So while The Babysitter’s Clubmay not be real (ugh), there are helpful babysitter websites and apps to make the process easier and less stressful—for both sides! And though you may not be in any rush to hire a babysitter during coronavirus—after all, most of us aren’t really leaving our houses right now other than for groceries or essential work—we’ve made sure to include platforms offering virtual babysitting services right now, too. If you’re a parent in need of a break or a babysitter in need of a job, look no further. Here are the 10 best babysitting websites and apps for both parents and sitters.
10 Best Babysitting Websites and Apps
Bambino
Bambino works like a location-based dating app (LOL) in many ways in that to join, both parents and sitters sign up through their Facebook accounts. The platform then does most of the work, matching sitters and parents who live near each other. Because it’s linked to each person’s Facebook, it adds a layer of protection and verifiability. It’s also a great tool for parents because you can actually see which sitters your friends have hired. Another pro of Bambino is how easy it is to pay and get paid. Payment transfers happen directly through the app, so parents don’t have to worry about hitting up the ATM and sitters don’t have to worry about heading home with a wad of cash. If you’re a sitter, rates range depending on experience and age. Sitters that range between 13 and 15 years old and are new to sitting are called junior sitters and earn a junior sitters’ rate. There are four babysitter rates in total, commensurate with age and experience, ranging all the way up to Elite Eitters—18 or older, lots of experience, and a profile featuring a verifiable background check. Bambino is free to download. Junior sitters will be charged a $1.95 booking fee while Standard, Advanced, and Elite Sitters will be charged a $2.95 fee applied at the end of booking. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
Bubble
With a five-star rating on Trustpilot, more than 100,000 parents have been using Bubble to find quality, local childcare. The app—available on both iOS and Android—connects parents to babysitters that have been recommended by the parents’ friends. It does this by connecting to either your phone contacts or Facebook account and if you have a question about any particular sitter, you can reach out to mutual friends, asking them to “vouch” for the sitter. If you’re a parent using Bubble, you start by posting the times and details of the care you need. Then, Bubble will pair you with a few potential sitters so that you can then browse their profiles and see if there are any mutual connections. Payments take place inside the app for convenience and even better, it’s totally free to download. Sits are also tracked, too, so there’s never any confusion about how much is owed.
Care.com
It’s one of the premier babysitting—or more generally, “caregiving”—websites, so that kind of prominent status comes with a higher price. After all, 25 million people use the platform worldwide. But we’ll get to that later. First, the pros! There are a lot of different, local sitters to choose from on Care.com. After all, it’s one of the top sites, so more sitters are likely to be registered on here. Parents’ profiles include information like how many children you have, ages of the kids, and the type of care you’re looking for. For sitters, profiles include references and background checks (though these are optional and come with an additional fee). Because Care.com is more broadly known as a “caregiving” website, there are other services you can book on the website beyond sitters. You can also use the site for school support, senior care, housekeeping, pet care, and specialized care for people with special needs.
Helpr
One of the best features of Helpr is undoubtedly how quickly you can find a sitter. In fact, some parents report finding a sitter after giving as little as three hours’ notice! While that’s probably not the case every time parents step out for a bit, it’s definitely good to know in case of an emergency. Each sitter listed on Helpr must have at least two years of experience in childcare. Sitters also endure phone and in-person screenings and are required to have CPR training. Helpr also offers remote care options for parents looking to hire a cyber-teacher to help with remote learning. There are also remote care options for sitters! That’s right: Some sitters will literally video-chat with your child, keeping them engaged in things like crafts, chatting, games, and other activities while you try to get stuff done around the house. Genuis, right?! Payments are charged by the hour—anywhere from $23 to $26/hr— and the app is free to download with no monthly membership fees. Helpr is available on both iOS and Android. For additional childcare-related resources, check out the Helpr blog for posts on everything from how to talk to children about coronavirus to tips for working from home.
Komae
Komae is a cooperative childcare app that introduces local parents to one another to form a kind of babysitting-swapping system. To keep parents engaged in the co-op, Komae offers a rewards system. Parents gain points by watching other families’ kids, then spend them when it’s their turn to go out. You also garner more points for doing more work: If you offer to sit more kids or “work” on the weekends, there are more points at stake. The app itself is free and there are no payments that transfer between parents—only points. Extra points can be purchased (for $5 an hour) and each free account starts off with a baseline of 20 points to work with. Available on both iOS and Android, it works a lot like Facebook. Parents send friend requests on the app to connections they trust, then when a job is needed, parents create a sit request. Parents also have the option to select which people you prefer to notify from the connections. Once an offer is accepted, parents earn/spend their points.
