Baby Sitting Service

Introduction

The Network 0 to 5 Baby Sitting service can give you the freedom to go out for the evening and be able to relax in the knowledge that your children are in the care of an experienced and fully vetted baby sitter. Our registration and vetting of candidates is extremely thorough. The personal interview that all our candidates undergo, coupled with our high standards and expertise in reference checking and vetting procedures means that we are able to guarantee both the high standard of service and the quality of baby sitters that you would expect from a specialised agency.

All our baby sitters are over 18 years old (with the average age being late 20’s through to 40 plus) and all are childcare experienced, with the vast majority being qualified/experienced working nannies, nursery nurses, childminders and teachers. Many of our Baby Sitters have been registered with Network 0 to 5 for many years.

Our baby sitters go through the same recruitment and selection process that we use for nannies and we guarantee that all baby sitters will have been interviewed and thoroughly vetted. For more information see our recruitment process section.

Network 0 to 5 Baby Sitters are available for bookings any night - (Daytime cover is also possible depending on the baby sitter’s availability - just call us to discuss).

Our Baby Sitting Service covers Central and South Manchester, Cheshire and Stockport. If you live outside these areas - just call us and we will see if we can help.

How to join

Annual Registration

The annual fee for this service is £120.00.

If you would like to register with us then please just complete the registration form and return it to us with your cheque for £120.00 (made payable to Network 0 to 5 Ltd).

One off Bookings

If you are only looking for a baby sitter for a one off booking (for example in a hotel or for a particular function) and the annual registration fee is not appropriate - then we can help too. In this case there is no registration fee - we will only charge a one off introduction/booking fee, you can find our fee schedule here.

If you would like to come into the office to meet us or discuss your particular requirements in more detail just call us.

Download: Annual Registration Form (PDF) or the One off Booking Form (PDF).

Registering with our Baby Sitting Service also entitles you to a fast track service if you should need a temporary nanny: for instance to cover school holidays or if your existing childcare arrangements break down – just call us and we will do all we can to help. We have fully experienced and qualified nannies/nursery nurses who we call on to stand in at short notice.

How does the service work?

Once you’re registered it’s simply a question of giving us a call whenever you need a baby sitter – we will then contact the baby sitter to make all the arrangements and (in the first instance) arrange for her to meet you in advance of the date required. We will always confirm with you who is booked and also make sure that you have the baby sitter’s contact details in case you need to make any changes outside of our office hours. If the baby sitter is new to you we will always go through with you the baby sitter’s career background and experience. We carefully match the experience of the baby sitter with the ages of the children involved- and we will always make sure that the baby sitter we are booking for you has the relevant experience and background with children or babies of the same ages that yours are.

All we ask is that you give us (ideally!) a minimum of one weeks notice (particularly for Friday and Saturday nights). We will always make every effort to get you your preferred/favourite baby sitter for any bookings you make.

Baby Sitter Rates

Our registered baby sitters charge their own rates and you just pay them direct at the end of the booking - we do not take any commission from these charges.

The hourly rates tend to be between £6-£8 per hour and we will always be able to advise you of a particular baby sitter’s rates. You may find higher rates are charged after midnight or at special times (e.g. over Christmas & New Year) or for special circumstances or bookings - but again, we can advise.

Baby sitters may also charge a minimum 3 hours for bookings of less than 3 hours long.

Baby sitters are booked to stay for as long as you need but if your return is delayed please let the baby sitter know - if you return early the baby sitters will expect to be paid for the hours booked.

We do not charge any other fees per booking - the only charge we make is the annual registration fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions but just call us if you have any queries.

Q: Can I have the same Baby Sitter each time I book?

A: We will always try your preferred/favourite baby sitter first. In practice most families find that they get to know two or three local baby sitters who cover most of their bookings.

Q: Can the Baby Sitters provide care during the day?

A: We are able to help with most requests for short term, occasional day care. If you have a need for day time cover please phone and ask as we are usually able to help.

Q: Can Baby Sitters do overnight stays?

A: This is possible depending on the baby sitter’s own commitments - just call us to discuss.

Q: Do I have to pay the Baby Sitter for travelling time?

A: No, our Baby Sitters don’t charge extra for their travelling costs. It would only be in very rare circumstances that we would suggest travelling expenses might be appropriate.

Q: Is there a minimum/maximum number of hours I can book a Baby Sitter for?

A: We do recommend that you pay them for a minimum of three hours per booking - though you may well find that if the baby sitter is very local to where you live she might consider shorter bookings. There is no maximum number of hours you can book - the majority of our baby sitters are fine with any length of booking (even until 2 or 3 am) - we just need to know the hours involved so we can check with them before we book them.

Q: Can I meet the baby sitter beforehand?

A: We are always happy to arrange this wherever possible.

Q: How much notice do you need if I want to book a Baby Sitter?

A: Ideally as much as possible! - especially for Friday and saturday nights - but we do understand that sometimes you don’t know when you’re going out and we'll always do our best to try to meet those spontaneous last minute bookings. Most families do try and give at least a week to two or three days notice - the more notice you give us the better your chance of booking your preferred baby sitter before someone else does.

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