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Babysits vs Babysitter's Registry

Saturday, December 2nd

2023 Babysitter Agency Reviews

Babysits Review 3 Star Rating

Babysits

3 Star Rating
  • Cost: $19.99/month

Babysits is a service that helps parents find babysitting services. They aim to provide transparency between babysitters and families looking for caregivers. Unfortunately, background checks are not part of the hiring process here and we don't feel like there are as many candidates to choose from compared with competing companies. For better value and hiring safety standards, we recommend looking for a babysitter through a higher-rated site.

Babysitter's Registry Review 1 Star Rating

Babysitter's Registry

1 Star Rating
  • Cost: Prices not listed

Babysitter's Registry tries to help families find babysitters through their services as well as Care and Sittercity all in one place. Unfortunately, their company history as well as pricing are nowhere to be found on their site. Finding candidates for hire here is confusing because you are redirected to other babysitting agencies and the babysitters from Babysitter's Registry are impossible to get a hold of because they have broken links on their site. Save the hassle and skip over Babysitter's Registry when you're looking for someone to take care of your kids.

Where is the Best Place to Find a Babysitter for Your Children?

These days, kids and parents are busier than ever. Finding a reliable babysitter to fit your schedule is tricky.

The teenager next door might seem like a convenient option for watching your kids, but they might be occupied with school, sports, and their social life, leaving you without the childcare you need. Thankfully there are many services that specialize in helping families find available babysitters in their local area for date nights, errands, work functions, or whatever the occasion may be.

The Best Babysitter Agencies Compare Babysitter Agencies Compare Babysitter Agency Reviews What are the best Babysitter Agencies Best Babysitter Agency Reviews

Babysitter Agency FAQ

A babysitter takes care of your child (or children) while you're away - at work, on a date, at the gym, or for any other reason. Babysitters can be male or female, old or young, but some states have statutes regulating the age that minors can be left in charge (usually anywhere from age 12-16).
A mother's helper is usually there to help with the kids while at least one parent is still present: maybe taking care of lunch and activities while Mom works from home, or doing the laundry while Dad gets the kids to bed. Nannies work on a more fixed schedule, either part-time or full-time, and there are usually employment/tax considerations to keep in mind. Au pairs come from other countries and live with the family, watching the kids and tending to other household responsibilities in exchange for room/board and sometimes a monetary stipend. Compared with those three situations, babysitting is much less formal and more of an as-needed childcare arrangement.
Word of mouth is the most common way to vet a new babysitter. It's great to have someone that's already taken good care of your friends' children with no problems! The downside is that these sitters will be in high demand, and you might not be able to get them on your desired schedule. You can also ask for references or run a background check, if you're considering a babysitter that isn't known to you personally.
When you're new to an area or don't have any available sitter referrals from friends, you could put the word out in local groups on social media. Unfortunately, that could attract less-than-reputable individuals! Instead, consider using a babysitter referral service: these platforms allow prospective sitters to create a profile, complete with client reviews and information about their background and any certifications they have (like infant/child CPR). Some referral services make it possible to get a background check, though the sitter may have to opt in before you can access the results.
You can expect to pay a membership fee in the neighborhood of $20/month to access most babysitter referral services. That gives you unlimited access to the database and to making connections with the sitters you find. Some platforms give you limited free access to get started, or a trial period to see if there are enough potential babysitters in your area to make it worth the membership fees.
That varies widely by geographic location, the number of children you have (and their ages), the expertise level of the sitter, and what you expect your sitter to provide. You can ask other parents in your area what the going rate is: underpay your sitter and they're not likely to come back! In the past, the reported average hourly rate for babysitters in the US ranged from $15-$20, but in less urban areas it tended to be closer to $10/hour.
Yes. You can make whatever arrangements you like with your babysitter. It's not uncommon to ask a sitter to fix a light meal, take care of the dishes after the kids are in bed, or tidy up the playroom while the children are watching a movie. Just remember that their primary focus should be on keeping your little ones safe, not housekeeping.
Compare the Best Reviews

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These companies allow parents to browse their database of candidates to find a babysitter that matches the needs of the family. Some sitters specialize in working with infants, special needs children, or kids with behavioral issues. Seeing all the local caregivers in one place makes it easy to sort through them and find someone you trust.

Babysitting agencies vary in price, services, and ease of use. Ideally you'll want to find a service that has a professional website and is well-known by families and sitters alike. The more widely-recognized a babysitting agency is, the more likely you are to have plenty of candidates to choose from. As a parent, it's understandable that you will be picky when deciding who to trust in your home with your children, so being able to browse multiple babysitter profiles online is important.

Before using a babysitting agency to find someone to watch your children, we suggest you take the following things into consideration:

  • Company Reputation. What rating does the Better Business Bureau give the company? What do customer reviews say about the professionalism and reliability of the services offered?
  • Fees. What does it cost to browse and contact babysitters through the company's site? What is the going rate of the babysitters they provide?
  • Selection. Are there plenty of sitters to choose from on the site? Is there a range of babysitters based on age, schedule flexibility, and experience levels?
  • Background Checks. Are background checks run on all candidates? If not, is there an option to have them done before choosing to hire one of the babysitters?

To help you identify the best babysitter for your children, TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best babysitting agencies available today. We hope this information gives you confidence as you find someone to care for your little ones while you are away!

The Best Reviews of Babysitter Agencies