Bambino App Review: Is Bambino Safe and Worth It for Babysitters?

Bambino is a mobile app and online platform that connects parents with babysitters. Unlike many other apps featuring paid care work, Bambino focuses only on babysitting. After you set up your babysitter profile, parents can contact you through the app to request services. Once you’ve finished a job, the parent will pay (and tip) you through the app.

While some babysitting apps allow babysitters to apply for jobs posted by parents, Bambino works a little differently. Instead, it’s up to the parents to contact you on Bambino with a babysitting job offer.

Costs and fees

Bambino is completely free for babysitters. You don’t need to pay signup fees or membership fees, and the app doesn’t even take a cut of your pay, meaning you get to keep 100% of your earnings. You’re not even obligated to pay a fee for a background check.

What’s the catch? The way Bambino earns money without charging sitters is by charging parents a service fee of $4.95 for each booking. This allows sitters to use the app cost-free.

Locations

Bambino is available throughout the United States. However, some cities have more Bambino parent users than others, and how popular the app is with families in your area will impact how easy it is for you to find work.

Here are Bambino’s top cities in terms of number of users:

• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Chicago, IL
• Charlotte, NC
• Dallas, TX
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Houston, TX
• Indianapolis, IN
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York City, NY
• Phoenix, AZ

If you live in one of these areas, then Bambino will be more likely to help you get work as a babysitter. If not, then don’t fret—it may still be worth trying out Bambino to see what opportunities are available where you live.

Is Bambino safe for sitters?

Bambino is a legitimate babysitting app, and it’s safe for babysitters to use. Bambino even takes measures to protect the safety of babysitters.

Here’s an overview of Bambino’s safety features:

• Parent screening: Any parent you work with through Bambino has undergone ID verification, cell phone number verification, and a sex offender check.
• Parent feedback: Each time you complete a sit, you’ll have the opportunity to provide feedback on the family. Any issues reported by sitters are reviewed by Bambino.
• Hide your profile from unwanted families: You can opt out of sitting for a certain family by choosing the “thumbs down” option after completing a booking. Bambino will then hide your profile from that family’s future searches.

Not all babysitting apps have these protections for making sitters feel safe. In particular, the option to hide your profile from families you don’t want to sit for again is a big plus.

The screening process for Bambino is fairly thorough, but Bambino’s eligibility requirements are relaxed enough that many sitters will be able to qualify without much difficulty.

Here’s a summary of Bambino’s babysitter requirements:

• Be aged 13+ years: There are usually age restrictions for babysitting jobs, and most babysitting apps require you to be 18 years old. On the other hand, Bambino lets sitters join the platform at just 13 years old, with permission from a parent or guardian. This means it’s a good side hustle option for teens.
• Have a valid phone number: To prove that you’re a real person with a reliable means of communication, you’ll need to validate your phone number. You can’t use an online phone number, VoIP number, or untraceable phone.
• Verify your identity: You’ll need to provide a government-issued ID or validate your Social Security number.
• Pass a sex offender registry check: You’ll need to pass a check confirming that you’re not a registered sex offender.
• Pass a Mastercard/Visa usage check: Bambino will check to ensure you don’t have a bad history with using Mastercard or Visa cards.
• Provide a parent recommendation: You need to have a recommendation from someone on the Bambino platform. This could be a parent you previously babysat for or a responsible adult.

Background check

Do you need a background check to be a Bambino babysitter? The answer is a little more complicated than it seems.

To be a sitter on Bambino, you need to pass Bambino’s sitter screening process, which includes checking law enforcement and sex offender databases, reviewing your national security status, and running financial checks. 1 For all intents and purposes, you could call this a background check.

But in addition to this mandatory screening, Bambino offers an optional background check for sitters who are 18 years or older. This is technically an add-on product that Bambino sells, and it’s not required. It’s unclear how exactly Bambino’s product background check differs from this screening, but the implication is that it’s more comprehensive.

At the time of writing, Bambino’s optional background check costs $14.95 for babysitters. If you pass, you’ll get a badge on your profile that may make you a more appealing option for parents, but you’ll need to renew your background check every year to keep it valid.

Bambino sitter ranking system

Bambino rates sitters and assigns them into one of four categories based on their rating: junior, standard, advanced, and elite. These ratings are based on reviews and take into consideration your performance in key areas, such as punctuality, communication, engagement, adherence to parent instructions, and cleanliness.

