Any parent will tell you that it is tough to find a good babysitter, and even tougher to find that good babysitter available when you need him or her.

Even so, parents would rather have a qualified sitter stay with their children, or no sitter at all.

A new survey conducted by the American Red Cross has found that 83 percent of parents surveyed would pay a teenaged babysitter more money if that sitter was trained in CPR, first aid and other childcare skills.

The American Red Cross recently conducted a phone survey of more than 1,000 US adults regarding their need for and use of babysitting services. What the group found is that parents don’t want to leave their children with just anyone and that a majority of moms and dads would be willing to pay a sitter more if he or she was trained to help a child who is choking, recognize potential emergency situations and give first aid for minor cuts and bruises.

The survey seems to indicate that there is a shortage of such highly-trained sitters available to parents who need them.

Here are some other key findings in the study:

  • 55% have stayed home because they couldn’t find a sitter
  • more than 80% of the parents said they have had to have adult relatives babysit
  • almost half have had adult friends do the sitting
  • 51% rely on unpaid babysitters
  • almost 25% usually pay babysitters at least between $6 and $10 an hour for a sitter
  • 10% will pay $11 to $15 an hour
  • 4% would pay as much as $16 to $20 for a good sitter
  • 30% have actually rejected potential babysitters because of safety concerns

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