The following is a guest post. 

This summer we are avoiding day care costs while the kids are out of school by doing some co-op babysitting with a friend in the neighborhood. Between our three kids and their two it can be quite a zoo. Here are some tips for getting the most out of co-op babystting.

Be Flexible

Co-op babysitting is particularly difficult if the parents work part or full time. Work schedules will add to the amount of babysitting schedule changes. But even if neither parent works out of the house, doctor appointments, vacations and more are going to come up. Tell the other parent as soon as you know so you have the best option of figuring out how to rework the babysitting schedules. Don’t forget that sometimes having a babysitter on a night or weekend is worth way more than on a weekday.

Also, the other parent is going to have rules that are different than yours. Remind your kids that the other parent is in charge and you fully expect them to follow their rules during their babysitting days. Make sure the other parent does the same with their kids. Don’t be afraid to use the naughty chairs and don’t be offended if it is your kid who gets sent there.

Let Them Roam

With four mobile kids and a baby, it is very important to be able to let them have some space. There is no way that many kids will survive 8 hours cramped up near each other all day without frequent bickering. We have a pretty open policy about roaming the main level and the basement. When they start getting annoyed with each other, they will naturally wander to different rooms or floors which helps bring a certain amount of peace.

Have A Plan

With all that free movement it is good to round them all up for a head count every hour or so. Morning snack, afternoon snack, and lunch provide three opportunities for everybody to be together. An art project, game, pretend school session, storytime in both the morning and afternoon provide two more easy gathering sessions. Something as simple as building block towers or painting an oversized piece of paper can entertain kids for a surprisingly long period of time. Reading stories is a great way to get a rowdy group of kids to sit still for a few minutes. I would recommend keeping the stories around 15 minutes unless you have a group of pretty calm kids, though.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Kids are going to yell and pout. Try to let them sort it out on their own whenever possible. It will be good for the social skills development. Try not to get involved unless they are being particularly nasty, it lasts for more than a few minutes or if one kid is always the one instigating the arguments. Also, kids are going to get paint on their clothes and lose toys at each other’s houses. Don’t hound the other parent about normal property damage. Just remember the cost of buying a new t-shirt or Thomas train is much less than the cost of paying for full time babysitting over the summer.

Get outside

If you have a fence in the backyard, put on the sunscreen when they first start to wander off. Encourage time in the backyard when the mood strikes them. Also, a picnic, trip through the sprinkler or game of soccer also make a great group activities that also get the kids outside for a while.

With a little bit of careful planning, a lot of understanding, and a lot of energy, you can avoid the high costs of day care and provide your kids with plenty of playdates that will help build friendships that will last for years to come.

Thanks so much to Mike for today’s guest post.  He is the father of 5 year old twins and a new baby.  You can find him writing about IVF, raising children, raising a child with autism, and fatherhood.  I hope you’ll visit him at Be A Good Dad!