Finding a trustworthy and reliable babysitter for your kids can be daunting.
But when you do come across that perfect caregiver, it opens up a whole new world — for work, exercise, date nights, meeting friends for dinner, or even getting in some much-needed alone time.
If you’re looking for a sitter, start by asking your friends and neighbors for recommendations. You can also hire local teenagers, college students, and older neighbors or offer to swap sitting with other parents in your neighborhood.
There are also plenty of babysitting sites and apps to help you find a babysitter in your area. These babysitting websites simplify the process, allowing you to book and pay for childcare services directly through their platforms.
Our top choice to find a babysitter is Care.com, one of the most established online caregiver platforms. Care.com screens all caregivers with its CareCheck background check software before they can join and accept jobs. Check out our Care.com review.
Try Care.com for free today, and get 20% off your next sitter with code JOINCARE20 >>
Here are some of the best babysitting websites:
(And tips and FAQs to help you find the right babysitter for your family.)
Babysitter website: Babysits.com
Is Babysits a legit site?
Babysits, which has been around since 2008, is a legit website and app that lets you search for babysitters in your area and filter results based on your needs. All you need to do is enter your zip code to see sitters in your area for free.
As a premium member, you can communicate with sitters using Babysits’ secure messaging platform and book and pay for childcare directly through the website or app.
When you click on a sitter’s profile, you can see their experience, skills, hourly rate, and availability. You can also check their reviews and references and see whether their profile has been verified.
Babysits assigns a Supersitter designation to its top-rated and most active sitters. You can filter for Supersitters during your search.
Babysits doesn’t conduct full background checks, although babysitters can choose to complete a basic one through Babysits’ security partner. A babysitter will have a badge on their profile if they’ve cleared this basic background check, which traces their social security number and searches the national sex offender registry. Babysits recommends parents further screen a babysitter before hiring.
Available for Apple and Android, the Babysits app has a 4.1 rating on iTunes and a 2.8 Google Play rating.
For background checks, we recommend TruthFinder, which has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has searched hundreds of millions of criminal records.
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Is Babysits free to use?
It’s free to create a profile and search for babysitters on Babysits, but you’ll need to sign up for a premium membership, which costs $19.99 per month, to book and pay for childcare.
Babysitter website: BambinoSitters.com
Is Bambino Sitters a legit site?
Yes. Bambino is a website and app that uses your Facebook account to suggest sitters your friends have used and recommend. Your friends must also be signed up for the Bambino app for you to see their recommended sitters. Once you download the app, you can connect your Facebook profile with your Bambino account and start looking through babysitters.
If you don’t have a Facebook account or you’d prefer not to use it, you can still use the app and see sitters in your neighborhood by logging in with your cell phone number.
You can search for sitters based on who you know or by location and check out detailed bios and babysitter reviews. You can also connect with other parents you know and ask for referrals.
You can pick a few caregivers you’re interested in, and Bambino will text them to check their availability. If a sitter is available, you can book them directly through the app. You’ll be able to see the sitter’s hourly rate, and you can pay them through the app once the job is complete.
Bambino has four levels of sitters, starting with Junior Sitters who are 13-15 years old and new to babysitting, all the way up to Elite Sitters, who are 18 years or older, background-checked, and have a lot of babysitting experience.
The Bambino app is available for Apple and Android. It has a 4.9 rating on iTunes and 3.9 rating on Google Play.
Does Bambino cost money?
It’s free to set up a Bambino account, download the Bambino app, and find local babysitters. There is a small booking fee when you hire someone through the app: $1.95 for Junior Sitters and $2.95 for Standard, Advanced, and Elite Sitters.
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Babysitter website: Care.com
Is Care.com a legitimate company?
Founded in 2006, Care.com is one of the most well-known online caregiver platforms. You can use this babysitting website or its corresponding app to book babysitters, nannies, pet sitters, and elder care, and to look for daycares and preschools in your area.
You can search for caregivers for free by zip code and filter by hourly rate, years of experience, education level, and relevant keywords. You can also post a job to find a babysitter for free.
You’ll need a premium Care.com membership to send direct messages to potential babysitters, run additional background checks on top of the free one Care.com performs on all caregivers, see recommendations from previous families, and securely pay caregivers.
Care.com screens all caregivers with CareCheck background check software before they can join the platform and accept jobs. They also run CareCheck on all caregivers annually.
CareCheck searches:
- Social security number
- National sex offender registry
- Multi-jurisdictional criminal database
- Federal and county criminal records search
Care.com recommends you also run your own background check and check references before hiring a babysitter or other type of caregiver.
