Bambino: Babysitting made easy Ratings and Reviews

Lifesaver app and amazing sitters!

We don’t have a ton of family nearby and we’re fairly new to town. We found Bambino when we had exhausted all the Facebook mom group recommendations and no one was available or they never texted back.

We have since used Bambino numerous times and it has been such a lifesaver and weight off of our shoulders every time we have a date night, parent event at school, family wedding, etc. because we always know we can find a reliable sitter on Bambino. I love reading the descriptions, the recommendations, and seeing their rate up front for transparency. Every sitter we have booked has incredible ratings from trusted neighbors and our kids ended up LOVING them, begging for them to come back again.

The best part is that we can pay right through the app, and even add reimbursements or a tip. I never have cash on me and this takes the headache out of driving around to find an ATM at the end of every date night.

Missing Payments

I joined this app as a means of making some money on the side, I’ve always loved to babysit and figured this app was a good way to connect with families in the city looking for fill-in child care. The connection aspect of the app is wonderful, as are the families I have met through Bambino, however receiving payment from Bambino has been more than a challenge. To put it lightly. A 2-3 business day window is given to sitters to expect payment after the job is completed and confirmed on the families end - of the times I have sat through the app my payment has only been received in that window on one occasion. They are plagued with delays and excuses for non-payment. I’m currently awaiting payment for a job completed NINE days ago, and I have reached out every day after that initial 3 day window and they have been less than helpful. I will submit a inquiry as to the status of my funds, be told I will receive payment by that evening or at least a message back within 24 hours - neither has come. At the very least they should be responsive and keep sitters up to date on the status of the payments, especially if they are going to be late. The responsibility should not be on me, the sitter, to track down my payment as I have already completely the work required of me. So disappointed in this service as it has the potential all to be amazing. Beware if you’re trying to make quick cash on the side, you will not be paid in any sort of timely fashion.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for reaching out! Please accept our sincerest apology. We have experienced many changes this year! Bambino now has a dedicated Member Care Team that will help with any issues that arise. Once received, most issues are resolved within 3-4 hours. By using feedback like yours, we were able to make changes that work! For example, we have a new payment processor, Stripe. You will be guided through troubleshooting by a person who knows your case every time. Again, my apologies you had a tough experience! We are here to address any questions you may have. Email us at: support@bambinositters.com

App has great potential just 1 main problem

The app has great potential for babysitting jobs , BUT the main problem i have is that they allow parents to request multiple people at the same time and once you accept they all of a sudden always “choose another sitter” it’s quite annoying to think you have a gig coming just to see they canceled right after.. I think the app should give the sitter a certain amount of time to accept the request based off the parents needs and then proceed to give them other options to request other people if the time is not for filled. If you’re lucky you might find a family who wants to use regularly which is the goal for most people but it can be impossible with this issue..another issue is not being able to communicate off hand with parents.. you shouldn’t have to pay for something like that in this situation, they also don’t allow sitters to chose a rate for multiple children which is another big issue because obviously 2+ children is not going to be a basic flat rate! Most people don’t actually read your bio to even see and since you can’t communicate on the app without paying that can be a huge misunderstanding when it comes to getting paid!

Developer Response ,

@missanonymousgirl, Thank you for the feedback. Bambino is about making babysitting easy...for parents and sitters. We'll continue to strive to make that possible. Again, thank you for your feedback.

Biased 🚫🚫🚫 Beware

I am 16 years old and have been using the Bambino app for over a year. It is a good way to connect with parents in your area. Unfortunately it is a bit biased and parents tend to be favored. Payment is through the app so when a babysitter is done with their job and the parents have come home they hit the button that says end job and they are given the option to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down about the parents.
Parents can then confirm the payment and give a recommendation. But in order for that to happen the babysitter must ask for it when they confirm the sit is over. They have no idea what the parent will say about them (which is public and permanently on the sitter’s profile)and that’s when a parent can say very negative things about a babysitter and not worry about it because they won’t have to see them if they choose not to hire them again. Unfortunately a babysitter cannot defend themselves and state the facts on why the parents negative views may be incorrect or unfair. Also, a babysitter can’t rate a parent which seems logical but actually is frustrating because some parents have standards that are way too high to begin with. Watch out future sitters! I recommend this app but it will most likely be a bit of a rough experience.

