I was chatting to OH last night and we both really wish we had someone who could just babysit for us now and then? Now the kids are getting older, they're in bed for 7.30 and don't hear them until the next morning it would be nice to start having the odd night out here and there as a couple. Just a couple of hours down the pub or a meal out every 3-4 weeks would be nice but unfortunately we just can't.

We don't have anyone close by that would do it so anytime we have an event or are invited anywhere its a mamoth task to pack the kids off to my mums for the weekend and drive a 200 mile round trip to drop them off and pick them up - also adds massively to the expense of a night out. OHs daughter lives 25 miles away but wont babysit because she says she doesn't see us often enough and when she comes over she wants to see her dad not sit in on her own whilst we go out (kinda get where she's coming from but still a bit dissapointing - why have a grown up sister if she wont babysit ).

Just wondering if you have a 'babysitter' you can just call on without it being a major event?

xx

for all 3 HAHAHAHAH

we have mikes mum who also lives not far off 200 miles away so when she is up or when we are down we manage a sneaky night off
i have had ppl offer to take the little one but no offer of boys or vice versa so tend to not bother !
1 lady i know has offered to babysit all 3 but i refuse point blank ! you can barely see any worktop or her floor in her house for rubbish/ junk laying about and im being very serious also she has 3 dogs , 3 puppies , hens, ducks and giant bunnies ( the bunnies roam around her house ) ! i could have here come to mine but she currently claims DLA as she always needs someone with her due to her diabetes ???? ,,, why on earth if that was the case would i leave my kids in her care !

I'm in a babysitting circle which is organised by our toddler group - we pay each other with tokens. Haven't used it yet though due to being pregnant / BF. We used a retired neighbour when I was in labour with Anna but we'd only ask them for an emergency, not just so that we could go out socialising. 2 dooors down have a daughter in 6th form who babysits for 3 doors down but I wouldn't leave her with very young children who can't communicate properly. I guess in a few years time I'll be paying the kids from 3 doors down to sit for me (currently aged about 8 to 12).

Last time we went out for a meal was last summer when we were staying at my parents so they babysat Seb. In fact that's the only time we've been out together without the kids sice Seb was born....

Yes and No!

Yes we have my mums just down the road who would always have her but right now they are in a static caravan as doing their barn up - so can't have Izzy there - if needed though she would come here as she did when Izzy was small!

I'm lucky that my Mum and Dave's mum live close, as do his two sisters. And of course I have Dave so I get to go out if I need to or really want too. I try very hard not to ask for a sitter though unless it's for something like a wedding or another big event. Dave's mum loves to have Amelia and asks for her overnight every now and then which is nice x

We used to have loads, my sis, my mum, my aunty, matt's parents.. But nope now we have no one. For our anniversary we are driving to Sussex just to have a babysitter so we can go out we've managed to organise a lot of other things down there so it's not just a one reason for driving all the way there.

I'm hoping once I start meeting more people something might arise but at the moment seems like we won't be going out for a long time together.

We're lucky because my mum loves having Stephen and only lives down the road so she will have him (not overnight yet because I'm a wimp ) and hubby's sisters will both babysit if they come round after Stephen is in bed because after 7.15 we don't normally hear a peep out of him till morning so they don't mind if they don't have to do anything. Id don't like asking though and so we only usually ask if it's a special occasion like anniversary/birthday or something xx

All my family and Stu's are close by and yet we still have no one to look after him? Not sure how that's happened!

nope, no one

my sister lives about 2 minutes from me, and whilst i've never asked her to baby sit Tyler she would do it. But her boyfriends a prize plank and he's maturely "in a mood" with my OH so I wouldn't ask her anyway,

My mums 30 minute drive away and loves having Tyler but it's such an effort we've only done it a couple of times. If I wasn't pregnant I think i'd have had Tyler down there more often recently, last time we went out for my bday in Feb and we said we'd do it at least once a month but mother nature had other plans so ... we'll see if my Mum is up for having two babies soon

Im very lucky that my mum will have her whenever I want her to. I havent taken her up on the offer yet butI will do soon

Ermmm im another one thats a bit yes and no....when we go up North, I know that my sister will always jump at the chance of looking after Alyssa, so when we have been up North she has looked after her twice, once when we went out for dinner and another time when we went to get the food for her christening!

Down here though, Alyssa's godparents live just around the corner and if we really needed someone, they are always an option. xx

We're really lucky, onhave loads, both our parents are within walking distance, then I have my sister, matts sister, and my niece too, so we go out once a month, we're off to the cinema on Saturday I would hate not to have any time for each other where we could go out.

