Swapping services is a great way to increase your quality of life without increasing your bills. By trading your time and skills for childcare, meals, and preschool, you will have more time for yourself.

Babysitting Co-op 

        Trading for childcare saves money, allows your child to play with friends, and opens up time for you to volunteer in the school, run errands, or go to dinner with your husband. Do an informal trade with one or two friends. Set up a schedule or call when you need childcare. This past school year, my friend Monelle Smith and I traded every Tuesday morning. One week my son played at her house and the next week her son came to our house for a couple of hours. I used the time to volunteer at the school, run errands, and to teach an online high school literature course.

        Another option is to participate in a formal babysitting co-op. I visited with Coralee Johnson to find out how she established a ticket-based system that works well in her neighborhood.

        The system involves six to eight women. Each family receives eight hours per child of weekday tickets and eight hours per child of weekend tickets. Each mom chooses a time she will be available every week or every other week during the day and on weekends. For example, Coralee is available every Thursday afternoon from 12–4pm and one Friday evening a month from 5–9pm.

The Rules 

1. Call ahead to the mom on the calendar for the time you want childcare.

2. The scheduled mom decides when she is full and simply says “I’m full” when she has as many children scheduled as she can handle. Babies require more work than preschoolers.

3. If a mom can’t be available for her scheduled time, she must find a replacement. Send out an email to the group to find out who is available.

4. If no one has called to reserve a spot 24 hours prior, the mom on the schedule is free to make other plans.

5. Pay in tickets for the number of children and the amount of time. Two children for two hours costs four tickets.

6. If children need to be fed, that’s an additional ½-hour ticket.

7. The weekend system works the same except the weekend tickets are used.

8. Don’t trap tickets. If a mom is hoarding more than double the amount she started with, she needs to spend the tickets.

9. New members receive eight hours worth of tickets per child, weekend plus weekday.

10. When a mom no longer needs the co-op, she must turn in the same number of tickets she received in the beginning.

11. If a mom needs childcare and no one is scheduled, she sends out an email requesting help.

Communicate and Coordinate

        One mother needs to be in charge of quarterly scheduling. This is done by sending out an email to all the members and having them respond with the scheduled time they are available. Then the coordinator sends out a finalized calendar. She also takes care of issues.

        Be sensitive and open to concerns. If you want your child to nap at the co-op, ask first and provide a portable crib. If you are unable to feed children during your time, tell the other moms. Coralee loves the convenience of the system, but says that if it turns out to be inconvenient for you, don’t do it. 

        Each member of the group has a signed medical release form for every child, which they keep in case of an emergency.

Preschool Co-op

        With each of my five children I’ve done a preschool co-op. Like the babysitting co-op, the arrangement can be loose or very detailed. The basics are to find 4–6 families and have the moms take turns teaching the preschoolers.

Here are some things to consider.

1. Time of Preschool: How many times a week will preschool be held? What is the scheduled time?

2. Teaching Responsibilities: Do you teach for an entire week? If the preschool meets on Tuesday and Thursday, does one mom teach both times? Is one mom responsible for an entire month? Monelle, my babysitting trading friend, did a preschool in which one mom was going to have a baby. She taught three times a week for the first month. After that, the other three moms each took a day of the week: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. For the group I will be in next year, I will teach Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30–11:30am one week out of every six because there are six moms participating.

3. Curriculum: Do you all want to contribute to buying a curriculum? Or you can divide up the number and the alphabet and assign those and have each mom develop her own curriculum. In the past, our preschool passed around a box that included a calendar and weather chart.

4. Class Schedule: Is there a set schedule, such as opening or circle time, seat-work time, craft, snack, free play, stories, closing?

5. Coordinator: Someone needs to create and distribute a schedule and check that it works with everyone in the group.

6. Supplies: If there’s a snack, the mom teaching usually provides the snack. If it’s during lunch time, does each child bring his or her own lunch or does the teacher provide it? What about scissors, crayons, pencils? Does each home provide those or does each child come with his own supplies on the first day?

7. Be clear about pickup and start times and be courteous. Call if you are running late and don’t make it a habit.

8. Field Trips: These are fun, but usually more than one mom is needed. Schedule these ahead of time.

9. Again, communicate.

Meal Swap

        There are many different ways to do a meal swap. Every Tuesday, I make a main dish for my friend, Monelle (yes, Monelle is the queen of trading!). She brings me a dinner meal on Thursday. Our dinner swap used to have four like-sized families. I made dinner once a week for four families including my own, and I received dinner three nights a week. We didn’t discuss menu. We were happy with whatever we received. If my children didn’t like the meal, that was too bad. I was happy because I only had to cook one weeknight a week. Or you could have one of you cook on Tuesday and the other family provide dinner the next Tuesday. This is what Neysa Jensen does, and she says that her children don’t always like what is brought, but that’s tough. She likes cooking for her neighbor because she can make things that her family may not love but she is happy that at least someone will be eating it.

        For a more formal swap between like-sized families, here are some questions to consider:

1. Does dinner include vegetables, a side dish, dessert?

2. What time should dinner be delivered?

3. Does the dinner have to be fully cooked or can each family cook the prepared food?

4. Are there food allergies and preferences?

5. Do you want to each buy one 9×13 pan that you pass around every night?

6. What if you are unavailable to cook on your night?

7. What if you are unavailable to receive?

8. Can you try out a new recipe on the group?

9. What are the requirements for a well-balanced meal and dietary needs?

        Coralee Johnson, also the babysitting co-op coordinator (another queen of trading), used to be part of a freezer meal swap. There were three families and they each made five freezer meals and swapped once a month.

Successful Swapping               

        For successful babysitting, preschool, or meal swapping, be courteous and communicate. If the trading no longer fulfills your needs, stop doing it. Enjoy the extra time you’ve created by swapping services. And in case you were wondering, Monelle is not moving into your neighborhood. Sorry!

Next month, look for another article on trading: the art of bartering.

Docena Holm is the mother of five children. While writing this article, she discovered she is also a queen of trading. She thinks it’s nice to be the queen of something.