On-Demand Babysitting

As a mom with two young kids, I'm always on the search for a good sitter. We've been fortunate to have had a handful of amazing sitters we can reliably call on. But I seem to have forgotten that they move on to college (gasp) or full-time careers (sigh). And now that we've moved into a new 'hood, I feel like the new mom all over again, desperate to find new sitters to add to my contacts.

Enter Chime, the Uber of babysitting booking apps. Okay. I know everyone uses that analogy whenever they describe a new startup. But Chime is legitimately a game-changer. And here are 6 reasons why:

1. Chime is brought to you by SitterCity: SitterCity pioneered the category of online childcare with over 15 years experience connecting families and caregivers. SitterCity boasts 7 million members with more than 2,000 new sitters joining every day.

2. MVPs of babysitters: SitterCity hand-picks sitters from the top 1% of SitterCity's national database. Chime only works with sitters who are highly rated and get glowing reviews from local families.

3. Sitters are seriously vetted: Chime conducts an extensive reference and background check, along with child safety and social media screens. Plus they interview every candidate in person, to identify people who genuinely are interested in childcare.

4. Easy-to-use app: Just enter your location and you will see pre-screened Chime sitters near you. You can watch video profiles and read parent reviews. Pick a date and time and book your sitter (or schedule an interview). Done. Go to hellochime.com to see more.

5. No more awkward payments by the door: Once your sitting is complete, payment is automagically processed by credit card. Sitters charge a flat hourly rate. It's $16/hour (+$1 for each additional child) here in Boston.

6. No hidden fees: Chime is subscription free!

We recently had the opportunity to give Chime a try. It really was so easy to find and book a sitter. And more importantly, the boys LOVED Ashley (our sitter that came on a few days notice). With the start of school approaching, we will be in need of some extra hands (and an occasional date night), so we're pretty pumped to have discovered Chime.

Disclosure: Thank you Chime for giving me the opportunity to try the Chime app and a night out. As always, all opinions are my own.