Babysitting Co-ops

Cooperatives have been around for ages. They have been, and continue to be, a great way to share and trade goods and services for little or no payment. It is basically a fancy, and more formal way saying, "what comes around, goes around," or even maybe, "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." What about, "do unto others what you'd have done to you?" It makes perfect sense!

Babysitting co-ops are a great way to enjoy some guilt free (and cost free) personal time. Doesn't an adult only shopping day seem even better when you are not paying for a sitter? Or what about those rare "date" nights? Wouldn't they be even better without the added cost of a sitter on top of the costs for dinner and a movie? Goodness, you might even go out more often!

How they work is quite simple. A bunch of parents get together and agree to take turns watching each other's children. Some groups are as small as 5-10 parents and others as large as 30+.

There are great benefits for everyone involved.

• a new network of parents for you


• a network of friends for your kids


• quality child care - FREE!

Check for a babysitting co-op in your area, or start one. It is easy!

Essentially, you need a way to keep track of who is watching kids and who is using the service. Some groups use a point system and even appoint a secretary to keep track. To start, parents are all given a set amount of points. They use points for each hour (and each child) of childcare they use. Parents earn points by watching other children.

Some groups use a monetary substitute to keep track of "payments." Tokens or poker chips that are somehow unique to the group could be used. One child for one hour might cost one blue chip. Red chips might equal 30 minutes. The rules and methods for tracking is really up to the group.

Babysitter exchange is a website that helps parents either find a co-op community or start a co-op.

Each group can be set up to meet the needs/wants of the parents. Some co-ops hold monthly meetings or socials where they can share information, stories, challenges. Others invite guest speakers to talk on topics of interest to the group. Again, the possibilities are endless.