No matter whether you need a sitter for work, play or just to get things done — it’s a fact of life with kids — everyone needs a go-to babysitter, plus a few in their back pocket! Our family has been fortunate to live near immediate family and friends who have always been happy to lend a hand and watch our kids. Sometimes this is at our home, sometimes at theirs, but recently we found that we really wanted to try to find a non-family sitter who we could rely on to come to our home on weeknights when my husband travels and I have a commitment, or for those much-needed date nights we have neglected to get on the calendar. We just didn’t know where to start to find the perfect babysitter for our family.
Cue Bumble & Bee, Jacksonville’s local babysitting service! Bumble & Bee was created by two friends who shared a passion for children. Many years of experience brought them together to create a babysitting service catered to helping families find reliable, safe, and loving sitters. They handpick each one of their babysitters, and all of their “Bees” are background checked,CPR-certified for ALL ages, and must have at least three years of childcare experience. Bumble & Bee specializes in occasional babysitting needs and are also sometimes able to supply part-time nannying.
Meeting our ‘Bee’
It’s easy to navigate the Bumble & Bee website and “Meet Their Bees,” a.k.a. the sweet-as-can-be sitters who work for Bumble & Bee! I happily looked through the options for babysitters and found several, if not all, whose descriptions seemed like a great fit for our family. Next, once you are in need of a sitter, you can request service on a form on their website, in which you fill out a simple online form with your contact information, your requested dates of service, a few details about your family and if you have a requested sitter. Once I completed everything, I was contacted via email from the co-founder Katie, with a perfect sitter match, Emily L., and was given her cell phone number and all the details of the requested service. Shortly after I received the email, I got a text from Emily directly with a sweet note about how she was excited to meet our family and would see me the next week. While I did feel excited, I was still a little nervous and a million thoughts ran through my head, like, “Would she like us?” Also, my family knows our routine and I was thinking about all of the things I would have to tell her about getting my 3-year old to bed. Bumble & Bee also offers free phone interviews and their hourly rate for in-person interviews if you would like to meet the sitter before your service.
When Emily arrived, I was put at ease. I had prepped my kids, and they were super excited about having an actual “babysitter” for a change. They were introduced like old playmates and my daughter immediately went to the game closet, and before I even left, they were playing checkers and she was chatting with my son. I mean, she had more patience than me to play games already! I gave her the routine rundown, and everything went smoothly. No tears, no fighting bedtime. My son was asleep when I arrived home, and they were playing in my daughter’s room. My daughter didn’t want her to leave because they were still going to play hide-and-seek! Emily had done some drawings with my daughter, and when we were saying our goodbyes, she was chatting about how much her and her own mom love going to Disney World. My daughter was hooked and still asks when Emily can come over again!
More About Bumble & Bee
Bumble & Bee is a membership-based service — $40 for the year or an $8 fee per service for less frequent services. They also offer you the opportunity to request your first service without a membership commitment. Memberships offers you access to over 40 vetted sitters, a licensed and insured service, convenient payment system, and quality customer care. There is a minimum three-hour service booking and a set hourly rate for one-to-two kids, with moderate hourly rate increases for over two kids.
One of the best things about Bumble & Bee (besides the sitters!) is you’ll never have to worry about having the right amount of cash with you, as you’ll be conveniently emailed an invoice after services are completed. No more scrambling for cash in the piggybank or stopping at the ATM on the way home from date night. They even have a convenient feedback form in which you can relay details about your experience.
JMB Reader Offer
Bumble & Bee is excited to meet JMB Readers and is offering a special 10% discount to readers! When completing the request service form, just input the code: BumbleBlog in the “Did someone refer you” portion of your request service form. Valid for one-time use. Our family was excited to finally find a perfect fit with Bumble & Bee and can’t wait to plan our next night out!
