergencies. They are smaller. They’re set up in someone’s home versus in a building where they might be a lot of play equipment or things but at the same time, some people enjoy the fact that it is in a home and similar perhaps to theirs. And Preschool has a very set curriculum. So people go to Preschool and usually choose Preschool not only because its child care but really choosing Preschool for the experience of it, for the fact that the kids are getting that socialization, the structure and opportunity to learn.

Jane Park : And do you have any thoughts on developmental benefits for a child in any of these situations?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : That’s a really good question because you know school has changed so much. Many of you, when you went to kindergarten and certainly your parents, Kindergarten was like a Preschool it was a year to get accommodated, to learn what circle time was, to sit, to understand how to share. That’s not really what kindergarten is any more I mean we really have a very forward kind of kindergarten where kids are learning to read and they are doing math and there is lots of expectations. So, kids who don’t have some kind of formal experience and it can be through a home daycare that at least has some structure and expectation for them. How are more difficult transition often times into kindergarten that’s not to say that they can’t handle it but it’s a little bit different for them if they haven’t had that experience. For only children, some kind of environment whether it’s a daycare or Preschool gives them the socialization and the contact in a way that they wouldn’t necessarily have it home with the one on one play date. So, that is helpful and sometimes you know as parents are working it gives them more interaction and more structure than having someone at some point you know come into your home. I think a lot of people combine these options and there are different points in your child’s development and also on your own needs where each one of these may work for you and you may utilize 1, 2 or several of them in the course of your child you know, the first five years.

KC Wilt : So, what age do you typically put one in each of those categories? You wanna put a 2-year-old in a Preschool per say or do you?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Well, there are many Preschool programs that have 2-year-old classes. What’s the benefit of a Preschool that’s truly a Preschool is that they not only group by age but they group by development. So, you may have a young 2-year-old class or a young 3-year-old class and an older 3-year-old class but a young 3-year-old who might be the 3rd child in a family might be developmentally more sophisticated and belong developmentally with the older 3’s. And in a Preschool setting they can do that and many Preschools well if they are large enough to have several classes will move the children around where they believe developmentally they are appropriate. Daycare is little bit different because they tend to have rooms and you know, limits for certain ages and it is strictly by ages. But they can take you know, many daycares have infant care, many workplace day cares having infant cares so when you are asking when the kids go in you know, largely it’s dependent on parents and parents needs, some needs to put their children in day care because they need to go back to work or they desire to go back to work. Some parents are looking at Preschool and wondering “what’s right for my child? I don’t need to put them anywhere but I wonder what would be good” So that it is often a question.

KC Wilt : So, two scenarios let’s say I have an infant I have to go back to work after my maternity leave is up where it is the best part to stick to my job? The second question is that so let’s say I have a child, I am a stay at home mom and I stay with my child until 3 or 4, when do I need to stick them to Preschool so they are prepared for kindergarten?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : So, they are separate questions?

KC Wilt : Yes.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : So, as far as your infant there is no best one and I think what everyone needs to recognize is to what is going to work for them? One parent go by your intuition if you have a gut feeling in some place if doesn’t feel right, it’s not okay. You need to feel comfortable because you need to trust where you are leaving your child. And if you are going to be anxious and worried and concerned then it’s not gonna work for you. Having someone come into your home, the advantage is your child is home, their routines not disrupted, you have them around and you can have access to them. One of the drawbacks might be that if the person isn’t just reliable or doesn’t show up you have got to account for that. Do you have an emergency backup? You or your spouse or your partner is gonna have to stay home on that day. If you have a daycare center as I said before you can guarantee that you can drop your child off, there will be staffs, they have someone call in sick, they have got other staffs that you know they deal with that. Home day cares so not in your home but in your neighborhood also an option some people like that because it’s close by. They have A/c access and sometimes they even have a relationship that may be a friend that they know that is creating this home daycare or willing to watch their child with their own because they could use the extra money and they prefer don’t have the option to go back to work. So, I think that all of those are possibilities and you have got to evaluate what’s open to you, relatives also come in to play. There are issues as we all know with our families and relationships and getting along in expectations but people do and that is there are more and more grandparents stepping in and not only helping out with childcare but in some cases rising their grandchildren today and that’s really a wonderful thing and people are fortunate to have that. So, as far as your second question was……

