Adventures in Babysitting

Realizations: Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in the summer, harder. Being a mom trying to train for a marathon in the summer, impossible. Kids and me time just do not equate, and there comes a time in every moms life when the word babysitter pops into their heads. If you haven’t seen Bad Moms yet, go watch it now, and then come back to read this.

As they say, perfect mom lifestyle is out. It’s finally been recognized that (GASP!) moms cannot in fact “do it all,” and as our moms and moms before us have learned – SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED HELP.

This doesn’t make you less of a mom. It makes you smart. You finally realized that your little self was not designed to do 10 things at once even though you think it was. But that’s okay – because it’s also 2016 and things have really improved to help out any problem you could ever imagine. Such as Chime, by SitterCity, a babysitting app that allows me to book one of my favorite sitters as fast as I can order dinner on Seamless or hail an Uber. As I like to now refer to NYC, the city that functions on apps, you have another one that is worthy of taking up space on your smart phone.

Training with a toddler

Only in NYC is it okay to take your child WITH you to a spin class or barre  studio. As a mom on the go, I’ve learned to perfect my daily schedule literally down to the minute – and that includes still finding time to hit the gym. Chime is great because you can book a sitter for any length of time over one hour. Whether it is coming to my house to entertain Max while I run out for work dinner or for them to join me at the Mile High Run Club and just entertain Max while I see my trainer for 60 minutes, I know Max is in good hands. Yes, you can look at me and say, “you have a babysitter meet you to watch your kid at a spin studio while you work out? That’s dedication!” But, you’re probably just upset you didn’t think about it first.

Why Chime?

 

I have had less than stellar experiences in the past, and I am very particular on who will take care of my son (aren’t we all??). But, alas, it’s 2016 and we have some serious technology to make sure you know inside and out who is coming to hang out with your child.

• Chime offers solid background checks (you can even see the date it was performed)
• you can see their past experience, other moms reviews, and even watch a video of your sitter prior to hiring her to see if she’s a good fit
• Most sitters are CPR certified (and it states it on their profile) and First-Aid certified, you know, just in case!

And as a judgmental mom, I will let you know – my sitters do NOT ask for wifi passwords when they walk in. And when I come home, the television has been OFF, and they were on the floor engaging my son with puzzles, play-dough and reading books. Not just throwing him on an iPad and making sure he doesn’t burn down the house. That in itself is worth it to me.

How it works

• Download the app
• Enter your Credit Card
• Book a sitter! Viola! They show up!
• Just like Uber and Seamless, there is no cash transaction at the end of the night – all funds are handled through the app making it safer for everyone, and rates are discussed and in stone in advance.
• You have the option to “round up” your hourly rate as a tip. Example – here in NYC, it is an average of $17/hour. I usually round up at the end of the night to give them that extra money to take home a cab. 4 hours = $12 extra.
• Rate your sitter. Help your fellow mom friends out by letting them know if you had a great sitter, so they too can feel comfortable booking one themselves. Remember – it takes a village!

Try Chime for free on me!

BIG NEWS PEOPLE. Chime is available in Queens (and that other borough they call Brooklyn).  That means yes, fellow Astorians, you too can use this cherished app. Want to give it a shot? CLICK HERE to leave a comment on the Facebook post for a chance to win $100 in free babysitting credit!

 

 

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