The average hourly rate for an experienced babysitter in the United States is approximately $10. So if you want to go have dinner and see a movie with your significant other, you’re going to be out about $40 on babysitting alone. Sure, you could get the 14 year old down the street to baby-sit for less, but this is one area where you most certainly get what you pay for. Especially if you have a baby, you want a sitter who is experienced, knowledgeable in CPR and First Aid, and is levelheaded enough to handle an emergency.

One way to make sure you have a qualified babysitter without breaking the bank, is to form a babysitting co-op. Simply put, a babysitting co-op is made up of families who take turns babysitting for each other. There are numerous advantages to such an arrangement:

• Babysitting is provided by people who are parents themselves.
• You have a pool of reliable sitters to call on when you need them.
• The service is free, however you will be required to baby-sit other people’s children in return.

If you think that this might be a good arrangement for your family, consider these basic co-op guidelines:

• Members of the co-op either know each other already or get to know each other before babysitting begins. New members must spend a certain amount of time getting acquainted with the other parents before providing babysitting services.
• Members start out with a particular number of hours of babysitting available to them (usually just one or two).
• For each hour of babysitting provided, members earn an hour that they can redeem for free babysitting in return.
• A treasurer is designated to keep track of hours earned and used.
• A list of members is provided to everyone in the co-op. A parent needing a babysitter may call anyone on the list, but no one is obligated to sit.
• Babysitting is not provided “on credit.” In other words, if you have not earned the hours, you cannot use the hours.

To get started, talk to parents at your church, at your child’s day care, in your play group, or in your neighborhood. It’s a win-win situation for everybody and you will likely have no trouble finding willing participants.

• Take your baby to work. Now, if you are a police officer, nurse, mail carrier, or other profession that keeps you moving, this isn’t a viable option for you. If, however, you have your own office or work in some other situation that gives you a measure of privacy, this could work, especially in the first few months when babies sleep a lot and are primarily immobile. If your boss seems hesitant, ask for a trial run. He or she might rather give it a try than to risk losing you as an employee.

• Recruit a family member. You don’t want to take advantage of Grandma but she might actually be overjoyed to take care of your baby while you work. If Grandma isn’t retired, what about a sibling or friend who stays at home with her own children? With pretty much anyone other than grandparents, it would be appropriate to offer to pay something for the care your child is getting. Even still, you’ll save money over a day care and you’ll know exactly who is watching your child at all times.

• Try part-time child care. Maybe you can get by with a part time job. Or maybe you can arrange your schedule so that you only have to be at work for a few hours before your spouse can come and pick up your baby from day care. If so, some day cares may be willing to give you a reduced rate for only attending partial days. Another possibility is to find a parent who works the opposite schedule as you (for example, you work mornings and she works afternoons) and then split a single day care spot with her.

• Work opposite shifts. If the part-time day care thing isn’t working, try working completely opposite shifts from your spouse. You can work days while they work nights or vice versa. This can totally eliminate the need for day care. However, it can also eliminate a lot of much needed sleep for both parents!
• Work at a day care center. Different centers have different policies but in an ideal situation, you will be able to work in the same room as your baby and receive free child care while you are on duty. Keep in mind that while most day cares won’t pay a whole lot, the free child care might make it worth it.

• Telecommute or work from home. More and more employers are allowing their employees to work some of the time or all of the time from home. If you have a job that could be done at home, talk to your boss about this possibility. As added incentive, remind him or her that your working from home will result in fewer sick days and less office space used.

• If telecommuting simply isn’t an option, explore other work-from-home possibilities. There are many scams out there so be careful. But there are a lot of legitimate work-from-home opportunities, too. Consider your abilities: can you type, write, do web design, organize, take phone calls, transcribe, or sell? Then you may be able to make money from home. Here’s the number one rule of thumb when looking for a work-at-home job: NEVER, EVER pay money to a company to apply, for more information, for training, to join their program, or for any other reason. Companies that require this are almost never legitimate.

• Get help. If you are a low income family, you may be able to get child care assistance from your state. This assistance may not pay your total child care bill but it generally pays most of it.

• Don’t forget the tax credit. The federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit gives parents a tax credit of up to $3,000 for the money they have spent in child care that year. Make sure you get a receipt from your day care provider that has the provider’s tax identification number on it.