Finding a babysitter just became easier! We’ve put together 16 of the best apps and websites in the US, Australia and New Zealand to help you secure trustworthy, affordable childcare and keep your date night plans on-track.
Read more: The Complete Babysitting Guide (For Parents)
Babysitters In The United States
Sittercity
Sittercity’s biggest boast is its size. It was one of the first and largest babysitting sites ever created for the United States, and has thousands of sitters across hundreds of cities. According to Sittercity themselves, they connect a parent with a sitter every 11 seconds – so chances are, no matter where you live, they’ve got a sitter near you.
Bambino Sitters
Bambino is based on the idea that it takes a village to raise a child, but they bring it to the modern, more connected age. This app provides babysitting bookings and reviews, but also shows you how your intended babysitter is connected to your friends, family and other users on the app, and what those connections think of the babysitter. It essentially has a friend’s recommendation baked right in.
SeekingSitters
While many babysitting services provide background screenings, Seeking Sitters goes the extra mile. Any babysitter provided by their service will have been through an enhanced screening that fully checks their history and qualifications, from any previous criminal history right through to the status of any CPR or first aid certificates. It’s a great pick if you want to feel extra safe with your babysitting pick.
Helpr
Helpr is a little different from the other websites and apps in this list, as you can’t book a babysitter directly through them. Instead, their services are provided through an employer as part of a benefit package. It’s a good deal – all carers are vetted, have at least 2 years’ of experience, and can be booked with as little as 3 hours of notice. Check if your employer works with Helpr to get started or suggest it as a possible avenue to explore if they don’t.
Au Pair in America
Here’s one for those parents who want more than just a one-off babysitter. Au pairs offer live-in childcare by foreign students and visitors – you get a long-term babysitter and childcare support, and they get a true American experience, a place to live, and steady employment. It’s a win-win. Au Pair in America helps connect you and one of the largest au pair networks in the country.
Care.com
You can’t mention babysitting services without including Care.com. It’s one of the largest and best known apps in the world for finding childcare, no matter where you are in the country. You can find a babysitter, review their profile, message and book them all within the secure website. And best of all? Making a starter profile is completely free – no membership fees.
Babysitters In Australia & New Zealand
Babysits
The founders of Babysits know that you want to learn everything you possibly can about someone before you trust them with the care of your kids. That’s why Babysits is heavily based on full transparency. All sitters have detailed profiles including ratings, reviews and a Working With Children Check. Sitters are even encouraged to become verified by providing a government ID so you always know that your sitter is who they say they are.
This emphasis on security also extends to the built-in payment and messaging system. There’s no cash or bank transfers with Babysits – all payments are made within the app, as are all communications between yourself and your sitter. All safe, all secure.
Babysits is available in both Australia & New Zealand.
Sittr
Sittr is one of the highest rated babysitting apps on the iOS store – and for good reason. It’s easy to use and provides pre-screening of all users so you can have peace of mind. One of its unique features is that it requires all babysitters and nannies to have senior first aid qualifications, including first aid for asthma and anaphylaxis. This makes it especially good for parents who have children with specific health considerations.
Sittr is available in both Australia & New Zealand.
Juggle Street
Juggle Street’s vision is one that doesn’t just help people find babysitters, but also helps them get to know their local community better. It’s a location-based babysitting service directory which connects you with babysitters that are physically within your community, using technology to build bridges between you and trusted neighbours. If you want to keep it local, this is the app for you.
Juggle Street is available in both Australia & New Zealand.
FindABabysitter.com
Find A Babysitter has a serious pedigree. It was the first babysitter’s site in Australia, basing itself on the success of similar services in other countries. It’s been around for decades, but certainly hasn’t fallen behind the times. It has an enormous number of babysitters located all over the country, making it a great first place to look for a babysitter, no matter how remote you might be.
Find A Babysitter is available in Australia.
Babysitters Now
Babysitters Now does what it says on the tin – helps you find a babysitter”¦ now. The big difference between it and other similar services is the price: it’s free for both parents and babysitters. There are no membership fees, no subscriptions. All you pay is the cost of the actual babysitting service, and the babysitter you hired receives all of it – no cuts from Babysitters Now.
Babysitters Now is available in Australia.
Care For Kids
Care for Kids helps you find local professional childcare services, whether that’s after-school care, a daycare, nannies, or a one-off babysitter. If you’ve wanted to find a professional, qualified babysitter but don’t want to go searching through dozens of individual company websites, then Care for Kids is a good choice for your next date night babysitter. They do the work for you.
Care for Kids is available in Australia.
Kiddo
Kiddo is an app that finds, connects, and books you with available babysitters – but the big difference is with how little notice you have to give. Sign up, input a date and time, and you are instantly presented with a set of babysitters who have already indicated their availability at that time. You can get away with as little as 2 hours’ notice, making it great for last minute babysitting.
Kiddo is available in Australia.
The Nanny Collective
The Nanny Collective is – you guessed it – specifically for finding nannies rather than one-off babysitters. If you need regular and recurring babysitting or you’d like additional services (e.g. tutoring, daycare, housekeeping), then a nanny through the Nanny Collective could be a good fit.
The Nanny Collective is available in Australia.
Remember, once you’ve selected a babysitter, take a look at our Complete Babysitting Guide (For Parents) and understand what questions to ask, how to manage the relationship and keep a great babysitter.
