Review: Sittercity.com
Every so often I get to review something that I’m really excited about, but this one has me humming that old Pointer Sisters song that goes something like this: I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it….
My husband leaves in a couple of days for a year-long military deployment. We don’t have any family members nearby so I do rely quite heavily on babysitters to give me breaks whenever my husband is gone. As my babysitter pool shrinks, what with one going off to college and another getting a job across town, I find myself wondering what I can do in order to meet some great babysitters who are reliable, responsible and fun.
That’s why I was so eager to try Sittercity.com. It’s an online service that allows you to post a babysitting job (or a pet sitter job, or a house sitter job, or basically any type of sitter job) and sift through the responses until you find the best sitter available. There is also a database of babysitters (some of whom have already had criminal background checks conducted – yay!) that you can look at and find out great information:
- How far is the sitter from your house?
- What education and experience does the sitter have?
- What wage does the sitter expect to earn?
- What is the sitter’s availability?
It’s almost like a dating website, but instead of a date you’re looking for someone to watch your kids.
It was really easy to get started. I registered with the site and paid my fee and had immediate access to the directory of babysitters. I narrowed my search by the job title I was hiring for – I chose “Mother’s Helper” because I really just need someone to come and play with the kids while I work – and by the proximity to my house. I downloaded a picture of us and created a profile, and then I posted a job using the system.
Voila! The next morning I had three messages from potential babysitters and I was thrilled. I really liked how the messages weren’t too terribly anonymous because I had the ability to look at the sitter’s profile. I’m also glad that I picked the annual membership because this means I have a huge pool of babysitters to choose from for the entire time my husband is deployed.
A huge pool of babysitters to choose from? That’s music to my ears.
If you want to give it a try, use this promotion code: babies10
The code will get you 10% off and it’s exclusive to BabiesOnline readers. Look for my follow up review after I have had a chance to actually meet with some babysitters and have them play with my kids for a while.
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