KC Wilt : Yes, if I was a stay at home mom when do I stick I mean someone to watch my child?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : There is a couple of things there, one is when you need a break and I always say to parents that this is the hardest for moms to stay at home is feeling guilty that I could should be able to care for my child. Everyone needs a break I know I have four and I have four under 5 years. So, I have twins in between it was a circus and I think that moms need a break and stay at home moms really do need to feel that they are working very hard and they are entitled to a little time off and they are better moms when they have a break and they can recharge. So, justification I often hear moms say “Oh! You know well I am not working and how can I put my child?” Because you need a break, so that’s one reason to put your child in Preschool at whatever age you feel you need sometime. Two again as I said because kindergarten is demanding there are moms who say “Oh! I enjoy with my child, we do a lots of things. We do have a good network of playgroups and we go out, we are active and I kind of don’t want to give them up.” Those moms often opt for 2 days a week you know….

KC Wilt : But what age is it—like yeah you should be, they should be learning their alphabet in a school situation like my niece is 4 years and hasn’t been to Preschool yet. My sister in law is going around now looking up places. Has she missed the mark? Has she?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : No, and let’s clarify that the early years are not about academic because any kid who goes into kindergarten and doesn’t know their letters, their numbers and not as fluent and stands next to a kid who is reading, at the end of first grade they are all the same. So, what we want kids to get out of Preschool is to get out of their early years is a sense of themselves, is comforting their self- esteem, being able to interact with other children and sharing. I am sure that most moms who are staying at home are introducing letters. So, does it need to be formal? Here is a worksheet every week that is coming home from Preschool because the letter of the week happens to be “J”. No, it doesn’t have to be that way. So I think that’s you know we want to clarify that it’s not that you are missing or you are depriving your child of anything because there are some moms who are doing some amazingly wonderful things with their kids, taking them learning, going out and interacting. It’s helpful for kids to have some kind of formal experience whether that’s in a home daycare that has again that structure. The year before they go into Preschool it doesn’t have to be there is no set time,

KC Wilt : It doesn’t have to be three?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : It doesn’t have to be three and if they don’t again as I said before doesn’t mean that they are not successful in kindergarten. They may have lots of other resources, they may have several siblings. So, that’s not a big concern. I think sometimes parents may find it challenging as their way and they like to put their kids in Preschool. In the last year, many Preschools are often the ones that are highly desirable have a five day. You have to put your 4-year-old in a 5 day because they want to fill the spots and it’s harder to fill a 2 day and if that’s the case and you only wanna send your kid 3 days or 4 if you can financially do it and that’s not an issue what I will often recommend parents to put your kid in that program because you like it and pull them out when you feel like it. Then you are not forced to Mondays and Wednesdays but you just choose to say “Hey, we are gonna spend the day” and you may find your kid may want to be in Preschool and sometimes not wanna stay. But sometimes you know you take them out and you take them out unless you want to just spend time with them.

KC Wilt : That’s a good idea.

Michelle Franklin : So, of all these options where do they all fall in the financial spectrum?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : They are very different and they very different depending on where you live. Religious based Preschools if you are looking at Preschools tend to be less costly because if you are a member of that synagogue, church or if you are having financial difficulties they will often try to accommodate you. I had a mom with triplets who really couldn’t figure out a place for her child, her children to be in it, they couldn’t afford it and found a church they weren’t a part of who welcomed them and really helped them to financially be there. Home day care bringing someone into your home depending on where you are if they are living in it is less expensive and gives you little more flexibility but less privacy then if they are living out. Who you are choosing to bring into your home you mean whether it’s someone who is unskilled or doesn’t speak English let’s say versus a college student versus maybe a 45-year-old woman who has done raising her children and all can vary in cost. Home daycares vary tremendously it could be someone that you know you offered to say “Hey, you are home with your child I have another one would you like to watch mine” and you can help them out you know by giving them some monetary exchange. Relatives sometimes relatives provide care and they are paid you know often times relatives make money. Some families are helping to support their parents then it’s a way for them to feel “Okay, we are all in this together I will pay you more but I am getting something out of it and I am you know giving it to you and helping you as well.” So, day cares can tend to be, if you are working full time on probably cost effective for you because you have more flexibility and some of them will allow you to have if you take a day off not send your child but sort of have minimum hours a week. So, it really depends on what your needs are because they can all be you know, they can all be similar depending on what you are looking for?

