Care.com for babysitters?

taralohse · June 2015

Hi Everyone!

I am looking for feedback from anyone who has used Care.com for babysitting, nannies, etc. I don't have much family close by or anyone I would consider a "babysitter" so I will need to use some sort of other avenue to find someone. Has anyone used any other resources for babysitters that were better than Care.com?

babycamara1106 · June 2015

I was a nanny and used care.com for jobs. I have only met great families on that site. Just be careful and make sure you ask a lot of questions when you interview someone. Make sure it's someone your comfortable with. The site also will provide background checks as well.

tate62610 · June 2015

We've used it to find a regular date night sitter in the past. Like PP said, ask lots of questions and listen to your gut.

saintpaulJess · June 2015

I use it regularly for babysitters and my neighbor used it to find a full-time nanny that she loves.

lanaloulittle · June 2015

As a nanny, I've used it and loved it. You can get background check through it as well. My sister also used it as a nanny and has been working full time for her family for over a year. So, we've had nothing but good luck.

sarapagan · June 2015

I HAVE to weigh in here! My son is now 3.5. I stayed home with him from the time he was born until he was about 6 months old...then I got the itch to get back to work. I am a teacher and I was dying to get back to the classroom. I found a Pre-K job soon after I'd made the decision (along with my husband) to go back to work. I told them I'd need a month or so to get everything in order and find a sitter for our son. My MIL offered to watch him twice a week, so I needed someone 3 days. My mom still works full time, so that wasn't an option either. I was freaking out, I knew I didn't want him in daycare so young. So I started googling and discovered care.com. The first profile I found was a middle aged mom, with two girls...one finishing up elementary school and the other finishing up middle school. She was a stay at home mom, loving being home when the kids got home from school and being able to volunteer at their schools and be involved in their classrooms. I decided, "what the heck, let me call her." I called her and we spoke on the phone for 3 hours...I started out the conversation in tears because I was so scared to leave my baby with a stranger. She calmly said, "I completely understand. I watch Law & Order too! Why don't you and your family come over and meet my family? No obligations, we can just talk in person?" I told her that would be great and we talked about what my husband and I could afford to pay, the hours she would watch my son, CPR and first aid certifications, experience, references, etc. By the end of the conversation, I was at ease. This was an experienced mom and caregiver and I suppose if it wasn't myself, my mom, or MIL, this had to be the next best thing. Then, I had to get my husband on board. "NO WAY. NO STRANGER IS WATCHING MY SON!!!!!" he said to me. I calmly said, "Let's just go meet her. No strings attached." He grumbled but agreed. The minute we drove up and she answered the door with a smile, he was hooked. She has been watching our baby ever since and will be watching our little girl when she arrives also. Care.com has been a blessing for us, and without it, we never would have found this wonderful woman who loves our baby boy as much as we do!

Hope this long-winded experience helps!!

McRad · June 2015

I was a nanny for a few years in college and used sittercity.com. Im assuming it's the same as care.com, just a different site.
It allows you to ask for references, ask for a background check, look through profiles, etc. every family I worked for (I also babysat for a few families when in need) had me come over for an interview and just hang with their kids while they were home. You can ask they do the same so you get comfortable with them and feel like it's not a stranger with your baby.
We also had an interview-- what I brought to the table, experience with kids, education, likes/dislikes.

Side idea, too-- I graduated with my BA in Elementary Education. I don't know if there is any college campus near you, but we also had parents who had contacted the department and asked if they could notify students that this family was looking for a sitter/nanny and handed out a flyer for information or posted one outside their office doors.

I can only imagine how scary it is being in the other side of the table but I wish you luck in your search!

saraking437 · June 2015

Just be careful with care.com and sittercity.com. They can both be great ways to find wonderful sitters/nannies. Obviously do the background checks and lots of questions. And definitely call ALL of the references and check them out.

My Ex-best friend is a nanny and she uses both of these sites. She is also a terrible nanny (ignores kids, stays on the phone, locks herself in another room.) And I won't even go into the fact that she has broken up TWO marriages. She has been fired from every nanny job she has had except one and she just lies when answering questions and makes up the references (or asks friends to lie when the potential employer calls.) She also changes her name up a bit and opens a new account every time she is fired. I honestly hate putting this on here because I hate talking about people, especially since she was my friend for 15 years, but I just wanted you guys to be aware that there are people out there like this.

Go with your gut when interviewing...if you feel unsure at all, no matter how good they look on paper and how well they answer questions, don't go with them!

oceanlove13 · June 2015

We used care.com to find our nanny who has been with us for a year. She is fantastic! I absolutely love her! I tell her all of the time that she makes my life easier. That being said we had to interview a lot of people and do all of our homework with this one. Find someone you click with. Like PP said there are a lot out there that aren't great, maybe just looking for a paycheck and wouldn't have the care of your child as a priority. Good Luck!

AmyB421 · June 2015

We used care.com to find our nanny as well and it's been perfect. Our son loves our nanny and is so excited when I tell him she is coming over the days that I work. Just make sure you ask a lot of questions and check backgrounds well. Also I believe in trusting your gut I knew right away our nanny was the one and she's now been with us for over a year. I cry when I think about losing her when she finishes school.

eheba · June 2015

I am a nanny now for a family that hired me through care.com. I've been with them for over a year now and I love them!!

Care.com for babysitters?

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