Looking for a good babysitter? Get in line.

A Red Cross poll has recently found what any of the region’s parents can probably tell you: A good baby sitter is hard to find. That’s because most folks won’t just settle for the gum-popping, boyfriend-calling teenaged girl next door. Parents these days are going big or going — er, staying home.

“Parents want recommended sitters who have childcare training and CPR certification,” Tener Goodwin Veenema, a member of the Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, said in a news release. “As a mother of four, I know that there is more to choosing a babysitter than price or availability. The safety and welfare of our children is first and foremost.”