Seeking Sitters
Requests for care on the Seeking Sitters website can be categorized by one-time, full-time, part-time, or last-minute services. Parents submit an online request detailing the kind of caregiver they need (the website lists babysitters, pet sitters, or housesitters) then Seeking Sitters uses its local network to match the request to a sitter. There’s one main caveat: Parents cannot contact a sitter ahead of time. There’s no chat feature or phone interviews. However, parents can rest assured that all caregivers on Seeking Sitters are well-vetted. All sitters undergo a background check by the company’s staffed investigators, are required to be CPR-certified, and have undergone First Aid training. Seeking Sitters also provides group services: expert staffing for church, weddings, or other events, as well as distancing learning pods. All transactions go through the website and there is a one-time initiation fee of $59.99. There’s also a booking fee, plus the hourly rate.
Sitter Pro
The Sitter Pro app is unique for a few key reasons. First of all, parents can screen sitters, then add them to a favorites list. The other cool thing about Sitter Pro is that it’s an app solely for parents. As in, the sitters don’t have to download the app to get alerted about a job offer. Once parents post a job to the app, pre-screen sitters from the favorites list get a message via text. Whoever replies to the text first gets the job! If you’re new to Sitter Pro, you can peruse a few sitters’ profiles, then to learn more about them, strike up a conversation via the app’s chat feature. The app is also unique in that it connects to sitters registered with local nanny agencies. The basic membership is free, but Sitter Pro also offers a premium membership for $10/mo or $100/yr. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
SitterCity
On Sittercity, you’ll find more than 1 million profiles of caregivers, including babysitters and nannies. After all, the site has been around since 2001, giving it a great advantage to evolve and establish a large network of sitters in comparison to newer sites and apps. (In fact, SitterCity estimates that 2,000 new sitters join SitterCity on the daily.) To find a babysitter to hire, parents simply post a babysitting job (for free!), then wait for sitters to respond with their availability. Once sitters apply to be considered for the job, parents can then peruse the profiles. A major pro of SitterCity is how in depth the profiles are. First and foremost, sitters and caregivers can’t join the site without SitterCity running its own background check through several different databases. Profiles then go on to include location, experience, specific skills, feedback and reviews from past babysitting jobs, and personal details. Another cool feature is the app’s flexibility. Should you find yourself in a time crunch, you can choose to alert sitters you’ve already screened rather than perusing all of the sitters that respond to the job. It’s the best way to find a sitter quickly in the event of an emergency. Other kinds of caregivers are available on SitterCity as well: pet sitters, nannies, housekeepers, tutors, housesitters, and more. The basic membership on SitterCity is free, but there are advanced membership options that start at $35/mo.
SittingAround
SittingAround is a local network of sitters that operates like a co-op. Parents take turns sitting other SittingAround member’s kids—a kind of sitting circle for parents. If there’s no local co-op already in existence on the website, parents have the option to start their own. After sitting to help out other members, parents accrue points on SittingAround. These can be redeemed later for future sittings. Parents-slash-sitters don’t get paid, since it’s really just parents doing each other favors based on the members’ availability. However, the website does charge a fee: $5/mo or $15/yr.
UrbanSitter
Need a last-minute sitter? UrbanSitter is notorious for that! In fact, some sitters respond to job requests in less than five minutes. UrbanSitter is great for hiring a babysitter for those last-minute gigs because it’s a large, extended network of sitters: more than 150,000 caregivers in 60 different cities. While there is a free basic membership available, users can pay $35/mo in a pay-as-you-go model, or $20/mo or $100/yr with a membership subscription. Available on both iOS and Android, parents are able to browse different categories by filters: rates, level of caregiving experience, and background. Everything occurs within the app, including payments, so it’s convenient for all parties.
Zum
While Zum isn’t exactly a caregiving site, it’s definitely an important platform for parents to keep handy. Zum offers safe transportation for kids, giving them rides home from school or arranging carpools. A kind of kid-friendly, safe version of Uber. Pick-ups and drop-offs can be scheduled on the regular (though this feature is only available in certain school districts in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, and Texas) for parents who can’t drive their kids to school or will still be at work when kids get home. Up to two hours of either babysitting or general “chaperoning” can be added to the service. Depending on the parents’ needs, these babysitting or chaperoning services can be added prior to the ride or after. Available on both iOS and Android, Zum prices start at $8 per child for one-way carpooling services and $16 for single-rider, one-way rides. Because rates also depend on locations and distance traveled, we recommend using the fare estimator on Zum’s website. Next up, tips on how to pandemic parents can mentally prepare for wintertime.
