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The Best Babysitting Websites and Apps, According to Parents

Need to find a babysitter, stat? These top apps and websites help you find, screen and book your family’s next go-to sitter.
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By Stephanie Grassullo, Contributing Writer
Updated June 21, 2024
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Family members and friends can make great babysitters, but everyone needs a night off every once in a while. Of course, finding an amazing babysitter who you and your kids adore is easier said than done. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Whether you’re in search of a weekly nanny or an in-a-pinch sitter for date night, these babysitting apps and websites will help with the hard part. Here, we break down the top parent-trusted resources for finding superstar caregivers to help put your mind at ease.

How We Chose the Best Babysitting Websites and Apps

To help you find the best childcare for your family, we researched dozens of babysitting websites and apps. This way, you don’t have to spend hours scrolling. Here are the steps we took to create this article:

  • We put our staff to work, asking them to evaluate the babysitting websites and apps that they’ve personally used with their families.
  • We researched what was being said about babysitting websites and apps in The Bump community forums to learn what parents liked and disliked about specific platforms.
  • Because every family’s experience is different, we scoured forums and message boards and read user reviews to find out how these babysitting websites and apps have worked for parents nationwide.

Editorial integrity is at the heart of everything we publish. Read about how The Bump develops and reviews all articles, including product reviews.

Best Babysitting Websites

From vetted neighborhood babysitters to live-in nannies and au pairs, top-notch childcare is only a click away. These best-of-the-best babysitting websites provide all the resources you need to find a sitter who meets your standards.

Overall best babysitting website

Care.com logo
Image: Care.com
What We Love
  • Wide range of childcare services
  • Unlimited background check package available
  • Free to post an ad
Things To Consider
  • Paid membership required to respond
  • Some parents report automatic subscription renewal issues
  • Higher price point

Used by more than 25 million users in 20 countries, Care.com is a leader when it comes to helping parents find a babysitter. The babysitting website (and app!) lets parents find, review, book and pay babysitters—whether you’re looking for a nanny, special needs caregiver, date-night or after-school sitter, tutor and more.

Care encourages parents to create a detailed job description, including information about your kids as well as the type of personality you look for in a sitter—and what type of sitter your little ones want (because they should have a say too!). The more detailed you make it, the better chance you have to find a babysitter who works for you. And you can rest easy knowing Care runs its own basic background checks and encourages members to complete additional standard background checks themselves.

Pricing: Free basic membership; standard paid membership is $38.95 per month or $155.40 annually

Our community says:

[I] had about 10 people respond within the first day. We picked one woman based on her experience, etc., and met with her last night at our house. Our daughter instantly fell in love with her! Such an amazing website! – beccalee721, The Bump forum member

I found our sitter through Care.com, and I could not be happier! She is wonderful and loves our son like he is her grandchild. – AMG06, The Bump forum

[It's] how we found our babysitter. It was amazing. Really exceeded our expectations. Every person that we interviewed was outstanding. – DougalMcG, The Bump forum member

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Best babysitting website for families in cities

Seeking Sitter and Nannies Logo
Image: Seekingsitters.com
What We Love
  • In-depth background screenings
  • In-app payment
  • Easy to book the same sitter
Things To Consider
  • Limited options for rural families

Seeking Sitters is a babysitting website designed to help you find someone last minute, full-time, part-time or one-time—whatever your needs may be. With this platform, you can search for childcare in almost every major city in America. As a result, it’s a great option for families who live in large metropolitan areas to find a reliable babysitter. In addition to babysitting services, the site can also match you with pet sitters, house sitters, childcare for special events and study support tutors. Whether you’re in New York City, Seattle or anywhere in between, Seeking Sitters will help you find the best childcare for your family.

Seeking Sitters sets itself apart from the rest with its customized, in-depth background screenings performed on each referred babysitter by a licensed private investigator. The babysitter website is responsible for thoroughly screening and running background checks for sitters, and they also personally interview every applicant. If you don’t like the caregiver you were matched with, you can request a different sitter. As with other competitors, parents pay directly through the site, avoiding the awkward shuffle of scrounging enough cash after a late night.

Pricing: $6 per month for unlimited requests; $59.99 one-time set-up fee

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Best co-op babysitting website

Sitting Around Logo
Image: SittingAround.com
What We Love
  • Communal approach to childcare
  • Runs on a points system
  • Low membership price
Things To Consider
  • Tricky to find childcare for specific needs

As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise little ones. If you don’t have the luxury of a big, extended family or network of friends who live nearby to watch your kids, this babysitting website is the next best thing. Sitting Around is a caregiver co-op. Put simply, it’s a network of local parents swap childcare services free of cost. Instead of exchanging cash, community members simply exchange time spent babysitting—it’s a win-win!

