More Japanese dads using workplace child care

The Yomiuri Shimbun

TOKYO — The number of working fathers who use in-house childcare centers at their companies is gradually increasing, possibly indicating that more men are committed to sharing the responsibilities of child care.

IBM Japan, Ltd. opened IBM Japan Kogamo childcare center at its Hakozaki head office in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, this month. The facility is used by 18 employees, nine of whom are men.

One of them is Hisataka Furukawa, 37, who works in the firm’s marketing department. He decided to take advantage of the facility when his wife, 41, an airline company employee, returned to work after a leave of absence. The couple needed to place their 19-month-old son in childcare during work hours.

Although his wife’s airline...

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Planning to party on New Year’s? Book your sitter now

By The Associated Press

Parents, give yourselves the gift of an early resolution: Snag a sitter pronto for New Year’s Eve and expect to open those wallets wide.

The hunt for child care on the year’s most lucrative night for sitters began in June for some parents, though the more usual approach is to wait until the last minute, panic and shell out top dollar.

“Most people will book the week before New Year’s Eve. We’re still a society of procrastinators, for sure,” said Melissa Marchwick, a spokeswoman in Chicago for the caregiver match service Sittercity.com.

Hourly rates for the big night can more than double, she said. Some sitters are looking for extra incentives like fatter tips, festive food and safe,...

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Day care hunt: One couple’s taxing search

By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Amani Roland recently returned to her job after her 12-week maternity leave. Her husband, Eric, a law professor, took over primary responsibility for caring for their newborn. Eric returns to work mid-August, and with no family in town, the couple have been researching child care options.

Question: What was the most difficult part of returning to work?

Amani: Not being with her most of the day. You’re worried you’re going to miss something important. And then, my second day at work, she ended up getting sick. We took her to the doctor, and then I was worried about not being there when she was sick. I wanted to be there to comfort her.

Q: What was...

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Baby sitting co-ops catching on again

By Niesha Lofing, McClatchy Newspapers

Romance can require some serious cash flow for parents.

With the going rate for teenage baby sitters hovering around $8 an hour, a 2 ½-hour movie date adds up to $40.

That’s without popcorn.

If my husband and I go to a casual dinner beforehand, it’s at least $80.

I’m blessed to have my children, but sometimes I just want to hang out with my husband without the kids and wearing something other than jelly-stained yoga pants and an old running shirt.

So tapped-out parents like us are recycling an old solution: baby-sitting cooperatives.
The co-op is essentially free baby-sitting by parents, for parents. You earn points for hours spent watching other people’s (usually...

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What to pay your babysitter now and why

By Genevieve Thiers, Chicago Tribune

Ever been confused about what to pay your babysitter or nanny? Join the club. Almost everyone out there has a differing view on what to pay, especially in this uncertain economic time period. Here’s a breakdown of the criteria that go into payment, so that next time, you’re prepared.

Sitter rates can be determined based on five differing criteria:

The age of your babysitter

The distance of your sitter to a metro area

The number of kids you have (and the closeness of their age)

The time period and type of job

Sitter experience

To start with, an average rate that a college sitter receives in a major metro area in the United States is $11-$13 an hour. And the number of kids...

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At what age are kids old enough to babysit their siblings?

By Sidney, Silicon Valley Moms Blog

When did you start leaving your oldest in charge of his or her siblings? I’m not even talking about for an evening out. I would like to know when you felt comfortable enough to have your first born watch his or her siblings while you ran a few errands in your neighborhood? I just need to know if I’m the only one in Silicon Valley with a 12 year old that still needs a babysitter?

Last week I needed to run a quick errand to our neighborhood grocery store to get some milk. The kids had just returned home from school and rather than drag everyone to the store, I thought I’d leave my oldest (he turned 12 this summer) in charge. Typically he gets along well with his siblings (ages 8, 8, and 10) and he is a...

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Daycare vs. Babysitter

I know I’ve harped on this issue before but it’s rearing its ugly head in our family again.  My husband will hopefully find a job soon and I’ll need childcare again.  So the question of a private babysitter versus a day care center is once again center stage.  Added to the frustration is that our daughter turns three after the magic date of Aug. 1 that this area has set for entry into preschool and kindergarten.  Never mind that she’s ready – she missed the deadline.  So for her to attend preschool, which she is completely ready for, we will be forced to use a day care center that includes preschool at its facility along with daycare.  Any suggestions or recommendations?...

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Babysitter Dilemma

After finally removing my kids from the daycare center they attended and finding a woman to watch them in her home – I learned the other day that I must instigate yet another search. This is the ever present risk of private babysitters. Are they in it for the long haul? My daughter will need childcare for two more years.

My kids love their babysitter, but she is taking a full time job at the end of the summer. Now I’m a little nervous that she’ll take a full time job before the summer is over so should I start looking now or wait until August? I don’t know what to do. Reason dictates that I should find a new babysitter as soon as possible so they don’t have to make yet another change later on. They’ve only been going there a...

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Babysitting Forum

Need babysitting or child care? Offering babysitting or child care? Either way, use this discussion forum to describe your situation and you might find a match....

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