5. Use a Service
It’s the technology age and finding a baby sitter through a service has never been easier (and affordable). For a monthly fee, you can pay to search through thousands of sitters in your geographical area. You can also post your need as a “job” and sitters who are interested can reply directly to you. You will have access to their resume and references, and can communicate through the site before making phone or face to face contact. Sitter City and Care.com are excellent places to start your sitter searches. While this may cost more than using your personal network by word of mouth, you will have a huge variety and many more ways to make sure your needs are met, such as finding someone who’s great with special needs kids or who is CPR certified.