Babysitter Canceled Last Min.

Every busy mom worst nightmare...well, if it happens once and for a good reason (unforseeable issues) then I guess there's little I could do it, I'd just have to cancel whatever appnt. I was going to, if it happens twice I'd start to doubt the sitter's reliability and would start looking for an alternative sitter. Cancelling at the last minute it's just not something people should do.

I am an in home provider and I haven't cancelled on my parents in 24 years. I've never been sick enough and I wouldn't do it unless it was out of my hands. If your provider is cancelling, in my opinion, she doesn't value her services to you enough.

If it's a date-night or a one-time appointment with the sitter, then you simply cancel whatever you were going to do. If you need to go to work and the sitter cancels last minute, call work and let them know you will be late. Get on the phone and start calling friends, family and neighbors.

Some daycare centers will agree to "per diem" back-up care, but they will probably charge you more than their regular rate. If your childcare is that inconsistent- find someone new!

I do have "back up" in theory but realistically, at the last minute that back up may not be available or may be but it may take an hour or two (so it will affect my work day). If it is lasting for more than a day, I take care of that day immediately and start checking into my options for additional days. Some centers do take "drop-ins" if the space if available but not all centers do.

I have learned that it is best to make agreements up front. I work by appointment and am continually faced with the reality that there are some people who simply do not feel responsible for not keeping commitments and seem oblivious to the havoc they create in other people's lives. It sounds to me like you need to sit down and discuss all of the 'just-in-case- issues and make agreements. It really is just a matter of drawing clear boundaries and having plans in place.

For example, if this is the babysitter's daily job, then she needs to be professional about taking off sick. Just like a teacher in a school, she is responsible for having a plan in case the school needs to call in a substitute at the last minute and she must provide enough notice for the school to be able to call a substitute and have them there on time for school to start. It is up to you to respect her as a professional and tell her how much notice you will need in order to get a back up plan in place. You might even consider telling her that with anything less than 2 hours notice, you will expect her to arrange to get the child to the alternate daycare provider. If you have a back up provider that is reasonably priced but requires notice and it would cost more to use a provider that does not require notice, you might consider telling the sitter that, if her failure to provide you with enough advance notice creates the need for the more expensive provider, she should expect at least half of the additional expense to come out of her pay.

I know it is hard enough to find a person you feel really good about leaving your child with, but you really do need to have a couple of back up plans in place. One idea is to consider having the sitter take responsibility to notify the back up provider. This way, by the time you get the call, arrangements have been made.

You really just need to have a planning session with the sitter and make your needs and expectations clear. Then, if she continues to disappoint you, you will know you need to find someone else.

Kindercare in my area does drop off day care on an as needed basis. There are also other places as well but I think it depends on your area.

I would call local places and see what is out there. Also maybe have a friend that you can exchange with both ways as needed.

Since I only use sitters for the occasional night out, I would just cancel my plans, but if it was for work I would be sure to have a back up in place just in case.

Do you use a home childcare? I do home childcare in MN and network with others in my immediate area. A few of us do back up for each other, if we have space. We have to have all the paperwork in place and enrollment and immunization forms, etc...but the few families we do this for, have all done this and it works out great.

I would recommend looking on Craigslist or such and seeking a back up provider. Contact those with openings in your area..licensed home daycares or SAHM's..whatever your comfort level is (or a local resource and referral agency), tell them what you need. You may have to have paperwork on file with a few, as their openings may come and go, but I encourage all of my families to see such back up arrangements if they do not have family to fall back on in such cases.

I, like everyone else, get sick in the night, have a child (now a teen) who gets sick, have funerals and other family emergencies that can crop up in the 12 hours since I saw a family last, requiring me to call at 6am (I open at 7am) and say I will be closed that day. It doesn't mean I am unreliable, as one poster may have said for a regular "babysitter"...it just means I am human.

Good luck!

Well- my son is almost past babysitter age, thank goodness! But honestly, I have been known to throw myself on the mercy of neighbors, lol!

We had a funeral to attend and my son was actually home sick. I called our regular teenage babysitter and she could not come- (they are also neighbors) but her mother, bless her heart, said she would be happy to come by and keep him company for a couple of hours! She even brought him chicken soup!

So you never know- people are always more willing to help out in a crisis than you expect! If this is a more long-term issue, I think you have to look for a new regular sitter. Try an online service like Sittercity- they vet all their applicants really well. good luck!

I'm lucky enough to work PT and while I do have a set schedule, my boss is very, very flexible about what days I go into the office.
BUT there have been weeks where my son was sick all week and home from school which is why everyone needs a Plan B.
Mine is to meet my mom at a midpoint (she lives about an hour away) and she watches him at her house, if needed.
I guess that's my back up.

There are centers that provide back up care. Luckily for us, my husband's employer contracts with an excellent preschool/daycare provider in the city to provide back up care for employees. Whenever my sons' regular facility is closed (now that my oldest is in public PreK -you have some holidays the rest of us don't get), we can use this. We get to use it 20 times per child per year for $25 a day. I know there are other centers in towns and cities that offer this even if your employer doesn't contract with them. You should call around and find out if you could put your kids on their list for backup if you ever need it.

If it's day to day - like I'm going to work and the nanny calls in sick - we have emergency childcare set up through our office. Bright Horizons is the facility and as long as your kids are registered, we can call day-of and bring them in, in a pinch. We've used them before and they're terrific.

If it for a night out, we'd just bag it. And depending on the reason for the sitter bailing out, we probably wouldn't call them again.