As a mother of two children, I’ve always struggled with that balance of needing some time to yourself and not wanting to leave your children with someone unless you absolutely have to. We don’t have family close by so we’ve always had to rely on sitters or nannies.

It’s a hard task finding the right person, and you can sometimes feel an enormous amount of guilt. However, having that extra bit of time to yourself or knowing whilst you’re working your children are well looked after is life-changing. It is much healthier to have that space if you need it. Parents who take a bit of adult time are much happier, more relaxed mums and dads. So it actually benefits everyone.

But how do you find someone who fits in with your family and has the right experience, is DBS checked and can answer all the other little or big concerns you may have before you leave your little ones with them?

We’ve tried many different options in the past but one of the most successful has been Childcare.co.uk With over 2 million users and incredible reviews on Trustpilot I’m obviously not the only one finding them so convenient!

What is Childcare.co.uk

Childcare.co.uk is the UK’s largest online site aimed at helping parents find childcare. You can search for babysitters, au pairs, mother’s helpers, private tutors, childminders and nannies.

The childcare providers upload their information, certifications and credentials so you can see how experienced a person is and put your mind at rest. There are also parent reviews so you can read other parents’ experiences of each provider.

Mammaprada :: The easy way to find quality childcare in your local area

How does it work?

The website is very intuitive and you can search for a provider via postcode to find out who is available in your area and which type of care they offer. There is also a secure direct messaging facility so you can contact the desired provider and ask any queries. The response times from the different women we have spoken to were all very fast and gave full answers. It was quite clear that this is their career and they were very knowledgeable about caring for children.

It was reassuring to find people who have been educated in childcare and even taken a babysitting course, rather than rely on word of mouth or use family friends who can’t always help and may not know how to.

For us finding the right carer has been especially hard as our daughter has Type 1 Diabetes. She needs her blood sugar levels monitoring all day and has to be given injections with food. So leaving her and finding the right person has always been a big worry.

However, we've found several really competent, lovely sitters through Childcare.co.uk and discovered there are lots of teachers on the site who make perfect babysitters as they are already used to dealing with additional health issues in children.

Emergency childcare

Given the difficult times we’re currently experiencing you may find yourself needing emergency childcare.

Childcare.co.uk has 500,000 childcare providers listed on their website and they recommend searching using the various postcodes in your area and those on your way to work. There are so many people registered in each area that it’s very likely you will find someone to cover emergency days.

Many carers on the site also only work during term time and they are happy to take on last-minute care in the holidays or to help cover other childminders in their area.

Virtual tutors and nannies

If you’re working from home and like us finding the amount of school work you need to be doing around your working day impossible. Childcare.co.uk now offer private tutors and virtual tutors.

The virtual tutoring is such a fantastic resource allowing you to make sure your child doesn’t fall behind on their learning. With the added benefit of you feeling less stressed as you can complete parts of your working day without teaching them constantly.

Once again Childcare.co.uk allows you to check the qualifications of each person and many of the tutors have day jobs as teachers in state schools.

We’ve been so impressed with the results. It’s made a big impact on our lives as we wouldn’t have any help with our two children otherwise. It’s reassuring to know there is this extra support system we can use if needed.