How do you keep your kids safe?

Safety. What a huge issue when you have kids.  It starts before they are even born.  Worrying about what you eat, every little pain or cramp, what happens to the baby if you're too stressed, too tired, don't eat right.  Almost every mom I know made at least one emergency call or trip to the Labor and Delivery to check on some concern during pregnancy.  With my first child it was worrying he didn't move for several hours.  After an hour hooked up to the fetal monitor, we went home feeling sheepish but relieved.  With my third child it was sharp pains early in the pregnancy that made me sure it was ectopic.  One ultrasound later and we're back to sheepish, but relieved! 

There is so much to worry about and then they're born and it all quadruples and more!  Now you have to worry about crawling, putting things in their mouth, sharp edges on tables and fireplaces, car seats, germs, developmental milestones.  How do you handle separation anxiety, sleeping patterns, diaper rash, eating patterns.  Send them off to school and now they're gone from you all day.  What do they do there?  Are they making friends?  What if other kids are mean to them?  How do you keep them safe? This month my 11 month old developed a serious kidney infection.  My doctor told me he would call in a prescription for an antibiotic after the cultures showed the type of bacteria.  He did not tell me what he was calling in, but when it was at the pharmacy, I picked it up and started giving it to her.  She developed horrible stomach problems and after 5 days on the medication with several calls to my doctor, we discovered the pharmacy gave us the wrong antibiotic.  She was prescribed 5 ml, 3x per day of Keflex but was given Omnicef.  On Omnicef her dose should have been 2.5ml, 1x per day!  I was appalled!  How could this happen and how could I have kept her safe?

Whew!  It can be alot to worry about.  Mostly, I think we go with the flow.  You just slowly learn what you need to know - how to use that suction bulb thing to clear their nose, how to tell what their different cries mean, when to let go and let them figure it out on their own.  But lots of things need a manual!  It seems like there is so much no one told you about when you had the baby.  What if you don't bond right away to the baby?  Is something wrong with you?  What if you don't know how to get him to stop crying or to let you leave the room for a second?  Mom support groups are great, and lots of reassurance can come from other moms.  I had a great support group with my first two kids.  We met in a breast-feeding support class here and then were friends for over five years.  Sometimes I was hesitant to even mention my fears to my friends, but when I did, I always got the support I needed.

One topic we frequently debated was babysitting.  Did you have a good sitter?  How did you find a sitter?  How could you know if she would be safe and loving even if the baby wasn't acting so loveable that day?  We struggled through the early years, but finding sitters was always difficult.  I had another friend with a negative sitter experience when she hired a regular sitter for her infant and later found out the sitter was leaving the baby in her crib almost the entire time.  Leaving her crying and sometimes not even feeding her.  Horrible!  The family didn't trust other sitters in their home for a long time.

Many of these things led me to SeekingSitters for my own use.  I wanted a consistent sitter base so I didn't have to scramble in an emergency, and I wanted to trust my sitters.  This is also what I want to provide to Lubbock.  Background screened sitters with extensive experience, but also sitters who have support behind them.  My sitters can call me anytime if they have a question or concern.  We meet monthly to provide support and a team atmosphere and we will cover questions such as how to soothe a crying baby, how to help children separate from their parents, and what are developmentally appropriate activities for different age groups.  Parents can call me at anytime to ask for more information about specific sitters and can mark sitters as Preferred on their profile.  It is babysitting with management!  And that has to bring some relief.

Parenting is a stressful job already.  Babysitting should not be another thing you have to worry about!  Save that worry-energy for the criticial things like monitoring medication and staying SAFE!

For more great information about Nanny Cams, Background checks, and other critical babysitting/parenting concerns, you can visit the corporate blog site at http://seekingsitters.com/blog/blog.html.  Adrienne Kallweit is the founder of SeekingSitters and also a mom of three herself!

If you’re anything like me, your children are your pride and joy and also sometimes your biggest frustration. If that’s just me, don’t tell me! It is so important to spend time with your children, nurture them, help them grow, and enjoy them. But it is also important to spend time AWAY from them! That nutures you and helps you grow! And that makes you a better parent!

One of the hardest things about leaving your children with someone is trusting that someone to take good care of your babies. To love them, nurture them, and treat them with respect. How can you be sure the sitter will have the same patience you have (most of the time) with the two year old’s constant questions of “Why?”
          “Mommy, I want juice! Mommy, why you give me juice?”
                                                       Why – Why – Why!

Or that the sitter can handle the baby crying for the last 20 minutes without wanting to scream and pull her hair out. Or the mess on the floor, and so on and so on. How do you find a trustworthy sitter?

That is why I would like you to MEET OUR SITTERS! These are some of the sweetest, most responsible, and reliable girls (and grandma!)! I have personally interviewed each of them, checked their references, and had many of them babysit in my own home. (Babysit with the Why-asking two year old and sometimes crying baby who doesn’t like anyone but giggled at Sara!) But it’s hard to join the service without getting to see the sitters or know for yourself who will be coming to your home. On our website, after a member joins, they can view all of the sitters’ profiles and see their pictures. This is fabulous when you have a new sitter because the kids can see what she looks like! Also you can mark sitters as PREFERRED (or Blocked, if things don’t match up), and ask for your favorite sitter every time.

