Whether for a one-off night out, or for regular child-minding support, we all want the best, most reliable, and affordable babysitters for our children. Here is a list of agencies offering English-speaking nannies and babysitters.
24nannies
24Nannies provide reliable, screened nannies who can help at any time of day, including weekends and nights.
The types of nannies provided are:
- the “occasional nanny” for one-off occasions
- the “structural nanny” for long-term, recurrent childcare
- the “event nanny” to care for and entertain children at events like weddings or birthdays
Due to high demand, there is a waiting list for structural nannies. To use 24nannies, you will be charged a one-off registration fee, and a further charge will be made every time you book a sitter.
Amsternannies
Amsternannies provides nannies and mannies, although they only provide mannies for school-age children. All their childcare staff are students and are available for a wide variety of circumstances, from caring for newborns, to holiday travel, helping with homework, or overnight stays. Nannies undertake light domestic work among their duties.
Registration involves a one-time registration fee, followed by an intake meeting at the family home.
Babysittersclub
Babysittersclub connects babysitters to families. Their babysitting staff are students aged 18 to 28, selected based on their experience, reliability, and approach.
To use their services, parents must become members at a fixed monthly rate of 25 euros, after which the hourly rate for babysitters varies from 5 to 10 euros depending on age, experience, and education.
Babysittersclub also provides babysitting services in hotels.
Charly Cares
A partner of Amsterdam Mamas and highly recommended by our community, Charly Cares offers three types of sitting services: “last minute”, “flexible”, and “fixed babysitter”.
Their “angels” are rigorously screened and most have qualifications in a child-related field.
Charly Cares has an easy-to-use app which parents can use to register, select an appropriate membership, choose a babysitter, and make payments.
There are additional transaction costs per service depending on membership level, and parents are invited to provide assessments and star ratings of their sitters.
CompaNanny
CompaNanny provides a variety of childcare services. One of its less usual services is the flexible 24/7 nursery at CompaNanny Schiphol which provides an excellent solution for parents with irregular work schedules, like aircrew personnel.
CompaNanny’s staff are all qualified professionals who receive ongoing training in supporting children’s growth and development. They also provide parenting guidance through workshops and courses.
Children at CompaNanny’s facilities are fed a warm, organic lunch. Parents can even pre-order ready-made family meals from their catering facility to take home.
To use CompaNanny’s services, begin by registering, free of charge, at one of their branches. You will then be invited on a guided tour during which you will be provided with additional information about contracts.
If you use CompaNanny’s services for daycare or after-school programmes, you can claim child care allowance from the tax authorities.
Holiday Sitters
Founded by three parents familiar with the challenges of travelling with kids, Holiday Sitters is unique in its multilingual babysitting services, with a choice 25 languages.
All the sitters go through a rigorous screening process, and all their relevant documents are checked. Most of their sitters are international university students. The agency provides them with training in child health and safety, and in first aid unless they already hold a first aid certificate. The agency recommends booking two babysitters for three or more kids.
Bookings and payment are online and there is no registration fee.
This is a good service with great reviews. Its focus is on providing parents with a break from childcare while on vacation.
Knufflesitters
Knufflesitters, founded by child psychologist Rebecca Heron, provides childcare services, including looking after children with special needs like Autism, ADHD or ADD. Heron’s vision is based on attachment theory and she believes that secure attachment to caregivers has a positive influence upon children’s emotional development.
Knufflesitters caregivers are trained in child development, attachment theory, encouraging positive behaviour, and discipline strategies. Most of their staff speak both Dutch and English, and some speak other languages too. They are all either undergraduates or recent graduates and undergo a thorough screening process.
Sitly
Sitly (formerly Oudermatch) is an alternative way to find babysitting services. It connects parents with babysitters, but also with other local parents for shared childminding services or playdates.
To research sitters, you can sign up to their website for free but will need to upgrade to a premium membership to contact a sitter.
Sitly was founded in 2009 by new father Jules van Bruggen when he experienced first hand the difficulty of finding affordable, at home, childcare services.
Nowadays, the company has a staff of 24 and is one of the Netherlands’ fastest-growing babysitting providers.
Highly recommended by the community of Amsterdam Mamas.
The Night Nanny
Exhausted parents who need a good night sleep are the target audience of The Night Nanny, a new partner of Amsterdam Mamas. The Night Nanny childminders will care for your little one, usually from 22:00 until 07:00 the next morning, with flexible hours depending on your schedule.
There are a one-time registration fee and an intake at your own home to learn your needs, then you pay an hourly rate with discounted rates for frequent customers. Premium sleep packages are offered that include a fixed number of nights per week, a number of calls to a sleep coach, and a baby first aid course for parents.
You can also book with The Night Nanny for an evening out, special events, and even for help with daycare.
This article has been compiled from the recommendations of our members on the Amsterdam Mamas Facebook group.
