Wondersitter

Wondersitter is a godsend. In the past 4 years we’ve had many sitters through Wondersitter and they’ve all been great. My child sometimes takes a while to warm up to strangers but the sitters from Wondersitters nearly always are able to help him transition smoothly and entertain him while we’re away. The staff at Wondersitter is also very responsive and clearly do a great job in screening their sitters.

My wife and I have used Wondersitter for the last 7+ years and, in 75+ bookings, we have never had a bad experience. With only one exception, each Sitter has been fabulous, with the exception being fine, just not great. In other words, this service is really very special. They have a real skill in evaluating and hiring their staff; they should write a book on hiring domestic help. Recently, they helped us find a fabulous tutor for our children, so they can help with a variety of needs. I am a huge fan of the service!

I used Wondersitter’s service to find four sitters for my wedding in early May, 2015, it was a great experience overall! I contacted the company to see if it would be possible to book 4 sitters, they responded promptly to walk me through the step-​by-​step process. They even provided guidance along the way to make sure that we will have the sitters we needed for the event, and even asked about specific preference for attire, and any additional information to help the sitters find the exact event location so they would be time. I communicated with the company throughout the booking process, even after the event to finalizing billing details, and they truly went above and beyond to make sure all the concerns were addressed. We ended up letting the sitters leave early (we reserved extra time just in case), and received a refund for all the unused hours. So many of our wedding guests who brought their kids were impressed by the childcare service, and they had a wonderful time socializing with other adults without having to worry about their kids. There were so many details we had to worry about when planning a wedding, and I’m grateful that Wondersitter helped us take care of all the arrangements for childcare. THANK YOU to the amazing team at Wondersitter!!!

Don’t get me wrong, their sitters are good (well, except for the one that lied about her hours) but I’ve just had way too many problems with their back office — getting overcharged, getting charged not just the booking fee but the full sitter’s fee when I cancelled the booking, and lots of general unhelpfulness. I’ve had much better luck with both
and urban sitter.

I’ve used them four times now and each time I am amazed at the high quality of the sitters. I think the sitters like it because it gives them flexibility so they are really happy to take a job when they want it. All four sitters arrived in a great mood, immediately engaged my child or children, and seemed bright and interesting.
The first time I was particularly nervous about the idea of letting my child go off to the playground with someone I never met. But, the sitter was so experienced and terrific. She took photos throughout the day and texted me so I felt comfortable.
I am really impressed.

We’ve used Wondersitter for almost 9 months and probably about 30 times now. All of the sitters have been well screened. Some are a better fit for us than others but I don’t have to worry about quality. You can see each sitters profile and review. I like the online booking feature. Makes booking an ease. Use the GGMG discount if you’re a member.

It’s been two years since my last review. After our last sitter left us to begin a new graduate program, we switched to using Wondersitter as our primary care service. That means we have been using the system two or three times a week, almost every week, since September.
We’ve had many different sitters, full time and otherwise, as our kids grew up. And the one thing I found in my experience is that it is *much* harder to secure top-​quality, consistent childcare when you can only offer very part time (ie: after-​school) hours. Wondersitter has fixed that problem, and several more:
* The quality of the sitters is high — they are as good, or better, than the full-​time sitters I had in the past, and far better than the long-​term, part-​time sitters I found. My daughter, who forced me to fire two reasonably competent (if not great) long-​term sitters, has never had a problem with any WS. This a big deal if you know her.
* After a few months, you start getting the same sitters most of the time. It had been 100%, but that wonderful Wondersitter moved to another city.
* When that wonderful Wondersitter moved, my life didn’t fall apart. I NEVER have to worry about someone getting sick that day, deciding to move back home, changing jobs, going on vacation, etc., etc., etc. When I have a need, someone fills it. No more last-​minute scrambling.
* It’s a great deal. Wondersittter regularly offers 25% off sales plus it’s fully tax deductible (I think up to $ 6,000 a year for two working parents). I only pay for what I use. We go away, we don’t pay.
* You can pay by credit card and the system pays the sitter. I no longer worry about paying someone’s health insurance, calculating taxes, rushing to the ATM, end-​of-​the-​year bonuses, or raises.
I’ve raved about WS to many of my friends. After years of dealing with all the headaches mentioned above, I feel so lucky to have found a much better alternative.

Frequent user and am always able to count on the quality of the people the service provides. The (mostly) young ladies are always engaged and engaging and given the fact that we (church) require a certain sort of flexible person (could be working with infants or children) am amazed at how good the service is!

Hired a wonder sitter when I needed to attend a very important event. And the sitter cancelled on me two hours before the event. In their policy, the sitter can cancel up to the minute and you would just get stuck. Can’t trust this service anymore as who knows when some unreliable sitter will cancel again right before your event.

Rose and her team are great. My wife and I have a two year old and we use Wondersitter mostly on an urgent basis when our youngster can’t go to daycare because he’s sick. She’s been able to find sitters for us on very short notice (less than 24h), and they’ve all been great! It’s clear that they’ve all been screened very well and have a lot of experience with toddlers. I highly recommend her services.

I hired Wondersitter for the first time last week and all I can say is «WOW! Best customer service ever! My brother in law (with no kids) popped into town and 7:00 pm at night and said that he had fabulous dinner reservations and that it was his one night in San Francisco. My husband and I scrambled for 1 hour calling everyone that we knew before we remembered Wondersitter. I promptly filled out the online profile and followed up with a call to their offices because time was running short. Within 2 minutes I got a call back from their corporate offices (this was at 8:00 pm mind you) with a confirmed sitter! The babysitter showed up in 20 minutes and was responsible, reliable, honest and fun! In fact, the sitter was so wonderful that the children have been asking for her to come back all week long!
The next day I received an email from the founder of the company asking how everything went. Talk about great follow through!
I absolutely loved Wondersitter for their prompt attention to my needs, providing a great, qualified sitter, and also for thinking of me after I had used their services.
Rose, the founder, is a mom herself, and is an utter delight and I would not hesitate to use thier services again. Give them a try, you wont be sorry!

