Babysitters – Where are they when you need em?! Seriously, babysitters are like the world’s greatest thing on Earth, can’t live without them (goodbye kids, Mama needs a BREAK!), but they are SO HARD TO GET. I have three girls in my neighborhood whom I LOVE so dearly (Chloe, Clare, and Shannon!!!! xoxo), but we all remember those days of school, and sports, and friends, and boys, (and more boys), and family… they always have something going on. Then that leaves me with my other five girls, who I rarely use, but I have their numbers, and they’re fabulous, but it’s a little weird when I have to ask them and they haven’t heard from me in months and then of course they’re also unavailable. Then there are those numbers you have from other friends or referrals, but you’ve never met or even used them, but you’re just so desperate that you ask them too but then they aren’t even open. Been there? It’s those moments where you will TAKE ANYONE. ANYONE! Such desperation! Lol! Ugh, yeah, I feel like that often! It’s a never ending struggle! NOW – there is an App for that! Haha – Enter BAMBINO!!!!!! The glory bells in heaven are ringing so loud right now!! :) Can’t wait to tell you about this!
A little back story – the above situation was me last week. John and I had a long day planned on Saturday at the Sanford International and I had literally asked EVERY babysitter I have in my phone, probably about 12 girls. Insert every excuse – homecoming, football game, work, out of town, no response … literally not one was available.
That’s when I heard about Bambino! A friendly, safe, efficient, and trustworthy babysitting app connecting parents with local babysitters that have been recommended by neighbors and friends. SO FANTASTIC! I used it last Saturday for the first time (MacKenzie you were a star!!) and I LOVED it so much I’m partnering with them to tell you more and also how you can earn FREE babysitting money including one give away to a lucky follower for a $50 credit! But first, let’s talk about this life-changing app!
Bambino is the new babysitters club – it’s unique in the fact that it allows parents to find babysitters that have already babysat for other people they know. Integrated through Facebook, you can see who your friends and neighbors have recommended and favorited or find your own by searching sitters nearby. Read what your friends have to say with sitter reviews and learn more about the babysitter with detailed bios. It’s really nice too because you can see how far away the babysitter is from your house. So it’s like booking a neighbor if it’s someone super close that you maybe didn’t even know about! Awesome! Proximity!
Plus, every community has a Community Manager who is just like you and me – she’s a Mom, she uses babysitters, and most importantly, she’s there to help us if you have any questions about any of the babysitters, how to use the app, really, anything. Ours in Sioux Falls is Molly Quinn, she’s SUPER SWEET AND SO HELPFUL! She offered me a ton of insight into some of the babysitters I was looking into and helped me navigate the app. So nice having a local somebody to ease any nerves about using new sitters!
Biggest thing – totally scared about these random people coming into your home?! YUP! Handing your kids off to an unknown is terrifying (but a girl has gotta have a girl’s night), so to ensure the trust, Bambino babysitters have to agree to profile reviews for quality and random checks in addition to background checks. The checks include vetting of social media footprints including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to identify risk profiles based on posting tendencies. Furthermore, sitters fall into four categories: junior, standard, advanced, and elite. Bambino elite sitters are hand selected from the best of the best. To be an elite sitter, you have to complete a requisite number of bookings with a five-star rating, you have to maintain an acceptable reliability rating, respond often and quickly to requests, and get solid recommendations from active Bambino users. Another way to “favorite” your sitters is to look for these ratings on their profiles! (Insert me favoriting every elite babysitter on there!) You can even message the sitters through the app, so I could communicate with them a little bit beforehand. And you better believe I lurked on their social media profiles too!!
The way it works is that parents sign up through their Facebook profile to connect to your friends. Then you can “request a sitter” and include the date, time, and location. Then you can select certain babysitters that are allowed to see your job posting, rather than making it public. They are sent the job and respond if they are available, then you can book your favorite! Or you can open it up to other babysitters too!
Then, WHO CARRIES CASH! Seriously. If I have to stop at the ATM one more time to get money for the sitter, or talk and talk to the babysitter at the door half drunk while the hubs scrambles to find some cash, or the awkward moment when you have to get the calculator out to figure out how much to owe! Ugh, no more of that! Gone are the days of cash!! The payment is done THROUGH THE APP! Amazing! There is a payment tool integrated so parents can track the duration of babysitting sessions (the babysitter starts and stops the clock and you have to confirm) and payment can be transferred based on the agreed upon rate. Plus, sitters set their own rates, so no more wondering how much to pay him or her! It’s already set in the app! So efficient.
Overall, I love discovering new babysitters and my experience with Bambino last weekend was beyond perfect. I loved my babysitter MacKenzie, the kids loved her, my house was clean when I got home (praise the Lord!!), I loved how easy it was to request and book a sitter, and I loved being able to pay through the app. All so efficient, safe, and reliable. Check out Bambino for sure!
— 3 Ways to Earn FREE BABYSITTING MONEY! —
- Head to my Instagram (@kayleemaykoch) to comment and tag a friend who needs a sitter for a chance to win a $50 gift card to use on Bambino!
- Click here on my referral code for $10 credit to use on Bambino when you sign up and book your first sitter!
- PLUS! Use code APPLE5 for $5 credit anytime on Bambino! (Expires on 10/27/18)
So many chances to earn FREE babysitting money here!!! Connect on Bambino today and never worry about finding a babysitter again! Woo hoo! It really is “Babysitting Made Easy!”