With One of the Busiest Date Nights Approaching, Are You Ready?

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A Sittercity poll of parents* revealed that almost half (43 percent) haven't had a date night in over three months; and almost one in five (18 percent) haven't gone out since having children.  If you're one of the thousands of parents who haven't been out on a romantic night in awhile without the kids, Sittercity has some suggestions to help you plan a romantic Valentine's Day and add regular date nights to your normal routine.

First – Plan Ahead.  If you want to have a romantic evening without the kiddos in tow, you need to plan ahead.  So along with the usual activities like buying roses, making dinner reservations and getting tickets to that hot new show, make sure you lock down a sitter for the special night.  And if you need a sitter, try Sittercity, America's largest and most trusted website for connecting parents with babysitters -- with more than 2 million caregiver profiles nationwide, you'll be sure to find the right fit for your family.

Second – Make sure you include the babysitter's fees in your Valentine Day budget.  According to Sittercity, the average national hourly rate is between $11.35 and $15.34.  These rates do vary, however, based on geography, number of children, age of the sitter and sitter experience required.  To find out what to pay a babysitter in your area, go to www.sittercity.com/rates.  

Third – Plan Valentine-themed activities for your children to do while you're out.  Encourage the kids to join in on the fun of Valentine's Day by providing them with the materials they'll need to make mom and dad their own Valentine's present, whether it be a card or a special arts and crafts project.  This will help keep them occupied and you'll receive a memorable gift when you return from your night out.

Valentine's Day by the numbers according to Sittercity:

• Parents started looking for Valentine's Day sitters as early as November 2010
• The majority of parents post a job to find Valentines Day sitters on February 13th
• The average job starts at 4:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m.

*The Sittercity Date Night Survey was conducted by Kelton Research using an email invitation and online survey.  The chances are 95 in 100 that a survey does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 5.6 percentage points for the result that would be obtained if the interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

About Sittercity

Sittercity, the inventor of online caregiving, is America's largest and most trusted online source for child care, pet care, senior care, housesitting, housekeeping and tutoring.  Sittercity has a network of more than a million caregiver profiles nationwide, and helps families and individuals across America find the perfect in-home care provider quickly, easily and safely. Sittercity's care seekers can use the company's four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing free access to background checks. Sitter profiles also come with photos, experience, training, safety skills, availability calendars, reviews and more. Our Corporate Program now serves a number of marquee clients, including Avon, MasterCard, FOX Networks, Pitney Bowes and Monster Worldwide. For more information about the company, visit the company Web site at http://www.sittercity.com.  For more information about the Corporate Program visit www.sittercity.com/corporate.

SOURCE Sittercity