Ask any parents and they will tell you. One of the trickiest things for most parents to do is to find a weekend babysitters. If you do not have family who can watch your children so that you can have a weekend away, what do you do? What if you have a job offer that requires you to work weekends?

Some families are finding answers online.

Online matchmaking services locate and find weekend babysitters in your local area who would love to watch your children at any time of day or night and even on weekends. Parents are able to search through profiles, review references and even get background checks on many of these sites.

One family I know found a college student who house-sits when they are gone as a family and watches the kids on weekends if Mom and Dad need a getaway.

But can you be sure that these babysitters that you find online are reliable and safe individuals to leave your children with?

Absolutely! Just do the following:

1. Always seek a background check. This is one of the most important parts of the process is to be sure that your new sitter does not have any skeletons in the closet.

2. Always interview sitters with the children around. How do they interact with the babysitter? This will give you a good idea what to expect.

3. Go over your house rules. Insure ahead of time that this will be acceptable.

Once you follow these steps, all you will need to do is accept that weekend job or start booking your upcoming weekend getaway!

Need help finding a babysitter? Sittercity allows you to “Try It” free before you sign up! Put in your zip code to see the available sitters in your area before you ever need to sign up!

Check it out…you may be surprised just how many great babysitters live right near you.