Short-term childcare for families

Our Sitter team is made of professional carers that are very well known to the agency and have cared for multiple families through us. They can care for children from infancy. They will accept requests for a minimum of three hours to a maximum of three months in duration.

Request your Sitter by sending us an email and letting us know when, where and for how long you need your Sitter. Please also include the ages of the children, if this is their first experience in the care of a Sitter and if there are pets in your home – we will let you know whether a carer can cover your request within 24 working hours. Please know that our processing times for requests are Monday to Friday 09.00-15.00.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can my Sitter work on a split schedule?

Sitters and Nannies usually prefer not to work on a split schedule. If you absolutely need your Sitter to take a break during the session, please consider offering to pay for those hours and/or offering meals, a place for them to sit and rest and anything that will make the split schedule possible.

Can my Sitter pick my children up from KiTa or school?

Yes, provided you have informed your KiTa in the way they require.

Will my Sitter support my family with household chores?

As a rule, you should expect your Sitter to provide childcare only. Depending on the length of the shifts you have booked and the specifics of your situation, your Sitter may decide to offer additional support with small, child related household tasks.

When and how can I pay for an On-demand Babysitting session?

The agency and the Sitter collect payment separately.

Your Sitter will inform you of their preferred payment method and provide an invoice if you need it. Payment to your Sitter will be due right after the session is over.
The agency will invoice per email for agency fees, usually some time after the session has taken place. You will be able to pay per bank transfer or Paypal (we usually send the invoices out at the end of each month).

Can I get to know my Sitter prior to the session?

Yes, in one of the following ways:

You can ask your Sitter for a video or regular call, ideally no longer than 30 minutes. Your Sitter will do their best to accommodate your wish. This time does not need to be compensated.
You can ask your Sitter to arrive one hour earlier than you original request. This extra hour will need to be compensated at the same rate as other hours.
You can agree with your Sitter on a get-to-know-you session prior to the original session you requested, once you are in touch with them. As all our sessions, the get-to-know-you session will need to be a minimum 3h in length and requested officially via the request form on the site, naming your Sitter as preferred Sitter (you can request once you have settled on a time and date with your Sitter).

If I received an email letting me know that no Sitter was found to cover my request, will Extra Arms consider my request to be “pending” and alert me if something changes?

No, unfortunately our process requires that we consider a request closed if no cover is found within the first 48 working hours from receiving it. You are welcome to put the request through again at a slightly later date to see if there are any changes.

Can families interview multiple Sitters and choose between them?

No. We assign bookings to the first Sitter who comes back to us with availability. We know our team well, and trust all to provide great quality of care to children within their age range. If you would like to get to know your Sitter prior to or after confirming, please read below.