10 Trusted Babysitting Apps and Websites
Finding some time for yourself or with your significant other is a must for every parent, but finding a sitter for your little one can be very challenging. Looking for a regular and trustworthy person to look after your kid at an affordable rate is a mammoth task but now there are numerous apps and websites to help lift that weight off your shoulders. Babysitting apps and websites help you find a sitter within your price range and also provide reviews from other parents so that you can be sure that your child is in reliable care. They offer online payment options and may either be free or require monthly subscriptions or premium memberships.
5 Best Babysitting Websites For Finding Babysitters
If you are looking for the best babysitter sites to provide your little one with reliable care, here are a few options.
1. Care.com
Care.com is the largest online caregiving service provider where you can find sitters, nannies, tutors, housekeepers or even pet or senior caregivers
Features
- It is a website, but they also have an app for iOS and Android devices.
- Free basic membership may be availed or you can make a paid account for $37 per month or $12.25 per month for 12 months.
- Care.com allows you to find, book, pay and review caregivers.
- Parents are required to give their required job description and information about the child. Interested caregivers will then respond to the parents. You can also specify the personality of the nanny you are looking for and what your kid wishes to have. Additional requests like CPR training should also be mentioned.
- Care provides basic background checks on all sitters but detailed background checks can be purchased. For multiple background checks, an unlimited package can be purchased for an additional fee.
2. eNannySource.com
If you are looking for a nanny rather than a one-time or occasional babysitter, eNannySource is the site for you.
Features
- The membership costs $50 per month, $40 per month for three months and $25 per month for 6 months.
- A member creates a member profile that contains a description of the family and the job description for the nanny.
- The site offers full-time, part-time, temporary, permanent, live-in and live-out nannies. You can even ask for college-educated nannies or those who can even work as housekeepers.
- The site carries out a detailed vetting process, including background checks and a Nanny Success Kit.
3. SeekingSitters.com
SeekingSitters provides one of the safest and trustworthy caregiving services.
Features
- The membership has a one-time set-up fee of $30, after which it costs $6 per month for unlimited requests.
- All the sitters on the site have gone through a personal interview, rigorous background checks by licensed private investigators and are trained in CPR and First-Aid.
- The site offers one-time, full-time, part-time or last-minute bookings.
- You can also request the same sitter on subsequent occasions or a different one if you don’t like them.
- Since thorough screening has been carried out by the site, they don’t offer interviews by parents prior to booking.
- Payments are made on the site.
4. Zum
Zum is not a traditional caregiving or babysitting app but rather offers services for safe transportation of your little ones. If you have trouble arranging a ride to or from school for your kids, Zum has got your back.
Features
- Prices are mostly determined based on the fare estimate. They begin at $8 per kid for a one-way carpool ride and $16 per kid for a one-way ride alone.
- It is available in a limited number of states like California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois and Florida.
- Two hours of childcare services can also be added if required, either prior to, during or after the ride.
- All drivers have a clean driving record and have gone through background checks. They have also been personally interviewed and their vehicles inspected.
5. SittingAround.com
SittingAround is a very innovative platform that enables you to access babysitting co-ops. Instead of paying sitters in cash, you can pay them in points and be paid in points for sitting others’ kids.
Features
- Membership costs $5 per month and $15 per year.
- Parents can look for local caregiver co-ops and fill out a request for the ones that they like. On getting approval, they become part of the group and can exchange time by sitting for one another’s kids.
- Babysitting on the website is not a paid service. Members get points when they babysit for someone and spend points when they hire a sitter.
- It also awards an opportunity to get acquainted with people in your neighbourhood.
- There is no requirement for reciprocity and any parent in the group can babysit any other parent’s kids.
5 Best Babysitting Apps for Finding Babysitters
Finding a babysitter that you can trust and afford is now possible at the touch of a button. If you are looking for a babysitter finder, here are the five best apps:
1. Bambino
Bambino is a popular babysitting app for booking trustworthy babysitters from your locality.
