An online service matching parents with suitable child minders has been set up. “Our mission is to build a community which supports and connects families with local child carers all over Ireland,” says Asple, who has three young children. “Boys make fantastic babysitters but unfortunately there is a lot of stigma around male babysitters and in childcare in general,” she says. We, as parents need to change this by encouraging them and hiring male babysitters — who can be just as safe, caring and responsible as a female one. “Ultimately parents should screen the babysitter, not the gender.”And while it’s vital that parents can trust the person who is minding their child, it’s also important that the babysitter feels comfortable with their employers.

Source: Irish Examiner June 30, 2019 08:03 UTC