Care.com has a B rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a 1.03 out of 5-star customer rating. Most customer complaints are around poor customer support and difficulty canceling premium membership. Care.com also has a 1 out of 5-star rating on TrustPilot, with similar customer complaints.
Available for Apple and Android, the Care.com app has a 4.6 rating on iTunes and 3.4 rating on Google Play.
Get 20% off your next sitter with code JOINCARE20 >> >>
Is Care.com free to use?
Basic memberships are free and include the ability to set up your account, post a job, and search and view the profiles of local caregivers.
Premium membership allows you to contact babysitters, reply to applications, and book childcare. You have three membership options: month-to-month for $38.95 per month, quarterly for $24.95 per month, or annual for $12.95 per month.
Babysitter website: SeekingSitters.com
Is Seeking Sitters legitimate?
SeekingSitters is a national on-demand babysitter referral service that was launched in 2004. This babysitting website has local owners in different parts of the U.S. who will match you with a babysitter in your area.
To join the website and book a sitter, you will need to fill out a membership form. SeekingSitters will review your application, and once approved, you can put in a request for a sitter. If you like the babysitter they match you with, you can request them again.
SeekingSitters puts all potential caregivers through an in-depth background check performed by their in-house team of licensed investigators. This background check is included in the one-time fee you pay to join.
The background check includes personal identification verification, social security number fraud alerts, national sex offender network checks, and civil and criminal record searches.
In addition to background-checking all babysitters on the platform, SeekingSitters interviews each sitter in person, reviews their work history, and checks up to three references so you don’t have to do this yourself.
All sitters are 18 years or older, have plenty of experience working with children, and have current CPR and first aid certifications.
You can pay sitters through SeekingSitters’ online payment processing vendor, OBT Online. One-time, part-time, and full-time sitters are available.
Is Seeking Sitters free to use?
Seeking Sitters has a one-time sign-up fee of $59.99. This fee is non-refundable.
Babysitter website: Sittercity.com
Is Sittercity legitimate?
Sittercity is a legitimate babysitting website and app that’s been around since 2001. You can use the online platform to post a job, search for sitters near you, and filter based on location, schedule, and experience.
With a premium membership, you can send potential sitters a message using Sittercity’s secure messaging system, buy a background check, and set up an interview before booking. You can also read reviews and check references from other families.
Sittercity doesn’t handle payments through their website, so it’s best to agree on terms before hiring a sitter. Popular payment options include cash, Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle.
All Sittercity caregivers are screened through the Family Watchdog database (a free service to help locate registered sex offenders in your area). Sitters’ identities are also verified by Experian so you know you’re talking with a real person.
Sittercity doesn’t conduct background checks on caregivers, so they recommend you purchase your own before hiring someone from their platform. You can request a background check directly from a sitter’s profile. Choose from a basic background check ($20), motor vehicle background check ($30), or enhanced background check ($60).
Sittercity has an A+ rating from the BBB but only a 1.14/5-star customer rating. Most complaints are about difficulty canceling premium membership, poor customer service, and lack of qualified babysitters, particularly outside of big cities.
The Sittercity app is available on Apple and Android. It has a 4.7 rating on iTunes and 2.5 rating on Google Play.
How does Sittercity make money?
It’s free to set up an account with Sittercity, but to access advanced features, you’ll need to sign up for a premium membership. You have three membership options: month-to-month for $39 per month, quarterly for $25 per month, or annual for $12 per month.
Babysitter website: UrbanSitter.com
Is UrbanSitter legit?
Founded in 2011, UrbanSitter is a babysitting website and app that allows you to book occasional babysitters, full-time or part-time nannies, pet sitters, senior caregivers, and housekeepers.
You can post jobs and search for local babysitters for free. You can also view sitters’ detailed profiles to see their hourly rate, experience, and skills. You’ll need to sign up for a premium membership to message a babysitter and book and pay for childcare.
You can pay sitters online with a credit card through UrbanSitter’s website. You can also pay in cash, by check, or by payment platform app.
All caregivers on UrbanSitter are required to be 18 years or older and have an active membership, completed profile, and cleared background check. UrbanSitter processes background checks via Chekr, a third-party safety platform.
A Chekr screening includes county and national criminal searches, sex offender search, and global watchlist search. Babysitters must maintain a cleared status each year to remain on the platform. You can also pay for an upgraded background check for a sitter through UrbanSitter.
UrbanSitter has a 2.5/5-star customer rating on TrustPilot. Complaints note poor customer service and limited pool of sitters to choose from.
