My family and i are moving to NYC in April...and we're desperately looking for full time childcare.  i have googled daycares near tribeca and called at least 4 daycares.  NO availability! HELP:)  Do you have any recommendations?

–Nazli

Hi there--not sure which places you've called but here are some of the ones close to/around Tribeca that we know people have used: FedKids, Buckle My Shoe, Trinity, and Battery Park City Nursery. Manhattan Kids' Club is in the West Village, which might work if you are heading uptown to work. And we just read about a brand-new Bright Horizons opening this month in the Financial District. Not sure how old your child is or if you're open to getting a babysitter (at least until you can get your child into daycare) but if you would like more info on that, just let us know.

Need some gift ideas for our college babysitters. Want to spend about $30 each.

–Jamie

One stop: Urban Outfitters. College students love that store and it's filled with all kinds of perfectly-priced gift items. We love the Wizard of Oz drinking glasses, the funky jewelry stands, the sparkly mittens, the hooded scarves...it's a treasure trove of gift items.

 have the most wonderful nanny, who has been with my family since my
son ws born. Now that he is almost 12, our childcare needs have changed. We love our nanny and want to help find her next job. What do you suggest we do to help our nanny find her new family?

–Louise

Ah, the old outgrown the nanny situation. There are a couple of things you can do to help. Since most of your friends and acquaintances know your nanny, send out an email to every single person on your contact list and ask them to pass it along to their friends and friends of friends. Someone in that pool might know someone who's having a baby and needs help! Second, post about your nanny on Craigslist, Urbanbaby, and Youbemom bulletin boards. The key to posting is to make the posting from you, not from the nanny, and to list your contact information so prospective employees can get in touch with you. It might be time consuming or frustrating for you but parents want to hear from the current employer to make sure these ads are legit. Another option is to have her sign up with Sensible Sitters, an agency that helps place nannies and babysitters. Lastly, make up a flyer for the bulletin board at your child's school, preschool, church, or synagogue. Let the people working there know that she's looking for work, as well so they can spread the word.

Hi, We've had a fabulous nanny for almost 3 years, and we'd never let her go. So here's our problem - now that I've gone back to work, I can't always make it home by 5, and she has other commitments at that time.

Since we're not interested in replacing her, I think we need to find a trustworthy, fabulous, pre-screened caretaker to occasionally bridge the 5-8pm gap for our 3-year-old and 4-month-old.

Does that person exist? And if so, how would I possibly find her?!

–Felicia

We totally recommend that you sign up with Sitter City. They have loads of babysitters--all carefully screened--who have signed up with their service. We suggest getting to know a few of them--try them out on the weekends or other evenings--so that you have a good choice when "booking" if you have to work late at the last minute. Or booking when you just need a couple of hours to yourself.

My son is turning 15 soon and is almost old enough to leave alone at night but not quite. Any idea for really good spur-of-the-moment sitters who can maybe help with homework or play Xbox?

–Lauren

Have you tried Sittercity? They have tons of sitters listed on their site, many of them are college or graduate students. They do all the background checking and provide references. Plus you can check out the sitters' profiles to see who might be a good match for your son. We haven't used them ourselves, but have friends who've established long-standing relationships with sitters they've met through this service.

I am looking for a part-time after-school babysitter and in a total
loss. Any tips on where and how to find her?

–Lilian

We have had luck posting an ad on NYU's Career Services bulletin board. You have to sign up as an employer and it's best to be very specific about your needs. If you are uptown, check out Barnard's Babysitting Agency.