KC Wilt : Well, thank you so much when we come back we will talk about other options of nanny care, relative care and seeing at home. We will be right back.

[Theme Music]

KC Wilt : Hi, we are back with Dr. Lori Rappaport from Growing Up Great, a Parenting program. She is helping us talk about our childcare choices. So, in this section we wanted to ask you about the other option which was nanny care and relatives so, how does nanny care work?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Well, it works in many different ways sometimes people share nanny so they will look to hire someone and come into one house and bring the kids together and share that in some way.

KC Wilt : For financial aspects?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Yes, for financial aspects and also as your child gets little older for socialization. If you have good friend and your kids are friends and then taking care of two financially it’s helpful. It’s also helpful as those of you with older kids know having two kids that can play together helps a little bit then you will be using them all the time and they get the socialization. People advertise you know, in many different ways from word of mouth, through parenting groups and forums, to Craigslist, to the local newspapers, penny savers often a great place to find people. And many times there are women whose kids are school age who are going back you know, the kids are in school they want to be around for their kids should they you know, come home from school at 3’o clock. But they don’t want to necessarily take a full-time job but they would love to take care of someone else’s child so, that’s the nanny part. Sometimes there are pairs which is a whole other topic you know where you will have foreign exchanged students will come, they live with you typically part of it is their ability to live in United States learn English and experience things and take classes. But they are around to provide some child care but often not necessarily you know, as full time if you are working full time. And then there are relatives, people in your own family often grandparents, sometimes sisters. I know a family right now who just had triplets whose sister, the husband’s sister is taking a break from school, graduate school came and lived with them for a year and is helping out. So, sometimes you have you know, family that can be helpful and sometimes family that we said before that you are supporting already. So, here is a way for you to provide may be more support or give them an opportunity to help you back. So, that’s an option too.

Jane Park : Do you have any thoughts on, I have worked with several nannies but the expectations of house work?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : That’s a really great question. I think that often when we meet someone we try to tailor our job to them. If they come in and say “I don’t wanna do this” and you say “Well, okay” It’s best to have your idea of what you need and if you are going to really want someone to do laundry for you because you have an infant and they are gonna you know the infant will sleep and you are gonna come home tired and that’s not what you wanna do. Then make sure you get that up front.

Jane Park : Alright.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Don’t compromise because you are only gonna resent that in the long term.

Jane Park : Alright.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : And there are many people and again it depends you are gonna get a college student if you are looking for a nanny who is really gonna wanna come and perhaps at the time you got a college student it’s for a 2-year-old who takes them to the park or who takes them to somewhere and they interact with them and they really not interested in doing housework. And if your goal at that point is you know, for that kid to be out about then that’s okay. If you want someone to come into the home and you want them to straighten up as well and perhaps you are not sure that you are working full time so you are around and there are times when you might wanna take your child and I often see parents get stuck in that dilemma, “Well, I have childcare today but I really wanted to be with my kid and now what I am not gonna pay them but yet they are feeling like they wanna be there.” If your person does house work as well then you can take your child for couple of hours and give them an opportunity to be in your house.

Jane Park : For a stranger to be in our house.

KC Wilt : Yeah, that makes sense.

Jane Park : Can I hijack this question a little bit more?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Sure.

Jane Park : So, going deeper into this mother’s helper rule with a college student, one of my most challenging times of the day is the end of the day when it’s time to wind on the play, finish fixing dinner and feed everybody and then get them ready for bed and get them in bed.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : The bewitching hour?

Jane Park : Yeah, the bewitching hour and my children are young 5,3 and 1. And my 1 year old really still needs to be held all the time and he needs full on attention so I have experimented with having some high school students come in for 2 hours to be there.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Alright.

Jane Park : And I, one of the challenges is when you are present my children, my older children tend to be more challenging. So, do you have tips on how to handle that particular situation?

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Yeah, you bring up a great thing because I think kids are resourced and middle school kids, responsible middle school students will come for an hour or two.

Jane Park : But they lease for house sitting no one hires them like how I do.