The Urbansitter app is available for Apple and Android. It has a 4.8 rating on iTunes and a 3.5 rating on Google Play.
Is UrbanSitter free for parents?
It’s free to set up an account on UrbanSitter and browse local caregivers. To contact and book babysitters, you’ll need to sign up for a premium membership. You have three membership options: one-month access pass for $34.95, three-month access pass for $59.95, or quarterly plan for $64.95.
How do I find a babysitter in my area?
Beyond searching babysitting websites, you can tap into your personal network to find a babysitter in your area. Getting a referral from someone you know is one of the best ways to find a reliable babysitter, whether you're dating, interviewing for a new job, practicing some self care, or seeing a movie with friends.
Facebook post
Post on Facebook to ask for referrals from your friends, relatives, and coworkers. Chances are, at least one of your Facebook friends has used a babysitter — and if they haven’t, they might still be able to put you in touch with someone else in their network who has.
Facebook groups
Join Facebook groups for parents in your area to find a babysitter. Once you join, look through the posts in the groups to see who other parents have recommended, or make your own post asking for recommendations. You might find someone you never would’ve been able to otherwise.
Other moms
One of the easiest ways to get a referral is to simply ask other moms you trust. Reach out to moms at your child’s school or any other moms whose opinions you value to find a responsible babysitter.
YMCA and YWCA
You can also get referrals from local businesses and organizations. Call or stop by the YMCA or YWCA in your area. They may have a bulletin board with contact information for local babysitters. Other businesses you can try include daycare centers and libraries.
Tips for finding and hiring a babysitter
Here’s how to find and hire a babysitter that’s reliable and trustworthy:
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, relatives, co-workers, other moms, or local organizations for babysitter recommendations. The wider the net you cast, the more likely you’ll be able to find a good match.
- Join a babysitting website. Another way to find a babysitter is to sign up for a babysitting website. These sites often come with a membership fee, but they usually handle vetting and background checks and allow you to schedule babysitters and pay them directly through their platforms.
- Schedule an interview. Regardless of where you find your next babysitter, you’ll want to interview them before hiring. You can do this over the phone or Zoom or in person. Ask them about their childcare experience, what kind of certifications they have, what their rates are, and what their caregiving style is like to see if they’re a good fit.
- Conduct a background check. You can use an online public records search service, for a fee, for a comprehensive background check that includes criminal records, traffic citations, and sex offender status.
- Call references. Even if your sitter clears a background check, you should still call a few references. Ask references whether the babysitter is reliable and professional, how well they follow instructions, and how they’ve handled problems or emergencies.
- Make an offer. Once you’ve found a babysitter you like, it’s time to make them an offer and agree on payment terms. You may want to do a trial period of one or two weeks to make sure they’re a good fit.
- Write a contract. It’s always a good idea to get things in writing. Spell out the terms of the arrangement, including job duties and expectations, payment, and hours.
- Leave instructions. Jot down pertinent information, like what time your child eats and how much TV they can watch, and list out emergency contacts. Go over everything with the babysitter before you leave them with your child for the first time.
FAQs about hiring a babysitter
Here are answers to common questions about how to find a babysitter.
How much does a babysitter cost?
How much a babysitter costs depends on a variety of factors, including where you live and how many children you have. According to ZipRecruiter, the majority of babysitting jobs cost approximately $10 to $20 per hour for a single child.
Expect to spend on the higher end of that spectrum if you live in a more expensive area (ZipRecruiter offers a breakdown of average babysitter salaries by state). And if you have more than one child, you’ll need to add $1 to $2 per child to the hourly rate.
How do I do a background check on a babysitter?
The first step to running a background check on a babysitter is to get their permission and ask them for their full legal name, social security number, and a form of identification such as a driver’s license or passport. You’ll need this information to verify their identity and check records.
These services pull data from multiple places and compile them into a report for you so you don’t have to search different records individually. Reports may include previous arrests, criminal convictions, traffic citations, sex offender status, and more.
You’ll have to pay to view a report. Prices vary; some of these services require you to sign up for a monthly membership, which can range from $20 to $30 per month for unlimited reports.
How much a babysitter costs depends on a variety of factors, including where you live and how many children you have. According to ZipRecruiter, the majority of babysitting jobs cost approximately $10 to $20 per hour for a single child.
The first step to running a background check on a babysitter is to get their permission and ask them for their full legal name, social security number, and a form of identification such as a driver’s license or passport. You’ll need this information to verify their identity and check records.
