How to Start Your Own Babysitting Co-op (and Save Your Sanity)

Being relatively new to Maplewood and a first-time mom, I was at a loss on finding quality, reliable babysitting for my toddler. One day last summer at Maplecrest Park, I started chatting with a few other moms who found themselves in a similar predicament. 

One mom, Holly, suggested that we form our own babysitting co-op. We all agreed and followed her lead since she had been part of another co-op in Brooklyn. She invited us to her home the next week to discuss the formalities.

We each hosted a playdate at our homes so that the other mothers would be comfortable with our homes and would have more opportunities to get to know each other.

Between the nine families in our swap, there is one girl and eight boys. All the children are within about 12 months of each other. And, eight of the families are Maplewoodians. However, the size of the group and relative ages of the children should not be too restrictive, as the interaction itself is the key for socializing and learning.

Holly distributed ten poker chips to each mom, noting that each chip was worth 30 minutes of babysitting time. The chips are used as currency. One hour babysitting costs two chips. She suggested: “The swap is very useful for going to quick appointments like doctors, etc. It seems to work well when the swap is no more than two hours.” 

Using the chips ensures that no one takes advantage of the swap because once you use up your chips, the only way to get more is to babysit for someone else. While poker chips can easily be purchased, the moms are honor-bound to be truthful. 

Each swap should agree to its own operating rules.

For example, in ours, babysitting on the weekends or after 6 p.m. requires double the chips. So, a one hour would cost four chips rather than just two.

Unless otherwise agreed upon, the child comes to the sitting mom’s home during the day, but the sitting mom comes alone to the child’s home in the evening, so as to keep bedtime routines as consistent as possible.

If you need a sitter, you simply email the entire group with the date and time. Then, whoever is available can email back directly. The mother can select whomever she’d like from the responses or adjust her schedule if no one is available. 

The nice thing about this particular swap group is that some mothers use it regularly, while others don’t. Sharon, for example, is regularly available to sit but simply hasn’t needed a sitter yet. She remains part of the co-op, though, because the members become “a pool of good friends to watch your kid” without feeling like a mooch. Similarly, Holly doesn’t do swaps “during nap times or dinner time, as it makes it harder for both parties.”

In some groups, each child has a binder that travels with him, as a way to record activities, to offer guidelines to the sitting mom, and to centralize emergency information, to include allergies, doctors, and parent contact info.

In other groups, the regulations are very structured, with written contractual agreements.

Above all, according to Kelly, co-op babysitting is great because it offers her son “more socialization and [a chance to be] comfortable with other kids and adults. It helped him to be independent and less clingy with me.” She continued: “Plus, I enjoy having other kids over to play with my son at my house. This gives him the opportunity to learn how to share his toys.” Holly concurs: “Dylan has gotten to meet and play with new friends which has built his social skills and communication skills.”

The benefits are not just for the children. “I feel comfortable leaving my son with another mother where I'm not sure about other people. I haven't really had the time to interview and find babysitters,” said Kelly, who just had a second baby. As Kelly said: “I've gained another group of women to relate to. I'm able to keep my sanity by talking to other friends in the same boat. Also I'm able to get recommendations of businesses or doctors in the area.” 

Holly found similar value in co-ops, “I have met a lot of really great women in the playgroup. There is a high level of trust among the mothers. And after Dylan has a playdate or swap, he takes great naps, which is an extra plus for me.”

Many of the moms in this co-op have participated in others in the past or even concurrently because they like the exchange’s money-saving aspect as well as knowing that a friend is caring for their children. 

Holly echoes that: “I trust the other mothers I am swapping with more than a hired babysitter. You know your child is in good hands.”