There is a lot of hassle to book a babysitter in the first place. Also, they may not find a baby sitter for the time you ask for. A lot of trouble for a sitter
I also tried to spend my wonder dollars and could never get a sitter. Not a big fan of this service. The baby sitters are good if you can hire one. I tried Bannanbery they were great and I got a baby sitter who was wonderful.

One of the difficulties of being a working mom is not just juggling work and family but also figuring out alternative child care arrangements when your child’s school is closed for some obscure holiday that isn’t observed by anyone except government organizations and banks. This is where Wondersitters is every working parents dream come true. We loved the sitter that came to look after our son (she is currently studying child development at SF State and wants to be an elementary school teacher). I also love the website, which allows a potential client to view the profiles of sitters on staff and the reviews they’ve received from past clients.
We will definitely be using them again when winter break rolls around!

Today we used Wondersitter in a pinch while my daughter was recovering from the flu and my husband and I had work meetings that were tough to reschedule. Again, you delivered and Maryam was amazing!
My husband and I have been using Wondersitter since our daughter was 8 weeks old, she is now 3 ½!!! We have never been disappointed in a sitter that you have sent us! It completely amazes me… every young woman has been professional, dependable and completely engaging with our daughter. Whatever your recipe is for recruiting and retaining sitter talent works and I consider myself so lucky to have your service. I tell every new mother that I talk to about your service; from date night to in a pinch you continue to come through… THANK YOU!

I love this service. I started using them months ago when my baby was about 4 ½ months old.
As a new mom I was scared to bring a stranger to my home, and especially take care of my baby. But after using this service several times, I highly recommend them! The sitters are polite and responsible. Personalities vary, but I’ve been happy.

I have to update my review after a particularly stellar customer service experience yesterday.
My nanny woke up sick and I had about an hour to figure out a plan. I
After trying my next go-​to, who was unavailable, I reached out to Wondersitter. At this point, the advance notice was half hour, so I was none too surprised they were unable to fulfill my request, which the system automatically cancelled.
However, within an hour, I received a phone call from their office (Candice) to follow up and see if there was anything else they could do for me. In fact, there was… I had been able to work around my morning plans without a sitter, but had a lengthy appointment in the afternoon that really required some help. Candice told me she would put out a fire alarm to some sitters she thought would be available if I just resubmitted my request. Sure enough, within five minutes of doing so, a sitter answered my call for help.
The key to Wondersitter is not just the ease of service and reliability of the sitters… it’s the personal touch they bring to the service. This is at least the second time someone from the company (including Rose, the manager), has reached out to me directly to help with a last-​minute request. It makes a huge difference to know that there is a real person on the other side of the computer helping you secure reliable care for your child.
Bravo!

I used Wondersitter for the first time recently and had a 5 star experience. The care provider was wonderful! My 10 month old daughter took to her immediately. This was a big deal for me, as my daughter is not used to babysitters and any caregivers other than my husband and I. As a stay at home mom, I have only left her with a babysitter a few times before, and it was someone she was already familiar with. Our sitter was lovely and we can’t wait to work with her again. I simply can’t say enough good things about her!
People often take time out to write about complaints or bad experiences, but I think it’s important to acknowledge the good ones. Thanks Wondersitter! I look forward to my next booking and to getting to know more of your caregivers.

I am a very busy single dad of a 6 year old and a terrible planner on top of that. As a result, I often forget to plan ahead and suddenly find myself staring at a Saturday night with great plans, but no sitter.
Wondersitter is a life-​saver … or, at least a lifestyle saver.
I have used seven wondersitters over the past year.
I am amazed at the quality of the women Wondersitter has provided.
A few real life examples:
1. A real high school teacher who taught my daughter algebra.
2. A woman who just moved here from Oklahoma and was an oragami expert. We still play with the little figures they created together with just a paper.
3. A mom with two of her own
4. A professional journalist who write about San Francisco politics for one of the local papers.
Every single sitter has been on time.
Every single sitter has exuded a confidence that comes with experience.
I can’t recommend them highly enough.

I don’t have kids and I don’t know the first thing that goes with babysitting. I never did it when I was young and I never had any. So when I promised my wedding guests a babysitter, I really had no idea what I was talking about.
And then I found Wondersitter.
I emailed Rose with my idea and she said that it was no problem at all. It was all set up and I got a sitter within minutes! I thought that a sitter would be put off by the idea of babysitting in a hotel room, but no one seemed to care.
On the day, we got a great sitter (according to the two mothers whose babies were being taken care of.) And for me? No hassles. I really didn’t have to lift a finger, except to write a check.
I was incredibly impressed that Wondersitter took my odd situation and just ran with it.

My thoughts on Wondersitter may vary with time (for better or for worse), but overall, I was pleased with the service. We needed a sitter for Saturday night and were matched up with Chelsea, a pleasant SF State student who seemed nonplussed by both our 5 month old daughter and our rambunctious 9 year old terrier. She showed up on time and texted us when our baby was asleep for the night, which I appreciated. I was a little nervous to leave my baby with a stranger, but took some comfort in the fact that Wondersitter conducts background checks. I’ll definitely use them again if I can’t find a friend to watch my little one.
Cons: 4 hour minimum (so we’ll likely only use them if we really need or want to be gone that long), a little difficult to reach the company by phone (though I imagine it’s pretty easy to book straight away online).