I had three kids back to back. When they were little, I never wanted to leave them. With anyone. Now that they are older though, I’m more comfortable being away from them for a little while. Until recently though, we’ve only left our kids with family. Since that isn’t always an option, we’ve been looking for other alternatives for childcare when the need arises. SitterFriends makes it super easy to set up a babysitter and I was very pleasantly surprised with the entire experience.
My husband was going to be out of town and I had an in-home event for my new business. It was the perfect opportunity to try out a new sitter. I downloaded SitterFriends and searched for a sitter in our area. Since it’s a fairly new app, there were only about 5 choices and most of them were in the city, about an hour drive from where we live. One was a bit closer so I put in a request for her. Her profile told me that she was a college student with experience in childcare. She has her own car and loves kids. Sounded like a good fit and we couldn’t wait to meet her.
Normally you can put in a request for multiple sitters to help ensure you’ll be able to book one when you need. All sitters are vetted by SitterFriends. References are called, social media accounts are monitored for temperament and they are interviewed. All sitters are either professional care providers, college students majoring in teaching/nursing, or high school students sponsored by your community. SitterFriends uses a connections feature that allows you to browse sitters that have been used by your friends and community members so you can trust the feedback that is given.
I was able to communicate with Andee, our sitter, through the app but was also assisted by SitterFriends who made sure Andee was available and kept communication lines open via phone calls and text messages.
Scheduling a sit is really easy:
1. Click on the Search Criteria Icon
2. Enter details such as time, location
3. Select Multiple SitterFriends
4. Once SitterFriend(s) accept you then
5. Pick the best available SitterFriend
6. Enter your Payment Details and Done.
Andee arrived right on time and the app alerted me that Andee needed to check in. The sitter does this on the app to start the sit time. At the end of the sit, a notification is sent that the sitter needs to check out to end the sit. This is how the time is recorded for payment. I love that the rate for the sitter is clearly displayed so I know exactly how much I’ll be paying. When scheduling your sit, make sure you include how many children you have as the rate will vary depending on the number of children. There’s no awkward exchange of money since payment is done automatically through the app at the conclusion of the sit.
The entire SitterFriends experience was seamless and my kids LOVED Andee. She was very engaged with them. She played games with them, did drawings and even got right down on the floor and let them climb all over her! She seemed to enjoy my kids and they certainly enjoyed their time with her. We would definitely use SitterFriends and have her back again. My kids are already begging for another playdate with Andee!
Download SitterFriends and give it a try today! I think you’ll be very pleased!