Looking for the best babysitting websites and apps to help you with your childcare needs? Check this out …
Do super parents like us need help? It depends. On second thought … Of course we do! We welcome anyone willing to give a helping hand as long as the person helping us is someone reliable and can be trusted, why not?
When it comes to child care and babysitting, when it’s crunch time and we need help, chances are that we are open to some help. Sometimes, the situation really warrants it.
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For example, if I’m in a bind and can’t leave work early to pick up the kids, a trusted babysitter comes very handy.
Even if the average hourly rate for a babysitter is $16.75, I’m willing to pay if I’m really in a bind and can’t find family or friends to help out.
Even if the average hourly rate for a babysitter is $16.75, I’m willing to pay if I’m really in a bind and can’t find family or friends to help out.
Who can blame us? We also need a break to maintain our sanity, right?
For example, moms who have just given birth need to go back to work. Here’s the story of Ellen Lee. She’s a freelance writer and mom of three. She was all set to go back to writing when she felt that her son was old enough to be left with someone.
Of course, that someone had to be trusted and her first choice was a family member. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out for her. She shares in her article some useful tips on how to find a trustworthy sitter.
The bottom line is that parents will go out of their way to find a sitter they can trust. Yes, they will spend on a sitter.
According to Parents.com, 84% of parents spend $2,000 a year for sitters. That is just the minimum amount because it could go higher, depending on the standard of living of the location.
According to Parents.com, 84% of parents spend $2,000 a year for sitters. That is just the minimum amount because it could go higher, depending on the standard of living of the location.
That amount is not about to stop any parent from seeking sitters. According to statistics, 58% of parents hire a sitter at least once a month.
It’s a good thing that there are now babysitting services that parents can turn to for that extra helping hand. These babysitting services have gone online to make it easier for parents to access.
Here are the best babysitting websites and apps worth considering.
10. Bambino
Bambino reintroduces flexibility in the hectic and chaotic life of a parent. It’s easy to avail of their services. Registration goes through Facebook. Both parents and sitters sign up via their Facebook account. Once parents sign up, they can see the sitters their friends recommend. From there, they can book the sitters based on the recommendation of their friends.
They pay and rate the sitter through the easy-to-use Bambino app. On the part of the sitter, she has to be recommended first for her name to show up in the network. (1)
9. Sitter.com
Sitter.com connects parents to their friends so that they could see the sitters they’ve hired. That makes it easy for parents to find someone they could trust. One unique feature of the Sitter app is the chat option that allows parents to chat with the sitters.
They’re not just able to find a sitter who is a good fit but are also able to reach out to their regular sitters. They can message more than just one sitter at a time. The sitters whom they have hired are added on to their contact list. Their contact list is visible to friends and family who use the same service. In the long run, they can pool a list of go-to sitters. (2, 3)
8. SeekingSitters
SeekingSitters is a safe and convenient solution to childcare struggles. Founded by a licensed private investigator, Adrienne Kallweit, the site runs stringent background checks on the sitters. Parents need to sign up and pay a one-time fee.
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They can either sign up for a monthly plan or on a pay-per-use basis. Only then can they connect to sitters. The one-time fee does not include the sitter’s rate. SeekingSitters has grown and has spread out in 50 states. However, it’s worth noting that in some areas, Seeking Sitters have been franchised. These franchises are run by different owners. (4)
7. SittingAround
SittingAround is based on the concept of babysitting co-op. This is an interesting concept where parents are the sitters and the sitting service is free. Parents sign up with SittingAround where they can find and join co-ops within their neighborhood.
Since it’s a babysitting co-op, parents are the sitters themselves. They sit for other families in exchange for the time when they need someone to sit for them. There is no cash involved since the sitting service is reciprocated. However, SittingAround charges parents for the use of the app. (5, 6)
6. Care4Hire.com
Care4Hire.com is affiliated with Babysitters4Hire and Nannies4Hire. It has been around for about 20 years now and it claims to know first-hand how hard it is to find the perfect sitter. Hence, it strives to make it easy for parents to find a list of sitters within the area.
