Are Babysitting Apps A Lifesaver For Parents – Or Unsafe For Our Kids?

Often, parents’ concerns stem from the “Uber-like” association these apps have. Ari Last, CEO of Bubble, says there may be an instinctive reaction that because it’s an app, it works like Uber or Deliveroo, in that a button is pressed and a sitter they know nothing about suddenly appears at their door.

“That can evoke a lot of nervousness about the process, which is a shame because that’s not how it works at all,” says Last. “Parents have more information, background and control over their childcare choices than the other methods they may typically employ when trying to find a babysitter offline.”

Ruth Maurandy, of Rockmybaby, agrees. “Every business in 2019 wants to be the next Uber,” she says. “The Uber of dog-walking, childcare, beauty – and it’s useful shorthand, but while Uber is amazing and super convenient, it’s transactional and impersonal – everything childcare is not.” Users of Rockmybaby can still pick up the phone and talk to someone, says Maurandy, if they don’t feel comfortable with everything taking place in-app.

“It’s about getting away from the idea that just because they come from an app, that doesn’t mean it’s dangerous,” she adds. “A babysitter is new to the child no matter where you find them.”

[Read More: 5 mums discuss the childcare options that enabled them to return to work]

Convenience is a benefit of babysitting apps, argues Last. They’re not only used for nights out – 40% of bookings on Bubble are used during the day. “Parents book sitters for all kids of reasons,” he says. “Haircuts, house viewings, a gym class. We have parents booking sitters in the mornings on the weekend so that they can lie in. These are all mundane, everyday things that I think we, as parents, often have to give up on after our kids come along.”

But convenience can be an issue if you live in an area where the apps are barely used. Holly Pither, mum blogger at PitterPatterPither, says she lives in the “middle of nowhere” where the apps just aren’t as popular or populated – but she wouldn’t be averse to them. “Loads of people have recommended them to me,” she says. “If only I lived in London, I would definitely try one out.”

For Pither, it’s less a concern about the babysitter or childminder – “I know they would have been very well vetted” – and more about how her child deals with the person and how they get on with the babysitter. 

The app founders believe adoption of this method of finding a babysitter will take time – in 10 years, a new generation of parents may not think twice about using an app, just as people who turned their noses up at online dating a decade ago are now using it.

“Like many other disruptive, tech-enabled services that have come before, the concept polarises opinions,” says Last. “What’s most important is that customers who use our product love it. That’s normally a great sign that normalisation and greater adoption are going to come soon enough.”

Perhaps it’ll be a few more years before more parents jump on board – or maybe it’ll take longer for the hidden benefits to come to light: cashless, in-app transactions mean an end to awkward conversations about money, jingly envelopes of coins and soul-destroying waits, where nobody’s quite sure whether the £20 handed over for a £18 job includes a two-quid tip or requires change. The nice lady you met in the supermarket can’t promise you that.