Home » Blog » A BABYSITTING CO-OP: Childcare Solutions for Work at Home Moms

A BABYSITTING CO-OP: Childcare Solutions for Work at Home Moms

Childcare continues to be one of the largest barriers work at home moms struggle to overcome. While many of you may think this is a non-issue since moms are at home anyway, it is a major issue for moms with very young children. How do you find quiet time to work when your toddler insists on singing Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! at the top of her lungs? Or when an inquisitive little one insists on talking your ears off for hours on end? While every mother longs to be there for her child, which is part of the reason she opts to work at home, the fact is that she still needs time to focus her energy on work. To these moms we ask, “Have you ever considered a babysitting co-op?”

What is a Babysitting Co-op?

If the concept sounds foreign to you, don’t worry you’re not alone. A babysitting co-op is comprised of parents who agree to exchange babysitting responsibilities within the group. Such gives members a one-stop shop for babysitting, which is always available, dependable and, most of all, affordable…because it’s free!

Specifically, How Does a Babysitting Co-op Work?

When members sit for one another, points are earned. In turn, when members need a sitter, they spend their points by offering them to another member who does the actual sitting. While there is a time investment involved and this is not full-time childcare, it is a way for work at home moms to create quiet work hours or to get out of the house for appointments without having to pay high babysitting costs.

Members meet at regular intervals to handle the business of the co-op, as well as to socialize. In this way, familiarity is bred and members do not feel as though they are leaving their children with strangers. Lifelong friendships and support systems often grow out of babysitting co-ops.

How to Start Your Own Work at Home Mom Babysitting Co-op

All you need is one or more other work at home moms who are interested in forming a co-op. Of course, the more the merrier, but we don’t want you to feel like you need twenty other moms to get started. Even if you don’t know other work at home moms (or moms that may have a need to join the co-op for other reasons), don’t sweat it, because you can always recruit others in your area using the methods detailed in The Smart Mom’s Baby-Sitting Co-op Handbook, which can be found in the Work at Home Mom Center Bookstore.

Never Pay for Babysitting Again

Let’s face it, working at home is as challenging as it is rewarding. Childcare can be expensive and, at least in part, defeats the purpose of why you chose to work at home in the first place. Being the superwoman that you are, you’d like to do it all, but it’s just not possible. Even though you have the luxury of defining your own schedule, no one ever said that your kids would automatically cooperate with it. When you’re on a tight deadline and work simply must be done, why not let the kids play for a while with the children of another co-op member while you handle your business? Journey on over to the bookstore now and pick up The Smart Mom’s Baby-Sitting Co-op Handbook and never pay for babysitting again!