Jenny is wonderful, in her mid-20’s and a good friend of our previous babysitter, Molly. But try telling that to the baby.

When Jenny arrived, the older girl hid behind her Daddy’s legs. The baby - sensing the plot - started frantically trying to climb up her Mommy.

After a few minutes, the older one emerged from behind her Daddy to announce “Zoe’s not going to be shy anymore,” take Jenny by the hand and lead her upstairs to her room. They were soon hunched over a Bingo puzzle and getting on famously. Baby Maya looked worried but managed to control herself until we started heading out. We could hear her screams as we made a hasty escape to get to our first holiday party of the year.

She calmed down soon after and of course, was none the worse for wear the next day. But we still grapple with the guilt everytime we leave the house.

With party season here, do you use a babysitter for nights out? Or do you stay home more than you’d like? Any tips for helping a baby warm up to a new sitter?

Also, Kay wonders if anyone has found a sitter online - sittercity.com and Craigslist - and what the experience was like? How much do you pay?

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