An increasing number of parents make use of a babysitting app to arrange care for the kids, the article “who watches the little ones?” in Ouders van nu shows. Besides Charly Cares, where all babysitters are carefully screened, an increasing number of babysitting apps is popping up, allowing parents to directly contact a potential babysitter themselves. What do parents look for when finding a babysitter?

Renske on Charly Cares:

You judge the babysitters based on their picture and personal description. I think the app is very useful. Especially because you can find someone a short time in advance. The only downside of this way of finding a babysitters, is you don’t always get the same one. But when Tom is already sleeping, I don’t think it’s an issue.

Renske

Many parents first try to find care for the kids through friends and family. However, parents often quickly find out that it can be very difficult to arrange for day-care through their own connections and realise quickly that they need a babysitter. Nina, for example, found that a babysitter is a great solution, especially in case of spontaneous plans:

I’ve used it a couple of times, but it is definitely worth repeating. We needed a last minute babysitter, because nobody from our usual babysitters was available that night. We approached three girls, and the one who responded first, got the job. She was very nice, attentive, and enthusiastic.

Nina

The only thing Nina needed to get used to was the price of a Charly Cares babysitter, although she does find it understandable:

The only downside to me is the price: the rate is eight or nine euros per hour. That’s quite different from the five euros per hour I used to get myself for a night of babysitting back in the day. But well, if you want a reliable, screened babysitter with experience, who is also available last minute, you pay for that.

Nina