The Best Babysitter Agencies

Saturday, September 14th

2024 Babysitter Agency Reviews

Sittercity

For over 20 years, Sittercity has provided caregiving support for children, seniors, individuals with special needs, and even pets. While they provide various resources, their core service revolves around childcare. They cover 95% of US neighborhoods and offer both babysitters and nannies, all of whom undergo identity verification, with a la carte background checks available for a fee. Prices for their Premium membership range from $15 to $39 per month, depending on your subscription choice. Sittercity has a solid reputation with an "A+" rating and accreditation from the BBB and over 40,000 five-star reviews. Between that and Sittercity's unique activity-based caregiver options, it's easy to see why this is the #1 option among babysitting agencies.

Bambino

Bambino offers a unique approach to finding trusted babysitters through its app. By leveraging your social connections, Bambino helps you discover babysitters recommended by friends and neighbors. You can download the app for free and easily set up an account. Safety is paramount, with robust background checks for all sitters and families. The process involves linking your Facebook account to see babysitters your acquaintances trust, browsing sitter profiles, confirming availability via text, and booking sitters directly through the app. While there's a reasonable $4.95 sitting fee per appointment, there are no membership fees unless you want the perks included in the under-$9/month Parent Premium membership. With glowing reviews and a 4.9-star rating across thousands of reviews, Bambino is one of today's most effective options for finding reliable babysitters through an intuitive mobile platform.

Urban Sitter

If you're seeking reliable babysitters, UrbanSitter is a reputable platform featured in Forbes, CBS Working Mother, Business Insider, and more. With over a million background-checked caregivers in 60+ cities, it simplifies your search. You can create a free profile, quickly browse babysitters using filters, and view detailed profiles, including hourly rates and repeat family counts. Posting a job description is also free, and UrbanSitter makes online scheduling and payment a breeze. You'll have to subscribe when you're ready to book, but you won't pay more than $35/month. UrbanSitter has improved to an "A+" BBB rating, with thousands of five-star reviews from caregivers and clients alike. If you need a babysitter in one of the 60+ cities UrbanSitter operates, you should definitely give this agency a try.

Jovie

Jovie (formerly known as College Nannies and Sitters and a subsidiary of Bright Horizons) operates as a babysitting agency with its own employees, providing various childcare options from occasional babysitting to full-time help. The caregivers are background-checked and receive ongoing training, and you can book services through a user-friendly app. However, Jovie's availability varies by location, and pricing, including setup fees, is determined locally. While some families have praised the vetting and quality of the babysitters, others have mixed feelings; your experience will depend on your local franchise. Jovie offers convenience, but it's a good idea to do some research on the reputation of your particular office before making a decision on this babysitting agency.

Nanny Lane

Nanny Lane, affiliated with the CareGuide group, offers a vast network of over 10,000 babysitters across the US, but it has certain limitations. To view babysitter profiles, users must create an account, providing details about their childcare needs, which leans more towards regular childcare arrangements rather than occasional babysitting. There's an option to subscribe to a $55/month PLUS package, which includes enhanced background checks and other features. However, this service can be overly in-depth for those seeking a simple babysitting situation. Navigating the platform and finding a babysitter involves multiple steps, and there's limited customer support even with the paid services. Despite its connection with "A-”rated CareGuide, Nanny Lane won't be a useful resource if you just need help for the occasional night out.

Sitter

Sitter, a part of the CareGuide network, offers access to various services, including babysitters. Founded in 2013, it stands as one of the original CareGuide services. However, the website's initial browsing process will require you to provide contact information, and the $68 per month Premium membership may not be worth the money: babysitter profiles lack background checks and comprehensive reviews, and the platform doesn't pre-screen users, leaving payment arrangements (and establishing trust) up to you. Client support is equally limited. With these downsides, Sitter is not a service we recommend for finding vetted childcare.

Babysits

Babysits, in operation since 2008, serves over 5 million users globally with over 12,000 babysitters available in the US alone. You can create a client profile for free and view caregiver profiles, but a $19.99/month Premium subscription is necessary to contact babysitters and access other features. Unfortunately, the selection of babysitters here is notably limited compared to other services, and reviews from both babysitters and families raise concerns about payment delays, technical issues, and the poor value of the Premium package. Babysits continues to hold a lower rating as a babysitting agency: it just doesn't measure up to the more well-rounded services on our list.

Care

Over 4 million families in the US have utilized Care's services to find childcare, special needs care, senior care, pet care, tutoring, and housekeeping assistance, making it a notable name in the industry. All babysitters here are background-checked, and browsing caregiver profiles and posting job listings is free. Messaging and booking caregivers require a premium membership, priced at $12.95 to $38.95 per month, depending on your chosen plan. Care initially provides a user-friendly interface for finding babysitters, but its ongoing issues and ever-sinking reputation earn this company one of our lowest rankings among babysitting agencies.

Babysitter's Registry

Babysitter's Registry supposedly makes it easy for families to find babysitters by offering their services alongside Care and Sittercity, all in one place. However, it's a bit puzzling because you won't find any info about the company's history or pricing on their website. When you're trying to find babysitter options here, things get a bit tangled as you often end up getting redirected to other babysitting agencies. Plus, Babysitter's Registry has issues with its own service, making it impossible to connect with the babysitters they list. Save yourself some time and look at the higher-ranking babysitting agencies on our list, because Babysitter's Registry is a total fail.