I did a little thing for Huff Post parents recently about babysitting apps. Have you ever used a babysitting app yourself?

When asked about babysitting apps, this is what I said:

I’ve heard loads of good things about Bubble as a babysitting app especially from parents in London. Sadly I live in the middle of nowhere in Oxfordshire so I don’t think apps like that would bring up many results for me. Instead I tend to use a babysitting circle with a group of likeminded mum friends or a local lady from my village (I found her on my village Facebook group). I guess, being a new mum to a very little baby, I would prefer to meet the babysitter first to see how they gel with my daughter. As she gets older, I don’t think I’d be so worried if I knew she was ok with new people. For me it’s less a concern about the babysitter or childminder as I know they would have been very well vetted and more about how my child deals with new people. Ultimately it’s all going to depend on the individual child and their personality.

I have heard of people booking a babysitter just so they can go to the gym, to get some admin done or as a solution to emergency childcare, and I personally see no issue with this. I’ve put my daughter in the crèche at the gym many a time, even when she was just six months old – something which many of my mum friends were shocked at. Ultimately as a parent you sometimes just need a bit of time off. A bit of ‘me time’. And that’s ok! I always find that I’m a much better mummy to Amelia if I’ve been able to take care of myself and given myself a bit of a break. I would have to say though that booking a babysitter can be costly, so I wouldn’t just do it willy-nilly and especially not just for a lie in as some people do. Getting up early and doing the morning milk has become something of a ritual in our house and I wouldn’t want to miss that valuable time with my little one, however much I might fancy an extra hour in bed!

Comment below or drop me a tweet about whether you would use a babysitting app or whether, on the other hand, you think they are a concern?