KC Wilt : It’s a child labor and you can’t pay a little bit less.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : Yes, you are exactly right, you can’t pay less so that’s why some people can afford to do that. But it really is it changes you because of you can’t even deal with even one or two of the kids. Well, if someone takes the one-year-old because one year old is probably easier to separate then that’s what you do. And it gives you an opportunity to get through that time to not be so stressed and not feel spent when you are finished. And I think that too often people look at childcare as “Oh! I can’t afford to do that” because they think about it because “Now I am paying this amount of money” and they think about it forever. And what you need to realize is especially when you have a new baby and you are in the situation you are in it could be six months. You know I see a lot of families who have multiples or have multiples after a single tenant what I say to them is, Hire someone during that bewitching hour to come in and deal with your older child.” Give them that attention because you are gonna be caught up with the babies you have to that child is gonna get the attention they need and you are gonna feel less stressed and it could be only a couple of months and yet that money will be spent when you look at it in a fine amount of money it’s very different.

Jane Park : Yeah.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : And it really changes the quality of your life and that’s what we are looking for here. It’s not can I handle this? Most people can handle everything you know they handle but they give in, but how? What the quality of our life is at that point is a whole different question. Sometimes we rather not buy whatever it is that we might have gone out to buy or rent to go to a movie but use that for childcare because in a longer term for that couple of week period, 6 months period it’s really gonna make an impact in our lives.

Jane Park : That’s true what I noticed is that I yelled a lot less.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : You know think about your marriage you know, for those of you who are not single parenting and are married raising children and in terms of marital satisfaction surprisingly the most people the lowest point of marital satisfaction is after the birth of your first child.

Jane Park : So true.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : And during the early childbearing years and why is that? Well, it’s not a couples issues, it’s really a parenting issue. We as individuals grow and change and bond with our kids but we don’t have time. Our marriage it kind of goes on the shelf. So, we go Yeah, whatever it is we have to put it away for a while. So, at the end of that day when you are less stressed, you have a little bit more to give to your partner, a little bit more to talk with them about, you are more pleasant. And so, yes it does change your quality of life and so for those reasons particularly if you have a spouse who is working really hard, we often when we are home and working hard you have 3 and 5 you look to your spouse when they walk into the door and go “Here” just take this, you know, and rightfully so because we feel overwhelmed but, at the same time they have had a long day but sometimes we forget that. And so getting that third person in who is energetic and can work with our kids really take the strain off from all of us.

KC Wilt : Well, thank you so much, Dr. Lori, for helping us learn about childcare choices. If you want more information on Dr. Lori Rappaport go to today’s show on our episode’s page on our website or visit https://www.growingupgreat.com. Thanks so much.

Dr. Lori Rappaport : You are welcome.

[Theme Music]

[Featured Segment: A Parent’s Babysitting Guide]

KC Wilt : Before we wrap up today’s show here is a parent’s guide to babysitting.

Jodi : Hi Parent Savers this is Jodi with Urban Sitter, a website that connects you to front tested sitters. I am here to help you figure out the right questions to ask when searching for a babysitter. Such as, what qualifications should my sitter have? So, you have found a sitter as experienced but what are the other qualifications do they have? Their primary qualification to look for in a sitter is CPR certification and first aid training. If you find a great sitter who isn’t CPR certified you can always offer to pay for a class or better yet take one with her. It’s a great excuse to brush up on your CPR too. Ask your sitters to dig deeper into their qualifications. Questions you might not think to ask like do you speak another language? Do you know how to cook? Are you willing to help with errands and household chores? These are additional skills that may be the icing on the cake. It is possible to find a sitter that can communicate to your infant’s sign language or help with the math homework or better yet when you go on vacation maybe you can take that sitter along with you. Okay, Parent Savers it’s time to say “Hello” to your old friend spontaneity. Visit https://www.urbansitter.com to find and book babysitters your friends know and love.

KC Wilt : That wraps up today’s episode we love to hear from you. If you have questions for experts about today’s show or the topics we discussed call our Parent Savers hotline at 619-866-4775 or send us an email through our website https://www.parentsavers.com or our Facebook page and we will answer your question in an upcoming episode. Coming up next week we will talk about the most common infant infections to better prepare the parents for making a panic driven call to your pediatrician. Thanks for listening to Parent Savers “Empowering New Parents Everywhere.”

[Disclaimer]

This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Suggestions and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. For such information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing any house care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby please receive assistance from a qualified health care provider.

[00:32:36] End of Audio