They just have to type in their zip code. Unfortunately, the list cannot be sorted out by location so parents have to go through the long list of sitters to find one nearby. Another thing worth knowing is that the sitters are not required to run background checks on themselves. That pretty much allows anyone to sign up as a sitter. (7, 8)
5. eNannySource.com
The website eNannySource.com is a platform where parents can find a nanny and run affordable background checks. Parents can easily connect to a nanny that suits their needs. Just like the other babysitting services mentioned previously, this is a web-based service as well. One of the features of their service is that parents can send messages to the nannies.
For parents who want to make sure that their childcare provider is worth trusting, eNannySource also boasts of comprehensive background checks on the nannies. These are paid background checks. It’s important to note that this is strictly for nannies only. So, if parents are looking for part-time or last-minute sitters, this is not the place for them. (9)
4. Zum
This is a ridesharing service that’s integrated with childcare. It’s perfect for parents who are always running against time to fetch their kids at school. Zum aims to be the most trusted transportation and care service for kids.
So, if parents are running out of time to fetch their kids at school or soccer practice, they can rely on Zum to take over. Zum connects parents to Zumers who are willing to pick up their kids at school, take them to activities, and take them home afterward. Zumers don’t just leave the kids at home, they take care of them until the parents come home.
Zumers are fully vetted drivers and care providers. As of the moment, 150 school districts trust their service already. Five hundred thousand students have already availed of their service. Kids are not just fetched; they are also cared for at home. (10, 11)
3. Care.com
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Care.com has been around for some time now. It started as a website and is now an app that matches parents to sitters. Care.com has become one of the largest and fastest growing sitter and care service in the US. The service provides families an online place to find high-quality caregivers, as well as easily connect, share care-giving experiences and get advice from the community of parents on the site.
Parents have to sign up to be able to see the profiles and reviews of the sitters. This is a paid website. The company addresses a wide-range of care needs that each family goes through — child care, special needs care, tutoring and lessons, senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more.
You can check out our comprehensive review of Care.com here.
2. UrbanSitter
Urbansitter has been strongly gaining popularity in recent years. The service boasts of a million registered members to this day. Urbansitter combines the traditional word-of-mouth recommendation with the use of social media platforms such as Facebook.
One of the strongest points of Urbansitter is that the sitters are vetted by parents who have already hired them in the past. This makes it easier for other parents to find a last-minute sitter since they can rely on the word-of-mouth recommendation of a friend or a family member who knows the sitter already.
Urbansitter tops the list of babysitting websites since it is the only one that requires their sitters and nannies to pass a comprehensive background check before they are featured on the platform.
1. Sittercity
Sittercity is a pioneer in online childcare services. It has been around since 2001. It was the first-ever website that started to connect parents to sitters safely. To this day, parents have the option to use the website or the app. Posting a job is easy and parents are easily connected to a sitter nearby.
Sittercity has a network of more than a million caregiver profiles nationwide, and helps families and individuals across America find the perfect in-home care provider quickly, easily, and safely. Sittercity’s care seekers can use the company’s four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing access to background checks.
You can check out our comprehensive review of Sittercity here.
These 10 best babysitting websites and apps can provide parents like you the extra helping hand that you need.
Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate. Click here for details.
To me, being a mom is job #1. I really get a kick when my daughter tells me I’m the best mom ever. LOL. Formerly a sitter myself during my teen and college years, I know some tricks of the trade, what works, and what doesn’t in the world of babysitting. Read More
Nothing against Zum but I’d rather hire a sitter who can drive my kids. That way, she’s focused on them. If she has to drive other kids other than mine, it might get too chaotic in the car. That’s just me.
Last year was pretty tight for us because I lost my job. Unfortunately, Urbansitter kept on renewing my membership even if I didn’t renew. It was very frustrating. It took them five months to resolve the case. If you’re out of the job and you’re paying for something you’re not even using, it hurts a lot.
Everything is good now. I just wanted to share that.
A babysitting coop sounds interesting, at least for some moms who don’t mind babysitting other kids. In my case, I don’t want to babysit any kid at all. I stay home with my kids 24/7 and there is no way, I am going to babysit somebody else’s kid.
I agree. I’d rather pay for a sitter in cash than reciprocate sitter service just so I could have someone watch my kids. In fairness, that might work for small areas where moms are pretty close. I live in the city and I just don’t think it suits me.
Thanks for the list. I had no idea there were other babysitting sites. That gives us more options to look into.