This post has been sponsored by Sitter. All opinions are 100% our own!
Babysitters and Childcare. It can be one of the most frustrating parts of parenthood. The never ending search to find someone to watch your children in hopes that you can have a few hours to yourself or with your spouse.
The process of finding a sitter usually looks a little like this. 1) Text/Call each one of your trusted sitters to find out if they’re available in two weeks . . . or two hours. 2) After exhausting your “go to” list, immediately start texting friends if they might have a sitter they can recommend — knowing that this information is sacred gold to some parents and can be a difficult favor to ask. 3) When all else fails, take to Facebook and begin asking acquaintances if anyone has someone they trust and hope that you’ve finally landed a sitter.
And sometimes after all of that work, you might have to admit defeat, take off your heels, and put on your comfy pants because the couch and a glass of wine are calling your name.
This process was exactly what Boulder, Colorado mom Kristen Stiles was tired of; the dreaded texting-and-waiting game.
Kristen created an app for iPhone & Android that eliminates the search for a local sitter. Unlike babysitting services, Sitter allows you find sitters you know through your personal network of friends or within your neighborhood, hassle-free.
4 Simple Steps to Booking A Sitter with Sitter.Me
1. Download the Sitter App
The App is FREE on both Google Play & the App Store. Download to your phone and follow the instructions for a quick setup of your profile. Since the app does text your contacts on your Sitter List, it will ask to verify your phone number via text and you’ll be ready to begin.
2. Create Your Sitter List
Once registered, you’ll want to create your Sitter List. You can choose from your current contacts OR connect with your friends and ask for their list of sitters.
The Sitter app does NOT require sitters to download before using. They’ll receive a notification that you’re using the Sitter app and they’ll receive a text from the Sitter number for your next babysitting request.
Need a longer list of sitters? Connect with your friends! Using the app, you can send a referral link to your friends and have them create their own sitter lists that can be shared with you.
3. Send Your Request
When the time comes that you’re ready for that afternoon brunch or a night on the town with your spouse, push the “Get a Sitter” button on the homescreen and select the date and time a sitter is needed.
Your list of sitters will receive a text with all the details they need to know (your name, number of kids, location, date, and time) and they can either accept the offer or decline. No hard feelings! The first person on your contact list will be confirmed as your sitter!
The first person on your contact list that confirms is booked!
4. Book Your Sitter Instantly!
There’s no texting back and forth to figure out the details or going down a list one at a time until you find someone. The communication is quick and easy!
If your list of personal sitters don’t respond, you can then move on to your shared list of friends’ sitters. If your friends aren’t comfortable with sharing, no problem! Select your local neighborhood list and send a message to sitters who have signed up in your area.
As the date gets closer, your confirmed sitter will receive text notification reminders, directions to your home, and contact information.
Since Sitter was designed by a parent, they thought of everything to making hiring a babysitter as easy as possible.
Kristen wanted Sitter to be safe place for parents and babysitters to connect and make the entire process hassle-free. The app lets parents pay their sitters directly, provide routine information and much, much more.
Not only is booking simple, but the app also includes rate reminders for each of your sitters, an in-app timer to keep track of how long you’ve been gone, and the option to pay the sitter directly through the app –no cash needed — making it easy to give them a tip or reimburse them for delivery!
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Sitter-Video”]
