PARENTING Finding baby sitters on the Web

Some sites connect parents' co-ops; others find sitters who work for pay.
By STEPHANIE DUNNEWIND
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Parents can catch cabin fever this time of year, and the best remedy is often an afternoon or evening away from the kids.
But parents who live away from extended family or don't know responsible teens in the neighborhood can face problems tracking down a sitter.
Several Web sites try to make the process easier, both for finding sitters or setting up baby-sitting co-ops with friends or neighbors.
Sammamish, Wash., resident Dharma Nichols credits the Babysitter Exchange Web site (www.babysitterexchange.com) for her neighborhood's successful baby-sitting co-op. "It's just been fabulous," she said of the free service, which tracks points for using or providing baby-sitting between families.
When Nichols needed a sitter to watch 2 1/2-year-old Chloe so Nichols could go out to dinner for her birthday, she filled out a form on the site with the requested time and date. The Web site sent a query e-mail to all 10 families in Nichols' group; she then received three e-mails back from parents who were available. She selected which parent she preferred and the arrangement was set.
Afterward, the mom who baby-sat requested her credits (one for every 15 minutes) and Nichols verified the exchange. Each family starts with 40 credits and can earn more by sitting. Nichols uses the co-op once a week on average.
Other sites
With Nichols' group, participants are all parents in the same neighborhood. Other Web sites offer to help parents find paid baby sitters. However, parents need to check references and make sure children are comfortable with new sitters.
As one site, Callforsitters.com, warns, "Using this Web site is not a substitution for the interview process or an excuse for carelessness. No matter which media you use, we recommend you exercise caution whenever you find a new baby sitter."
The Babysitter Exchange (www.babysitterexchange.com), which was founded by a group of parents, keeps track of all the credits earned and spent, maintains an online calendar and facilitates the communication and maintenance of groups and members.
There are no fees to use the service, so if the co-op doesn't work, participants can either cancel their membership or stop using the service. It's also possible to start several groups (one from the neighborhood, one at work, one at children's school). www.sittercity.com: This baby-sitter database covers several large cities, including Seattle, New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Members can search for sitters using such criteria as availability, languages spoken, proximity and transportation preferences.
Charges
Membership costs $39.99 for the first month and $5 a month after that. Once sitters are found, the account can be canceled.
Sitters choose their own rates and generally charge $10-15 an hour. Many also offer pet sitting, house sitting, newborn care, elder care, and miscellaneous housework. Sitters provide references, and the Web site offers a user feedback system.