728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Caregivers › Shopping with Toddlers in Tow?

Shopping with Toddlers in Tow?

The Benefits of Starting a Holiday Babysitting Co-op

By Shannon McKelden

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Shopping at holiday time, between the crowds and the detailed list you're trying to whittle down as quickly as possible, becomes nearly unmanageable when you try to do it with a baby or toddler in tow. Leaving them with a sitter is a logical choice, right? But gone are the days of one-dollar-an-hour teen babysitters.

How about an alternative that includes free babysitting? How about starting a babysitting co-op?

"At holiday time, a babysitting co-op really takes the pressure off your limited time away from home," says Kelly Duenckel, president of Burbank Kids' Club, a co-op of moms in Burbank, Calif., and mother of three boys. "You can rush in and out of stores, bypassing the store's bathroom (cleanliness always questionable) and food court. You can purchase toys for other children without being guilted into buying one for your own kids and/or buying toys that you wouldn't even dream of being in the same aisle with if you had your kids with you."

What's a Co-op?

If the above sounds like a dream come true, you might want to give a co-op a try. But what exactly is a babysitting co-op? Briefly, a co-op is a group of moms (though dads can definitely participate) who trade babysitting on a points system. Every hour you sit for someone else's child or children earns you points, which you can then redeem for sitting time for your children.

When Gary Myers' wife joined the University Place Co-op in Washington state, they found it a huge relief. "I was also impressed that it had been going for 20 years without a pioneering leader," Myers says. He examined the structure and operation of the co-op and ended up writing a book, Smart Mom's Baby Sitting Co-op Handbookz (Tukwila Publishing, 2000).


Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.