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Swapping baby-sitting services with other moms gives Lisa Connor time to run errands and clean her house.
It gives her children plenty of playmates.
And maybe best of all in this economy, it doesn't cost a thing.
"I do it at least two or three times a week," said Connor, who lives in Inglewood. "If I hired baby-sitters that much it would cost more than $150 a month. I wouldn't be comfortable spending all that money on a sitter."
As parents face reduced work hours, lower wages, layoffs and uncertainties stemming from the recession, a growing number of families are turning to baby-sitting swaps to reduce what they pay local teenagers and college students to look after their children.
To be sure, parents have partnered to share the load of child care for years, but the economy has broadened the appeal. Traditional baby-sitters say business is down, and some offer to work for lower rates to encourage parents seeking savings during the recession to use their services. But co-op costs can be hard to beat.
Baby-sitters often charge $10 per hour or more.
Gary Myers of Tacoma, Wash.-based Smart Mom's Babysitting Co-op, says the lingering economic downturn triggered a spike in requests for a free guide on how to set up new groups. Traffic on his Web site has doubled.
"Most moms have one or two people that are good friends, that are sitters, and a co-op is just like having 10 or 12," Myers said. "The important things for a mom is that her kids are watched and are safe, and it's a good care environment."
Co-ops sometimes are formed casually, among friends. But an increasing number are cropping up in online parent forums, local moms groups and through online postings on sites such as BabysitterExchange.Com or Craigslist.
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Connor says she arranges baby-sitting swaps informally with about a dozen other parents, whom she met through her children's school activities and Inglewood Neighborhood Kids, a local parents' group.
"It's wonderful," Connor said. "It's been very good for the kids.
My son is very shy, so having other kids around has helped him a lot. I feel like it's helped me be a better mom. If I have some time to do things for myself, I'm more patient."
Rules still apply
And while money is not exchanged, there is often a system of earning or spending points to ensure parents involved with various co-ops are treated fairly.
A sitting parent, for example, might earn one point per each child, with a sliding scale for more kids. Some co-ops offer extra points for baby-sitting late into the night, picking up a child or traveling to another home.
Others restrict the number of points awarded after children fall asleep.
Mary Pugh, a stay-at-home mom of two and a member of a Watertown, Mass., co-op, said the creative arrangement has helped her avoid the hassle of finding reliable baby sitters and given her family financial breathing room.
"Just that sense of relief that there's just one thing we don't have to budget for, we don't have to worry about," Pugh said.
During a recent babysitting gig, Pugh, 27, had a small group, just her 3-year-old son, Jack, 1-year-old daughter, Marian, and 3-year-old Eva, whose parents dropped her off with a hot dog, apples and other snacks to tide her over for the 3 1/2 hours they would be away.
Pugh admitted she was initially intimidated by the idea of feeding, pacifying and playing with up to eight children, but she gave it a try.
The rules and restrictions vary by co-op.
Groups such as Connor's can be informal, while others can be detailed, particularly regarding child safety.
Some require sitters to disclose whether there are guns or swimming pools in the home.
Others require parents to indicate if a child has allergies, offer details for each kid's bedtime routine, what it takes to calm them down if they cry and to disclose whether there are pets or smokers in their home.
Other co-ops require references and house visits, said Naomi Hattaway, a member of a Cleveland-based group.
The group has rejected multiple applications because none of the existing members could vouch for the applicants, said Hattaway, 33.
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