Finding the Right Match: How We Pair Families with Babysitters

There are lots of factors that go into matching the right babysitter with the right family. Of course, we start with the basics: location, availability, and experience with specific age groups. But these are just the bare minimum. Real, lasting matches are about more than convenience.

What we’ve learned over time is that matching on availability or proximity isn’t enough. The best childcare relationships come down to character, chemistry, and understanding the kind of energy a family needs in their home.

That’s why one of the first questions we ask when speaking to new families is: “How would you describe your children? What qualities are most important to you in a babysitter.”

It’s not always easy for parents to articulate that in a sentence or two, so we help guide the conversation with prompts. Are your kids energetic? Shy? Imaginative? Do they love crafts, books, music, or sport? Would they benefit from someone structured and calm, or someone lively and spontaneous? Once we start asking, most parents have plenty to say and suddenly we have a clear sense of what kind of sitter will feel like the right fit.

Something we hear again and again from families is that they’re looking for consistency. They don’t want a revolving door of new faces or to have to repeatedly explain the bedtime routine. They want someone the kids know, someone who learns the rhythms of their family and becomes a regular part of it. And it makes sense - children thrive on stability. Research shows that continuity in childcare helps children develop emotional security and better behaviour regulation.Having to constantly adjust to new caregivers can disrupt those foundations. That’s why we put so much thought into the first match because ideally, we want it to last.

Interestingly, one of the most common qualities parents look for in a sitter is energy. Over 50% of the families we speak to describe their children as “very active” and are specifically after someone who can match that energy, someone who loves getting outdoors, creating games, and keeping screens to a minimum. More than half of these clients specifically request a sitter who doesn’t rely on screens or TV to pass the time, and we couldn’t agree more. When a sitter truly engages with children it makes a huge difference, not just to the child’s evening, but to their behaviour for the foreseeable future.

That’s part of what we pride ourselves on. Having started this collective as babysitters ourselves, we’ve built a network that reflects the kind of carers we once were. Many of our sitters come from creative or educational backgrounds. Many are young ambitious students, so naturally they’re interested, energetic and often involved in dance, theatre, teaching, or the arts. Most of all they’re in tune with how it feels to be young and curious, full of energy and imagination.

When we interview babysitters to join the collective, we ask them the same kind of questions we ask parents. “How would you describe your approach to babysitting?” or “What do you enjoy most about spending time with children?” These are the answers we pay the most attention to. Of course, we check references, DBS certificates, and prior experience but the most important thing to us is the sitter’s mindset. Can they adapt? Are they warm? Do they light up when talking about past childcare roles?

At the end of the day, we’re not matching names on a spreadsheet. We’re placing someone in a family’s home, often their most private, sacred space. There’s no perfect formula for matching a family with a sitter. But we’ve found that if you ask the right questions and listen carefully, really listen, you can build relationships that feel natural, easy, and deeply appreciated by both sides.

That’s the part we love most. Because while we’re proud of our systems and checklists and structured processes, what really matters is this: every family is different, every child is different, and every great match starts with an open and honest conversation.

With love, Maddie, Liliana & Ella