I need a back up sitter.  Or seven.  It’s so frustrating to have a sitter cancel, or to not be able to book one when you desperately want to go out or get to a meeting.  I found a solution that is affordable, simple and very easy to use – UrbanSitter.

Founded by four parents in need of reliable sitters, UrbanSitter is a website (and an app) that allows you to book sitters who have been recommended by your Facebook friends.  You can sort sitters by availability (time and date), background checks, location, and even by rate.  You can also see the reviews of the babysitters.   It’s incredibly simple.  The real magic of UrbanSitter is that it syncs with Facebook  to show you babysitters personally recommended (used and reviewed) by your friends.   I always feel better booking a sitter knowing someone else I know has used them in the past.  In addition, many of the sitters on the site can provide you with their own background checks. And, my favorite part of the service – many of the sitters take credit cards! No cash involved.  How amazing is that?

I recently attended a luncheon hosted by my gal pals at MomsLA & UrbanSitter at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach.  Many of the local sitters where there and we were able to interview them in a round robin of speed interviews.  I was very impressed with the women who were there representing the service.  I met many Loyola students, a mom who home schooled her kids who is babysitting to earn some cash on the side, and a filmmaker, who loves working with kids in her spare time.

A few other great things about UrbanSitter:

• Badges on sitter profiles indicate average response time to job requests, number of ‘repeat families’ who have booked them multiple times through the site, and if they accept credit cards for payment.

• You can also post a job for last minute help or recurring needs like Monday/Wednesday/Friday sitter or even full time nanny. Just write a description of your job and we’ll let you know when sitters express interest. You can also sort your list of candidates by the same filters as in a search and easily book interviews.

• Sitters keep their schedules online, so parents can book jobs and interviews for a specific date/time — instantly at the click of a button!

• Stay organized with handy email reminders and access to your babysitter bookings.

UrbanSitter is running a sweepstakes contest – you could win a year of babysitting for date nights.  (Or a few hours alone!)  Click here to enter!

 Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post for MomsLA and Urban Sitter. However, all opinions expressed are my own.