How would I get a babysitter for a group of kids for reception?

Care.com is great! My friend got someone off there for her 2 kids for the last wedding we attended. She came to the house we were renting and watched the kids for a few hours. The kids really liked her. I think contacting them personally and seeing if they are interested is the best way to go. We'll have 22 kids at our wedding so I was thinking of getting someone to just keep an eye on things. The kids will all be in the same room as us but he/she might be able to run some little activities or something.

We're having about 15 kids as well, and there's areas with games and other things for them to do if they want. We're not having a babysitter though, the parents can still keep an eye on the kids if they choose to bring them.

Ask guests who live locally if they have any recommendations for sitters they use. This might give some guests more comfort knowing that someone has experience with using that sitter. I've also seen similar listing on sittercity.com so you could try that site. With that number of kids and the ages, I would suggest at least 2 sitters. That way, if one needs to walk a child to the restroom or to find parents, the others aren't left alone. And, that's a lot of kids to ask 1 person to watch.

Also, make sure the guests are comfortable with this plan and know that they are not required to leave their child with the sitter. Some may be more comfortable keeping their children with them at the reception.

I would not make this your issue.

Do you have teenage cousins/family members? You could ask them and offer to pay them. The kids and family at your wedding might be more comfortable with people they know. When I was a teen, I would have done that at a wedding if I was getting paid to do it! Just a thought, rather than bringing in outside people.

While I always have found a babysitter to go to a wedding, I definitely would have been happy to bring my daughter, knowing she could enjoy the event and then I could have some adult time as well.

Care.com is still a great resource for something like this. I nannied in school and a lot of my friends were nannies. If the kids I was nannying for or a friend was nannying for had a party, we would just rope in our other nanny friends to help out. If the parents don't feel comfortable, they can always get their own sitter or keep the kid with him, but I think many parents would be thrilled to have someone watching out for the kids while they let loose.

Care.com

Email the nearest university. My university education secretary would forward emails from parents looking for babysitters to the education department all the time. They also allowed parents to post babysitting jobs on their career site.

Do any of them have a trusted babysitter you can hire? I went along as a babysitter to a wedding before and watched all the little ones during the ceremony and after the reception. I was the regular nanny to one of the families so everyone trusted me to watch there kids after already nannying for 2 years. It will make people feel better than having a stranger.

I'm a nanny. I would use a nanny agency in the area. Most offer a service for weddings / special events. Anyone sent from an agency will be background checked. I would also recommend letting the parents know that this will be offered but not make it a requirement. Some parents won't want to leave their child with a stranger.

I don't know where you are located but I was just at a wedding in San Diego last month and the bride hired a company called San Diego Event Nanny. They took care of the children at the reception in the same room as the photo booth. The kids looked to be having a great time and the parents were all AMAZED. Don't let anyone talk you out of hiring a sitter. It's a fantastic idea and all the parents were more than happy to drop the kids off in the "kids area" so they can have some fun. Go for it!!!