Kelly, I'll always come over and babysit, you only have to ask

both our parents take Arwyn if we need them but we don't really go out that much.
My mum has Arwyn tonight and is keeping her til Sunday...... peace and quiet

We are really lucky, we have our in laws just over the park so can ask them to come down here and sit with the kids and also my SIL is happy to now and again.

My dad and step mum would do it, but my dad has been poorly all of this year with his heart (but much better now, yay!). My mum is also very good and will have the kids whenever I need her to.

To be fair, we rarely do go out, as I tend to always be pregnant and too miserable to go out .

The kids have never stayed out overnight yet (because of Aimee's meds).

Hmmmm.... im thinking that I dont utilise them all enough?

x

erm no we don't have anyone to babysit (you might imagine that living in my mothers house at the moment we may occasionally get an offer from her or my dad whos down the road.......sadly not!)

although having said that i have to pop to work for half an hour tomorrow and my boss is going to push elijah round the block in his pram until i'm done hahaha

Yes, we have a live in big sister who's 21. We'd never ask her to arrange her life arround us but if she's staying in anyway she's happy to do it.

I've also got my mum and dad who only live 10mins drive away and they're always happy to help.

Marks mum is also local but doesn't drive so we rarely call on her as we both like to drink and she won't get a taxi home.

I do see step daughters point but it wouldn't do her any harm to do it once a while .... Would it??

nope, we don't

if we have a night out we have to travel across the country to my family in kent to have someone look after them

it'd be so nice just to have an evening out once in a while

im lucky as i have my mum, andys mum,brother or sister and my auntie who would all be willing to babysit/do babysit when i go to work x

Well my family is 10,000 miles away so no chance there but I do have my MIL, SIL and nephew. Haven't used our nephew yet as he's only turned 17 but I know he'll be a great babysitter when the time comes.

So don't have a lot of people to choose from but it's enough because as much as I love to go out with my OH and friends, I'm quite happy to do it once a month or so, whenever I ask my MIL or SIL they are always happy to do it, providing they're free.

SIL tends to do it on a Thursday night if we go out for a meal, MIL tends to do it on a Saturday night with the LO staying over, that way we can stay out longer and have a lie in.

Could you not look into finding someone 'trustworthy', through a nursery or toddler group. I say 'trustworthy' as I know that is not an easy thing to find in someone when it comes to your children but if you could find someone just for a few hours a month, how great that would be for you and your OH.


xx

For day time things like dentist/dr's/job interviews im grand. My mum only works PT and can usually swap her shifts to help out. Likewise my MIL works PT and is free most afternoons and doesnt mind taking Caitlin for a few hrs if I need her too - even just so I can get a sleep she would offer sometimes, but I rarely accept. SMIL&FIL have never babysat by arrangement, but thats only because they live 10-15mile away and my mum and MIL are only 1-2miles away its easier to ask them 1st. They do however take Caitlin out every other week for a few hrs and I either sleep/clean. Stuart is usually at work.

Night times arent so easy but. Stuart cant be left alone with Caitlin so for me to go out at all I need a sitter. My mum is the only person that takes her overnight. Before I got pg this time she took Caitlin maybe 4-5 times last year. She now takes her maybe once a month to let me get a decent sleep/clear the house etc. She doesnt mind taking Caitlin overnight - just wouldnt want to facilitate me getting totally hammered, so takes her more now Im pg.
MIL was keen to take her overnight when a newborn (crazy!) and I refused. When she got to about 16months I said to SIL that her & MIL could take her overnight but they have never offered. Stuart says his mum says there isnt enough room I think she is getting me back for not trusting her when she was teeny. MIL cant drive so dont bother asking her to come here as it would mean id have to leave her home again.
Im sure FIL & SMIL would in an emergency/major social event but havent needed to ask them. They always say they will come down some evening so me and stu can go to cinema but for some reason we have never bothered taking them up on it. I usually like the idea of getting her looked after all night or not at all which I suppose is a bit silly.

So yes I do in the daytime, and kinda at night time if my mum isnt busy and there's a reason eg not every other week for the sake of it.

Weve been thinking about this recently my twin sisters have just turned 16 and theyre reliable and are good with callum so was thinking off trying going for meal but havent had the balls to do it yet x
I have family all round me and noone offers to babysit other then my sisters x

Carla

I think 16 year old girls would be fine, girls are so responsible.

I trusted my 15 year old neice with Ellie for an afternoon recently and she was fine xx

not really a babysitter...i get a few days/nights help from my mum...this week i've had 2...once on sunday night (as i was stressed to pieces)
and then last night for OH's gig
only person i have is my mum though x my family suck at helping lol

I have my sisters and Caelyns godmother but I tend to have to give them a bit of notice not that thats a huge issue really, if it was needing someone to have em in an emergency i do have a decent circle of friends and I know someone would help me out as Ive done it for them and their boys more than once