Platform
It is available on iOS and Android devices.
Features
- It is one of the best free babysitting apps. A nominal booking fee of $2 for junior sitters and $3 for elite sitters is charged. The babysitting rate is determined by the sitters themselves.
- Parents and sitters are both required to create their membership profiles through their Facebook accounts. This allows them to see their mutual friends and they can identify the sitters that have been previously hired by their friends and have good reviews. The sitter’s social media is also made available so that risks can be identified based on their posts.
- Sitters are over the age of 13 and are hired only after obtaining a recommendation for their sitting services.
- Parents can pick out sitters instead of posting a job and waiting for them to apply. They can look for caregivers based on persons they know and those that are available at a close distance.
- Time is automatically tracked on the app. Parents can confirm the hours and make the payment easily through the app.
2. UrbanSitter
UrbanSitter is a popular app with 150,000 caregivers across 60 cities in 30 states. With an average response rate of fewer than 3 minutes, it is the best app for last-minute bookings.
Platform
It is available on iOS and Android devices.
Features
- The app offers free basic membership and a paid one costs $35 for one month, $20 per month or $100 per year.
- Parents can link their social networks by selecting preschools, elementary schools, parenting groups, churches, temples, or other such social organisations to find sitters that their friends have previously hired and liked.
- The sitters have reviews, star ratings and badges displayed on their profile so you can find the most trustworthy ones. They are also subjected to background checks.
- Parents can make specific requests for certifications or CPR training.
- The app allows you to post a job, book interviews with the prospective sitter and then schedule an appointment.
- Payments are made directly on the app.
3. Sittercity
If you are looking for a reliable hire through a babysitter app, look no further. Sittercity is a widely used platform, with 1 million caregiver profiles and a record of connecting a family to a caregiver every nine seconds.
Platform
It is available on iOS and Android devices.
Features
- The app offers a basic free membership and a paid one costs $35 per month.
- Babysitters are subjected to a four-step screening process that includes references, reviews, interviews and background checks. Parents can also request their own background checks and identification checks on the app itself.
- A job posting can be made for babysitters, pet sitters, senior care, tutoring, housekeeping along with specific requirements like First Aid training.
- If you are in need of urgent bookings, you can also alert sitters you have previously hired and screened for bookings.
- The sitter’s profile displays their personal details, location, experience, skills, reviews, calendar and hourly rates.
4. Sitter
Sitter is a great platform to find babysitters that you trust or your friends have tried and liked.
Platform
It is available on iOS devices.
Features
- The app offers a free basic membership that includes booking sitters and finding sitters through friends. A paid membership costs $10 per month or $100 per year.
- You can create a trusted network with your friends and trusted babysitters so that whenever you are in need of a sitter, you can notify the network.
- The app makes it very easy for you to find trusted sitters that match your needs and have also been hired and recommended by your friends.
- Job postings are not just sent out to sitters who use the app but also those you have liked and do not have the app as they are sent through texts.
- The app also allows you to have a list of your favourite sitters who receive priority notifications when you make a posting.
- The app has a chat option so you can communicate with the sitter.
5. Komae
Komae is a platform for you to hire babysitters in exchange for points which you earn by babysitting others’ kids.
Platform
It is available on iOS and Android devices.
Features
- It is a free app and babysitting is paid for in points, not money. Every account has 20 points in the beginning, and more are earned by babysitting and spent by hiring sitters. Additional points can be purchased at $5 an hour.
- It is a co-op app where you can swap babysitting services with other people but there is no requirement for reciprocity.
- Additional points are earned for extra children or sitting on weekends.
- Parents can create groups of people that they know and trust.
Babysitting websites and apps have made it very convenient to find, schedule, pay and communicate with reliable sitters. Due to the global pandemic and quarantine restrictions, some of these services are also offering virtual sitting. Be sure to try out these babysitting apps and websites!
Also Read:
Checklist for Having A Babysitter
How Much You Should Pay a Babysitter?
Babysitting Games to Play with Children