Babysitting co-ops make sure everyone plays fair by tracking points: You get points when you sit for someone else, and you spend points when others watch your kids. Because you’re part of a group, you never have to worry about reciprocating with people specifically sitting for you—it all evens out. Search co-ops near you, then fill out a co-op request form for approval to join. The bottom line: Sitting Around definitely fits the bill if you’re searching for a communal approach to childcare.

Pricing: $5 per month or $15 annually

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Best nanny website

eNannySource Logo
Image: eNannySource
What We Love
  • Ideal for consistent childcare
  • Background checks available
  • Inactive nanny profiles expire after 30 days
Things To Consider
  • Not for one-time babysitters
  • Higher price point

Looking for long-term, consistent childcare? Then you can’t go wrong with setting up a profile on eNannySource.com. This nanny website lets you search a roster of childcare professionals, along with vetting tips and tools (like the Nanny Success Kit) for added convenience. Background checks are also available, so you can hire a nanny the same way a professional agency would.

When scrolling through eNannySource.com, you can search for a variety of childcare types and services. The website offers part-time and live-in nannies, as well as professionals who specialize in infant care or who can double as housekeepers. Once you become a member, simply create a profile that describes your family, job specifications and your ideal nanny. Then, review resumes from professional nannies and au pairs who are interested in full-time, part-time, temporary, permanent, live-in and live-out positions. You’re bound to find the perfect fit for your family’s unique needs and preferences.

Pricing: $49 per month, $117 for 3 months or $150 for 6 months

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Best au pair website

Au Pair in America logo
Image: Au Pair in America
What We Love
  • Guaranteed 45 hours of childcare per week
  • Connects families with au pairs globally
  • Great for long-term, live-in childcare
Things To Consider
  • Not for one-time babysitters
  • High price point

If your family needs care on a more regular, extended basis, it may be time to consider an au pair. In contrast to babysitters and some nannies, these childcare professionals live in your home for a set period of time. In turn, you can depend on them for consistent, long-term care for your children. Some of the services they can provide include helping your kiddos with their morning routines, getting them to and from school or activities and playing with or reading to them. Plus, many au pairs tend to handle some household chores, such as cooking a meal or two for your children, doing laundry and tidying up.

Au Pair in America has been around for decades and offers parents a seamless way to match with au pairs. While these services are a more expensive option than other forms of childcare, many find it to be worth it. They offer families a ton of flexibility and can even serve as a cultural experience for your kids. In fact, Au Pair in America has an extensive global recruitment network that spans almost 60 countries across six continents. To top it all off, once you connect with an au pair and hire them, you’re guaranteed 45 hours of childcare a week.

Pricing: $500 match fee; contact website for specific pricing, including an annual amount and weekly stipend

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Best Babysitting Apps

When you need someone to watch the kids but don’t have time to sit down and do the research, pull up one of these convenient babysitting apps and let it do the heavy lifting for you. They’re the best in the biz when it comes to vetting and scheduling a sitter who’s right for you and your family.

Overall best babysitting app

Sittercity logo
Image: Sittercity
What We Love
  • Easy to contact sitters quickly
  • Intuitive app interface
  • Background checks provided
Things To Consider
  • Sitter rates aren’t pre-set

Sittercity is a babysitting app that navigates like a social media site. This intuitive interface lets you find out everything you need to know about potential sitters quickly and easily. Each babysitter’s profile includes personal details, location, experience, skills and parent feedback, so you have a wealth of information to consider from the get-go. Before a caregiver can even join the Sittercity community, the company runs a background check using several databases to make sure an applicant has no reported problems. They then review the profiles again for identity verification and review. Parents also have the option to run their own background and identification checks within the babysitter app.

Another reason Sittercity is one of the best babysitting apps out there? The freedom and flexibility it offers. Whether you need an overnight job, an after-school cover or a regular weekend nanny, just post your job requirements or search for someone who’s available. All you have to do is just click into a profile to see a babysitter’s calendar and hourly rates. And f you’re in a pinch, you can even alert sitters you’ve already pre-screened so they can respond to your emergency posts ASAP. If that’s not all, it’s also a breeze to find babysitters with specialized skills, like someone who will also clean the house (hooray!), a sitter with first aid training or someone who can tutor your kids. All in all, this well-rounded app is a must-have for families!

