Even if you have a reliable baby-sitter, you still need a backup
plan for sick days and vacations (hers, that is). Sittercity
(
www.sittercity.com) connects parents in 10 major cities to a
roster of qualified college students. You can also post jobs, find
a new permanent baby-sitter, and maintain an on-line sitter list
for quick reference. You pay $40 for the first month and $5 a month
thereafter (not including the cost of the sitter or the bags of
Sun-chips she eats).