How to find a sitter in NYC

1. Start with your neighborhood, not the whole city

A great sitter who is 45 minutes away on the subway is not a great sitter at 7pm on a Tuesday. Most families end up hiring within about a mile of home, so filter by neighborhood first and widen only if you have to.

2. Decide which kind of help you need

The words are not interchangeable, and the wrong one gets you the wrong applicants.

Babysitter

Evenings, date nights, the odd afternoon.

Nanny

Regular care, full or part-time, week after week.

Mother's helper

Extra hands while you are still home.

Tutor

Homework, a subject your kid is stuck on, test prep.

3. Know what you are paying before you post

Rates in New York vary with the neighborhood, how many kids you have, and how much experience you want. Sitters on Stoop set their own rate and it is shown on every job card, so you can compare before you message anyone. If you post a rate that is well below what your neighborhood pays, you will get fewer replies — that is the fastest way to a long, quiet search.

4. Ask the same questions of everyone

A short call tells you more than a profile. Ask everyone the same five things so you can actually compare the answers:

• Have you sat for a family like ours before?
• What would you do if my toddler refused to nap?
• How do you handle a scraped knee?
• Can I talk to a family you have worked for?
• What is your rate, and what does it include?

5. Get a background check, and check references

On Stoop, a sitter can request a background check from their profile for a one-time $20 fee. It runs through Checkr, a third-party screening provider — the sitter completes it directly with Checkr, and a standard check covers identity verification and county, state and national criminal record searches. Once it clears, a verified badge appears on their profile. A check is not a substitute for a conversation, so do both: read the badge, then talk to a family they have worked for.

6. Have a backup plan before you need one

Sitters get sick, and trains stop running. The families who stay calm are the ones who lined up a second option on day one. On Stoop you can save favorite sitters, and if a booked sitter cannot make it you get a shortlist of nearby replacements to approve — so a cancelled Tuesday does not become a cancelled meeting.