We have 12 sitters now ranging from age 18 to 82! I’d like to introduce you to a few!

Yasmine: Hi, my name is Yasmine, but I go by Yazzy. I am 20 years old, and a full time student at Texas Tech University majoring in Exercise Sports and Science. I have three siblings whose age differences range from 8-14 years younger than me, so I have had plenty of experience with taking care of them. I have also had experience in churches, group babysitting, and neighborhood families. I was fortunate in junior high and high school to have so many constant families, and I got to see so many kids grow up and experienced all different ages, from newborn to pre-teens. I love working with all different ages of kids. I love being a "girly-girl" and doing arts and crafts, but I also have a great passion for sports so I love playing with boys and girls alike. I can't wait to meet your family!

E’lisa: Hi, my name is E'Lisa. I am finishing up my sophomore year and can't wait to be a teacher. I have been babysitting since I was 12 years old and I love playing with children! I have no preference to any age I think each comes with their own blessings and love both boys and girls. I have experience with every age from infants on up from working in a daycare, and having smaller siblings. My favorite things to do are make colorful crafts, playing pretend, and don't count me out on a game of catch. I am really looking forward to meeting your little blessings.

Sara: My name is Sara and I am a junior enrolled in Texas Tech's nursing program. I am certified in CPR and first aid and I also am a certified nurses aide. I absolutely love children and have been babysitting since I was thirteen years old. I have experience with all ages of children. I used to work at a daycare where I cared for children as young as infancy to 3 years of age. I also have been a nanny for two different families where the children ranged from age 2 to 10 years old.Babysitting is a passion of mine and each experience brings great joy to my life.

Family feedback we’ve received:

Ann is fantastic! I love that she always does some educational activities like reading or practicing counting as well as lots of active play-time. She is great with my bigger kids but can also get the baby to sleep which is quite a feat in our house! Thank you Ann for being so great with my kids.

                 Ann was terrific. Our two boys thought she was one of the best sitters we have hired.

E'Lisa was with us for three days - each was wonderful. She was prompt and organized. She worked very well with my grandchildren - I was totally satisfied with everything she did. I will request her again.

                Kyla's references all sang her praises. One (son age 11 months) said Kyla is the
                only babysitter she will leave her son with and she hopes Kyla will still have time
                to babysit for her!

Kyla was great! My children had a lot of fun with her and are now asking when they can go visit Kyla! This was our first experience with someone we didn't already know and it went off without a hitch! She was on time, professional and yet full of activities and energy compatible with playing with a 3 and 5 year old. We would definitely ask for Kyla again.

I hope this will help alleviate any concerns you might have about our sitters and I would love to tell you about the other 9! Call me anytime with questions you might have and get more information at www.seekingsitters.com

Corporate accounts are here!

Today I have been driving around looking at all the businesses that service Lubbock and flipping randomly through the phone book considering where my services might be beneficial. Corporate accounts offer childcare options to employers to help decrease missed work days due to lack of childcare. I can think of some options where this is likely a big issues such as in nursing, teaching, and small doctor offices. I know in my office it is REALLY hard for us to function when our staff is out. Teacher work days, school holidays, closed daycares, regular babysitters that are unavailable all can cause employees to miss work. For me, the half-days at school always catch me unprepared and scrambling to get childcare so I can work (at least it used to cause me to scramble before I had SeekingSitters!).

My dilemma today is which businesses might benefit most and how to approach them. If you're an employer, I'd love to hear your feedback about how the system would work best for Lubbock employers. If you have a business you think would benefit, I'd love your suggestions. And if you know a business owner you could put me in touch with, that would be even better! So feel free to post! Here's some more information about the corporate accounts and you can also find information on the website at www.seekingsitters.com

The average working parent misses 9 days a year due to child related issues. That number jumps to 13 after the children are in elementary school. Those absences cost companies money. A study published by Cornell University found child care problems leading to absences cost companies $3 billion a year. That’s why SeekingSitters offers Corporate Accounts to help you provide safe, reliable and flexible child care to your employees. At SeekingSitters, we do all of the work, so your employees can keep working for you.
Here are just a few ways in which SeekingSitters can help:
• We can send sitters to your office so your employees can attend Corporate Meetings easily and worry-free
• We offer on-site child care at hotels or other locations where your company may hold Special Events
• Your corporate account is good at any SeekingSitters location. From San Diego, CA to Las Vegas, NV to Albany, NY; we can help you with Company Retreats
• The same great Back-up, Part-Time, or Full-Time Child Care for Employees that we offer all of our members nationwide
• Employee Appreciation Gift Packages are a great way to reward your employees for their hard work and dedication