Pricing: Free basic membership; premium membership is $94.99 every three months or $196.99 annually

Our community says:

We use SitterCity.com and have had a great experience with them. Two of our regular sitters came from [the app]. — MattsWifey<3, The Bump forum member

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Best babysitting app with referrals

Bambino logo
Image: Bambino
What We Love
  • Connects families with local, referred childcare
  • Thorough screening of sitters
  • Simple in-app payment
Things To Consider
  • Parents must complete vetting process

Next up on our list of the best babysitting apps is Bambino. Known for its helpful referral system, this platform allows parents to connect with babysitters who live nearby and have already sat for people they know. They use local and social proximity to connect parents with neighborhood sitters that are vetted, verified and recommended by other families in the community. Prospective babysitters also go through a five-point verification process, so you can ensure that they’ve been thoroughly screened.

Instead of creating a job post on Bambino, parents handpick who sees their babysitting requests. When browsing babysitters on the app, you’ll notice that they’re organized based on who you know, who your friends know and also by distance. This way, you’re selecting from sitters that have already been tried and trusted by your friends and community. Each sitter lists their hourly rates in their profiles, so you can see an estimated total before booking. You’ll also appreciate that time is automatically tracked during the babysitter’s stay. All you have to do is confirm the hours and then pay straight through the app—easy peasy. An added bonus: For a $5 discount, use code THEBUMP5.

Pricing: Free to download and create a profile; premium membership is $9 per month; $2.95 booking fee for junior sitters and $4.95 booking fee for standard, advanced and elite-level sitters

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Best babysitting app for easy communication

Sitter Pro logo
Image: Sitter Pro
What We Love
  • Option to create a list of go-to sitters
  • Simple to request last-minute childcare
  • Seamless communication system
Things To Consider
  • Limited number of sitters

Similar to other babysitting apps, Sitter Pro connects parents with friends so they can easily see the babysitters they’ve used. There’s also an option to set your location and see sitters near you. When you find a childcare professional who you think would be a great fit, you can introduce yourself through the app’s chat option. Then, you can set up an in-person, formal interview before hiring them.

If you find an individual or a group of childcare providers you and your kiddos love, you can keep them near and dear by adding them to your go-to babysitter list. Once that’s established, it’ll be a breeze to lock in a babysitter when you’re in desperate need. All you have to do is select the date and time you’ll need childcare, and an alert will go out to all of your trusted caregivers. The message goes out via text, so your sitters don’t even need to have the app; the first one to respond with a “Y” books the gig, and an alert is sent to the other sitters letting them know the job has been filled. Even better, the app allows you to save critical information about your family’s needs (like emergency contact details, bedtime routines and any allergies) so your childcare provider can refer to it whenever they may need to. Talk about seamless communication!

Pricing: Free basic membership; premium membership for $10 per month or $100 per year

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Best babysitting app for back-up childcare

Helpr
Image: Helpr
Buying Options
Helpr|Free membership
What We Love
  • Great for last-minute childcare
  • Free to download and use
  • Extensive vetting process for sitters
Things To Consider
  • Only available in select cities

Helpr is a babysitting app designed with working parents and busy families in mind. You can depend on the platform to provide high-quality back-up childcare at an affordable price point. Whether you’re at home or traveling, parents can review vetted sitters' profiles in as little as three hours and request care. Better yet, all Helprs must have at least two years of childcare experience and complete an in-person interview, background check, ID verification, CPR certification check, social media check and provide references before they’re allowed on the app.

When scrolling through the babysitting app, you’ll find a pool of highly screened sitters with extensive experience and a strong work ethic who are on-call when you need them most. They typically include—but aren’t limited to—graduate students, former nannies and kindergarten teachers. You can browse photos, videos and profiles of potential caregivers through the babysitter app. If you’d like time together beforehand, you can book your Helpr for an interview or trial run while you’re home. And if you end up loving your “Helpr”, you can save them in your account so they’re requested first the next time you need to hire a sitter in a pinch.

Pricing: Free to download and use; no monthly fees

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*Note: Some names have been changed due to privacy requests.

About the writer:

Emma O’Regan-Reidy is an editor for The Bump. She specializes in writing e-commerce content about the latest and greatest in pregnancy, postpartum and parenting. Emma has researched an array of topics, from prenatal vitamins and postpartum pads to the best non-wifi baby monitors, toddler learning towers and everything in between. As a digital media professional, she’s written dozens of articles on baby gear, aiming to create engaging, helpful content that informs new and seasoned parents.

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