Getting out for a date night can be a huge pain in the neck for so many. Coming up with the plan, getting the date on the calendar, finding the sitter, booking the sitter… it’s no wonder for a lot of people (ourselves included, even though our older kids are somewhat of built-in sitters!) a date night looks like Shawshank Redemption at home for the tenth time on the couch with a pint of Haagen Dazs (is it just me or is Shawshank undoubtedly on some movie station almost 24/7?). We deserve more than this, people!
Enter Chime.
Chime is an online sitter-booking service. The best part in my opinion? Babysitters go through in person evaluations with the Chime staff. That’s pretty amazing, right? It may be easy to fool someone into thinking you’re capable of watching small children with only an online profile, but in person? Harder to achieve. Chime even checks their references, their social media, their entire background before they’re Chime-approved. They go one step further too: video interviews for the parents who are booking from home. So you scroll through the sitters, read their ratings, their profile, and then you can actually watch their video interview! Better yet, your kids can watch it too so that the person isn’t a total stranger upon arrival. I love that.
And, if you weren’t already convinced of their ease of use, here’s one more to convince you: no cash required! You pay the standard rate for your city online (between $14-17/hr). Easy.
(FYI: it’s not available where I live, so I wasn’t able to experience the service myself, but have heard good things from first-hand users!)
Available now in NYC, Boston, Washington D.C., and Chicago (and adding more all the time!).
Use HUNTLIFE for $50 off your first booking!!
Thanks to Chime for sponsoring this post, and to all of you for supporting this blog!
That last photo of you getting ready while your little guy watches made me smile and remember when my youngest was that age – as soon as I put on nice earrings and perfume he would begin to have a major fit, knowing that I was preparing to go out and LEAVE HIM WITH A BABYSITTER! I finally had to resort to putting my housecoat over my fancy duds and spritzing my perfume on in the car! Oh, the tangled web…
THIS IS GENIUS. Tyler and I have talked though creating "an uber for babysitters" a million times over. It's time for something like this!
Hi, could you share what lipstick you're wearing in the second photo? I didn't realize it until now, but I need that shade of red in my life!
it's an arbonne lip color and the shade has since rubbed off! sorry!
how was your specific experience? did the kids do well?
it's not available outside the city of Boston where we live so I didn't get to experience myself but have heard really positive feedback from actual users.
I love your blog so much and I usually so enjoy your sponsored posts, but I'm a little alarmed that you're pushing something you haven't actually tried yourself. On the one hand, you're clear that it's a sponsored post, so there's that, but on the other, it's kind of disappointing to realize (and only by reading the comment section) that you're touting brands that you don't actually use. I don't mean to be a hater, I just want to give honest feedback from a longtime reader/admirer!
hi alexa! fair point!! i totally understand. since it's not actually available in my area, it's not so much that i had the opportunity and declined though, for what that's worth? but i should make the post even clearer — and i will do so now!!
(really appreciate your honesty!)
I agree 100% with Alexa. But the fact that it isn't available in your area doesn't change anything. You are still pushing a service you haven't tried…that's one thing if it's a restaurant or a clothing store…but child care?
I'm in love with your nail polish color! Can you please share? is it OPI?
Essie, mink muffs!
Yikes! It could be a cultural thing (I'm not from the US), but there is zero chance I would ever, ever leave my children with someone who I'd never met, whether they were vetted by an agency, I'd seen an online video or not. Is it common practice to just hire someone unknown to watch your kids? I have a very small list of people who I DO know who I'd leave my kids with, let alone someone I didn't. If the service was available where you live, do you actually think you'd use it? I'd have big safety concerns.
I'm back! I cooked dinner and thought about it, and came back to say …. I hope that didn't sound snarky or horrible. I am just genuinely curious whether this is the norm in the States. It would be very unusual in our culture.
Hi Lacey,
I live in the US, & I had the exact same reaction you did. NO WAY would I have left my daughter w/ someone I didn't know personally. NO NO NO NO WAY!!!
Really enjoy your blog and usually don't mind the sponsored posts, but please, do not push a service or a product you haven't actually tried yourself. Bad taste.
Thanks for the feedback, Hannah. There's a few reasons I thought this was still a worthwhile sponsor post but I also totally understand where you're (and others!) coming from. Hoping I don't miss the mark with you in the future.