New babysitting app for parents

From their smartphone, parents are able to find a babysitter within minutes

Finding a babysitter can be difficult. But an innovative app, called DateNight, is now available to help parents connect with babysitters within a few minutes from their very own smartphone.

According to the creator and founder behind this new app, Elize Shirdel: “DateNight connects parents with local babysitters. We have a  process where babysitters register and they go through a screening process and if they get through the process, then they are added to our babysitting roster. And parents register with DateNight, looking for a babysitter. They get a list of identifying information about babysitters who live close to them. If they want to meet these babysitters, then they send them a few dates and a request to meet.”

Shirdel continued: “After that, the babysitters get information about the parents; they get their LinkedIn profile and a few references and if the babysitters are interested in meeting the parents, they accept and go for an interview at the parents’ house — meet the family. If both parent and babysitter decide they want to work together and there is a connection, parents can then request babysitting from the babysitter through the app.”

Elize is herself a parent and knows what it’s like not having a babysitter.

“I am a mom of two myself. I have two boys, four and two.  I know how hard it is to carve out a little bit of time for yourself and your partner. And I thought the reason why my husband and I weren’t going out for dinner once a month was because I forgot to schedule it, when in fact it’s that we didn’t have a great babysittter to leave our kids with,” she said. “Parents are disconnected from the generation ten years behind them. I think that they are great young people out there with lots of experience with kids that we just don’t run into in our day-to-day lives. And they’re looking for part-time work and we’re looking for great people to help us look after our kids a couple of times a month for a few hours, just to give us a break. I think it’s a great way to do it.”

Anita Ramlal, a parent from Toronto, agrees with Elize when it comes to babysitting.

“The app is great and inspiring,” Ramlal said.

Parents that are looking for a babysitter can visit www.weneeddatenight.com for more information.

About this article

By: Kimberly Naipaul
Posted: May 11 2015 3:33 pm
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Filed under: Arts & Life
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