Winner

Like I said , I will be back to call her again , this was so unexpected and Taylor picked up this shift so last minute , as I was texting her I wasn’t sure if it would work as it was so last minute for me and her and I loved how optimistic she was she replied saying we will make it work and I felt so relieved to see that , and she came she was so so good following all my instructions about bed time etc , she even took notes in her phone.
I feel very safe with her and to leave my babies with her , she would respond immediately when I messaged how things were , knowing the boys were all good and tucked in helped me relax and have such a lovely night with my husband.
We will definitely be calling her again in need.
She even sent a update of how the night went and I love those things. The house was so clean and I’m happy to find a good sitter
Thank you so much Taylor , your a blessing 💓

🚫ALERT🚫

I have used Bambino the app for over four years and I loved how it was a great way to get in touch with your community and the people around you. When it comes to payment through the app it is never consistent and if you have any questions in regarding to anything about Bambino, it’s always someone from their support team who has some type of remark or comment to say about your character for even questioning the app. This all just recently happened to me and I was in absolute shock how this women (who I will not disclose which was their director) degrade me and my character and who I am. I have been in the childcare field for more than eight years and I have never in my life experienced threats and brutality like I have through this company nor from any company. The app has horrible management and the way they treat the sitters is unfathomable… And is honestly very concerning especially when it comes to the sitters feeling safe. I recently had to contact then again unfortunately and tell them that I wanted every bit of information from this app without me wiped clean and want nothing to do with it anymore.

Do your research and be smart!! Always protect yourself no matter what.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! I am so sorry that you had this experience! Thank you for providing feedback. We have experienced a lot of changes over the last year at Bambino! We have a dedicated Member Care Team that will reach out to you about your issue in a timely manner. Most inquiries are handled within 3-4 hours. In addition, we have a new payment processing partner, Stripe, that will care for any payment issues you may come across. While I know this is a very late response, we would love for you to reach out to our Member Care Team to have this resolved or to answer any questions you may have! Email support@bambinositters.com. We look forward to gaining your trust as the best babysitting platform available!

Be safe!!

i have babysat for a few family’s and it went great, except for this one bad interaction. she sounded like she was drunk on the phone, which is not my business by any means. before i agreed to babysit i asked if i could have my older sister come with me for safety and she denied my request, which usually i would not have went but i did need the money. So i got to their house at about 11pm and she was just completely out of it, was not paying attention to the kids, her eyes were bloodshot red, and would ask me very personal questions. it was not a safe environment for the children so i was a little concerned. Then she got on the phone with a man i would guess in about his mid 20s, and she started talking to the man about my age and if my age would work for him or not. Then invited him over, and by that point i was freaked out. So if you are going to use this app please be very careful because who would’ve known what would have happend if i stayed until he arrived. I also did not get payed at all.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Thank you for letting us know. We are so sorry you have had a negative experience. We would like for you to reach out with your account information so that we are able to investigate this incident at your earliest convenience. What you are describing is outside of our terms of service. We can also handle any payment questions. There is never a situation where a family will be able to close a booking without payment. We'd love to track that down for you! Please reach out via chat or email: support@bambinositters.com

Life changing app

We started using this app last summer when we moved to a new area and had to start over from scratch with finding reliable and trustworthy sitters.
I had some negative experiences with care. Com, etc and I hated paying a monthly fee on top of the subpar experience finding and booking a good sitter. I liked that it was free but I was still skeptical to try Bambino.
Once I downloaded the app and made a profile, I was able to see sitters in our immediate area who had been rated and reviewed by Mom’s in my neighborhood on (that I verified on the neighborhood fb page). Seeing that real Moms, that were acquaintances, use the sitters near me made me feel so much better about using it.
I’m so glad that we did. Our first sitter (whom we now use regularly) is AMAZING. The times she hasn’t been available we have been able to use 3 other equally amazing sitters that we love and, more importantly, our kids love.
We never have an issue finding a sitter now. If those 4 aren’t available, I can see my friends’ favorite sitters that live nearby and request them instead.
I can go to doctor’s appointments now, meetings, run errands, have date nights with my husband, we can go to weddings, etc.
It’s truly changed our lives for the better. I can’t gush enough about it.

Great, but needs some improvements

I think it for the most part it is very well designed, it is very easy to accept or deny jobs, you can update your profile easily, and I love the rewards system. However, I think an improvement that would be really helpful on the sitters’ end would be to have an availability feature. Currently you can only switch your profile on and off, but I would love to be able to set time availabilities so that parents can’t request me during a time I’m not available, and maybe even a calendar where you can mark off days that you are unavailable for vacation purposes or prior commitments. Many parents request far in advance or for during the day, and I always feel bad denying parents because I have prior commitments, or because I am at my full time job during the times they are requesting. Some sort of calendar/time availability feature would be extremely helpful and a great addition to an already great app!

Amazing App for Babysitting!

I am a sitter and have been using the app regularly for about 8 months. I have built a steady clientele of parents in my area that I babysit for regularly. It has proved to be a lucrative side job for me! There is always local support readily available for parents and sitters alike. The process is incredibly simple - I receive requests from parents, I let them know that I am available and then they confirm! I get to set my own rates and don’t have to worry about haggling my services. I show up (with a babysitting bag full of fun and parent-approved toys and activities) and have a blast with the kids! When the parents return I don’t have to worry about collecting payment - the app takes care of it for me. Parents can even leave a tip through the app! I then get my payment from Venmo about 2 business days later. This is definitely my favorite childcare app!