Can't Find a Sitter? Try Cyberspace

July 28, 2006 -- -- Finding a baby sitter on a Saturday night can mean a choice between evils. There's the 14-year-old down the block whose cell phone is practically attached to the side of her head, the creepy grandmother-type whose number you got from a flier, or the overwhelmed friend who offered to help but has two kids of her own.

To make things a little easier for moms and dads in search of a sitter, Internet-based baby-sitting and nanny services are in place across the Web that offer thousands of names, numbers and even background checks to ensure your search in cyberspace yields safe and positive results.

"It's an increased trend, and it provides parents with a first step," said Diane Debrovner, Parents Magazine's health and psychology editor. "It helps you find seemingly nice, eager baby sitters who want to baby-sit."

Debrovner cautioned that while these services are useful and convenient, they're only part of a process that involves parental participation.

"Across the country, we have 158,000 baby sitters and nannies," said Genevieve Thiers, CEO and founder of SitterCity.com. "It's like Match.com for parents."

Like other sites, SitterCity.com gives parents access to a directory of child care providers in cities coast to coast.

For $7.99 a month annually or $9.99 monthly plus a $39.99 registration fee, parents can tap the site's vast database. Prospective sitters pay nothing to post their info.

While some sites include sitters who range from 13 years old and up, Thiers said that SitterCity makes sure its providers are all at least 17, which the company verifies through documentation.

She compared the process to dating Web site Match.com, which she knows a lot about -- it's where she met her fiancé.

Thiers said that while finding someone on the list is a major convenience, it's only the first part of finding a sitter.

"We strongly believe that when using a home care giver that they should be screened in the home by the parent," she said.

To that end, SitterCity provides parents with some tools to ensure that the sitter they choose is the right one for them.

"It starts with references, and there are two in each sitter's account," Thiers explained. "Then we have feedback from other parents. For background checks, we've integrated it into the system, so it's right there and easy to use."