Summertime is here, marked by a myriad of backyard barbecues, refreshing swimming pools, al fresco family dining and the inevitable challenge of how to entertain the kids for three solid months. And on top of all the commotion, it's a time where most parents inevitably lose their favorite sitters in what we call The Sitter Shuffle.

While your high-energy little ones are bouncing off the school bus for the last time this year, your beloved babysitter is packing up her dorm room and heading home … a thousand miles away. From the looks of things, you'll be kissing any adult-type events goodbye for the season. Or will you?

Remember, while you're mourning the loss of your beloved babysitter, a flood of new, unfamiliar sitters are leaving their respective colleges across the country and migrating right to your town. But how can you find them? Are they really trustworthy? Will one be as good a match as the school-year sitter? Can they make outdoor activities as fun as (but safer than) fireworks?

Worry no more. We've got the answers, along with tips and suggestions for maneuvering through The Sitter Shuffle without so much as a misstep.

LOOK ONLINE

Forget trying to convince your totally competitive neighbor to reveal her favorite summertime sitter's phone number. In today's digital age, it's the next big thing: finding a babysitter online. Online parent-babysitter matchmaking services can connect you with sitters in your area, providing you with countless search options and pertinent information upfront, from CPR certifications to years of experience.

But because of the risks associated with searching for any kinds of services online, you'll want to make sure you register with a safe, secure, well-respected website - such as Sittercity.com. Sittercity is the first and largest parent-babysitter matchmaking site out there, and is considered the inventor of online child care. Sittercity makes it safe and simple to find a sitter, providing such a vital service that the Today Show, Wall Street Journal, Redbook, Parenting, CBS Early Show, CNN and ABC News have featured it as a big advance in child care.

Not only is Sittercity a national database with hundreds of thousands of sitters across America, it also provides invaluable tools for parents, including a thorough four-step screening process, interactive Rate Calculator, background checks, parent-to-parent feedback on sitters and resources such as what to ask a sitter in the interview.

POST YOUR JOB

When you register with online babysitter sites, you could immediately search for sitters in your local area and contact them without posting a job. But it's an even better idea to post the job and let sitters come to you. It sounds like a counterintuitive approach, but it works!

Not only is this easier on you (summer's keeping you busy enough), it's also more effective. And, to make sure your posting receives maximum exposure, Sittercity will email your job out that same day to sitters in your area so those whose schedules and credentials match what you're seeking will apply. Really, it couldn't be easier!

Sittercity tip: If you do decide to conduct a sitter search instead of posting a job, don't conduct a search by college. While this may work during most of the year, many of those sitters may not originally be from the area (like your own sitter) and will have gone back home for the summer.

SCREEN THE SITTERS

Before you actually hire a summertime sitter, we recommend following Sittercity's four-step screening process:

1. Check the sitter's online feedback on Sittercity.com from parents who have hired her in the past.
2. Call the sitter's references, conveniently listed directly on her online profile. (For extra help, Sittercity's library includes an article on what questions to ask the sitter's references to make the most of the phone call.)
3. Conduct an in-person interview - and keep your kids around! Watch how they interact with and react to the sitter firsthand.
4. Conduct a background check on your top candidate. Sittercity provides convenient background checks through LexisNexis right on Sittercity.com.

Sittercity tip: Instead of just hiring one sitter and moving on, keep your top two "backup" sitters in mind in case your primary summertime sitter can't make it. This will save you a huge headache later!

NEED MORE HELP?

Sittercity has a comprehensive Tips and Resources library to help guide parents through the process of hiring a sitter -- summertime and beyond. Learn the stand-out characteristics of a great sitter, how to tell if the caregiving relationship isn't working out, strategies for communicating with your babysitter, which questions to ask during the interview and much more.

Sittercity also has parent message boards to help you connect and communicate with moms and dads across the country. If you've got a difficult situation on your hands, ask the other Sittercity users for advice - many of them have probably been there!

In addition to the message boards, Sittercity's on-site Customer Service department is available to answer your questions, respond to your comments and guide you through the registration process. So don't get lost in the Sitter Shuffle this summer; join Sittercity and make the most of the season. After all, it's your summer too.