Parenting / 14 May, 2017 / My Baba

Six Things You Need To Know About KidSitter – The New Childcare Service Taking London By Storm

What is the best way to find a babysitter? Some of us go off friend recommendations, online sites, agencies, and Facebook ads. But do we ever truly feel safe about leaving our child in the hands of someone we hardly know? The answer is most likely ‘no’. However we recently heard about KidSitter, a new online service that promises to take the stress and worry out of finding a new sitter. It provides the reassurance we truly need when leaving our child in the care of someone else.

KidSitter offers parents a huge network of nannies, teachers, child-minders, nursery staff and other childcare professionals. Although it isn’t uncommon to find your new nanny through an online service, KidSitter are making the whole process much safer and reliable. Many people find babysitters through Facebook mutual friends but remember: anyone can claim to be a ‘babysitter’. Just because someone has friends in common with you, doesn’t always mean you can trust them!

If you’re looking a sitter you can seriously trust, KidSitter is our favourite way to find a new and trustworthy childcare professional. Here are six reasons why this is our go-to babysitting service.

1. The vetting service is incredibly strict. All the childcare professionals admitted to using the service are interviewed thoroughly, have a clean DBS, and are reference checked with two parents for whom they have provided childcare in the past. Some online services claim their sitters are background-checked when in reality they have only been through third part ID verification. We want someone who we can really trust to be around our children, so love that KidSitter go the extra mile with this.
2. There is such a huge network of professionals to choose from, so there will be someone to suit your exact needs. All their babysitters are OFSTED registered child-minders, nannies, childcare professionals, such as students studying to be doctors, or health workers and teachers wanting to pick up extra hours, and are highly suited to providing daytime, evening and weekend childcare on-demand in your home.
3. KidSitter offer ad-hoc, recurring and last minute childcare. It’s literally as easy as ordering a taxi or takeaway. We love that a sitter can be booked so last minute – perfect for date nights, meeting up with friends or having to run super urgent errands. Book your childcare though KidSitter then after a few minutes you’ll receive your confirmation email and the sitter can be with you within two hours if necessary. It’s also possible to book the same sitter twice and arrange something more regular – further reassurance your child will feel comfortable with the sitter.
4. Paying for the service is straightforward. There isn’t a booking fee or an initial sign-up or membership charge – which is often common with other childcare services. With KidSitter you pay a £12 hourly rate for the care of up to three children. It doesn’t get simpler than that.
5. If a babysitter cancels, KidSitter automatically find someone to take over. Often we can be let down by a sitter and then feel stranded and rearrange work or plans in order to take care of the children ourselves. We love that KidSitter automatically send someone else out the moment a sitter cancels. It’s reassuring that the new sitter will have gone through the same strict vetting process too.
6. KidSitter isn’t only for Londoners. If you’re visiting London, the service is available to you too. You can sign up and arrange for a nanny to stay in your hotel or Airbnb with your children.

KidSitter have teamed up with My Baba to offer our readers a free hour of babysitting when they first sign up. Use the code ‘MYBABA’ at the checkout to redeem your free hour. Head over to the KidSitter website to book your sitter now.

If you’re not looking for a sitter for yourself, but know someone who might be interested in the service, you can earn £20 cash or credit for referrals after your referred friend completes their first online booking.

Sponsored content in collaboration with KidSitter.