The Pros and Cons of a Babysitter
Cons:
1. Deciding on a good baby sitter:
It’s not easy to find a good baby sitter. There are so many things which come into consideration, like:
(a) Age of the baby sitter: A teen baby sitter is full of energy but does not have enough experience in feeding a baby, or to stop them from crying. Whereas, a middle aged baby sitter might not be very active and enthusiastic.
(b) Work timings: Your work timings should match with your baby sitter’s timings. There’s no point in hiring someone, who is available when you are at home. It’s not easy to find someone, who fits your work schedule.
(c) Part time or full time sitter: Most baby sitters work part time. And a full time baby sitter is more expensive.
The problem with part time sitters is that, they might be available only for 4 hrs. The remaining hours when you & your husband are at work, you will have to find another alternative to look after the baby.
(d) Background: It’s not easy to do a proper background check of the sitter you are hiring. They might be into bad habits like smoking, drinking etc. Unless you heard of them from a known source, you cannot tell what their personal life is like. Kids learn from people who spend a lot of time with them. So if you hire someone who is rude & does not have manners, there are chances your kid might pick up such habits from them.
(e) Impatient sitters: Some people are impatient & when the baby is crying or throwing a tantrum, they might shout at them, beat them or give them a candy or let them watch tv just to make them stop crying.
2. Extra expenditure:
Babysitting is definitely not done for free. It’s going be an additional expenditure and definitely not a small one. If you want a proper experienced and full time baby sitter you have to shell out extra money.
3. Finding an alternative for a day or two:
When the baby sitter falls sick and still does not take an off, you are risking your baby’s health. But if you decide to give her a day off, it’s again a stressful job to find an alternative in a short notice.
Pros:
1. You can start going to work & not extend your maternity leave.
2. Even if you are at home, you will have additional help.
3. You have enough time to socialize, as there is someone to take care of the baby in your absence.
4. If your baby sitter speaks a different language and is from a different culture, your baby can learn a new language.
5. You have mental peace at work, as you can concentrate completely on your work and not worry about your baby.
6. You do not have arguments with your spouse on sharing the responsibility in taking care of the baby.
7. You don’t have to depend on family or friends to take care of your baby while you go for grocery shopping.
8. Having a baby sitter will help your kid interact well with new people outside the family.
9. If you do not have time to take your baby to the park for a stroll & help them make new friends, your baby sitter can do that for you.
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