Bambino calls these rankings a “comprehensive method for parents to evaluate their sitter’s performance across various crucial dimensions.” By improving your babysitting skills, you can improve your ranking and, in turn, improve your chances of getting gigs.

Bambino Babysitter Rankings

You can sign up and start using on Bambino in just a few simple steps to get your babysitting side hustle up and running:

1. Create an account: To register as a Bambino sitter, you’ll need to download the Bambino app.
2. Upload a profile photo: Use a high-quality photo in an appropriate setting. You should be the only one in the photo.
3. Build your profile: Put thought into crafting a well-written “About Me” section to give parents a sense of who you are. Bambino recommends using no more than 150–200 words for your bio.
4. Set your hourly rate: Use other sitters as a guide when setting your rates, and make it high enough to be worthwhile for jobs babysitting multiple children.
5. Add a recommendation or review: For your profile to be approved and made visible to parents using the app, you need to add a review from a parent who’s using the Bambino app.

Once your profile is complete, parents will be able to view it and then request your services. Once you get a job offer you’d like to take, simply confirm the request and then complete the job to get paid.

Where to download the Bambino app

App Store Google Play

All payments on Bambino are processed by the app. In fact, Bambino asks that you do not accept any payments outside of the app. Bambino takes payments from parents and transfers the money to your bank account or Venmo account.

When you complete a gig, the parent should pay you via the app. After that, the payment will typically be processed and deposited into your account within 2–5 business days. If you want faster payouts, you can opt for Stripe’s instant payment option, although you’ll have to pay a 1% fee on the payment amount.

How much can you make on Bambino?

You set your own hourly rate on Bambino, so it’s up to you how much you earn. Earnings reported by Bambino sitters on Glassdoor range from around $14 to $20 per hour, but how much you should charge depends on your location and experience level. 2

Rates can also depend on other factors. For example, you can probably charge more for overnight babysitting services or caring for special needs children.

Additionally, your rate may impact how many jobs you get. Just as setting your rates too high can discourage parents from hiring you, setting your rates too low can make you seem inexperienced. To figure out a good rate to charge on Bambino, check out what other babysitters with your age and experience level are charging in your area.

Bambino rewards

On top of your base earnings on Bambino, you can earn additional income through Bambino’s rewards program for babysitters. Here’s how it works:

• 0–2 bookings: Get 1 point for every dollar you earn.
• 3–4 bookings: Get 2 points for every dollar you earn.
• 5+ bookings: Get 3 points for every dollar you earn.

Once you’ve accumulated 1,500 points, Bambino will send you a $25 Amazon gift card. Tips are excluded when counting your earnings for Bambino rewards.

Refer-A-Friend program

Babysitting on Bambino isn’t the only way you can earn money through the app. You can also earn a referral bonus of $10 each time you get another sitter to sign up for Bambino using your referral link.

You’ll receive the bonus once the new sitter has activated their profile and completed their first booking. For detailed terms and conditions, check out Bambino’s referral program information page.

We took a hard look at Bambino reviews from sitters across the web. Here’s a summary of the biggest benefits and drawbacks of the Bambino app according to babysitters.

Payment times vary

Bambino claims that sitters get paid within 2–5 days, which is a pretty quick payment time. While some users say that this is true, others claim that you’ll have to wait much longer to get paid after you complete a booking on Bambino.

User reviews:

“Expect 1.5 weeks to receive pay through venmo.” (Google Play, August 2022)

“A 2-3 business day window is given to sitters to expect payment after the job is completed and confirmed on the families end – of the times I have sat through the app my payment has only been received in that window on one occasion … I’m currently awaiting payment for a job completed NINE days ago.” (Apple Store, February 2022)

“When it comes to payment through the app it is never consistent.” (Apple Store, December 2021)

It’s a great option for teens

The low age requirement for Bambino is a huge plus for teen babysitters. You only need to be 13 years old to start your babysitting career on Bambino, which is one of the major advantages that it has over other babysitting apps.

User reviews:

“This app is amazing!!! I am an experienced babysitter, but I am only 13. This is one of two apps that actually let’s me babysit (with parents permission).” (Google Play, February 2023)

“I am 16 years old and have been using the Bambino app for over a year. It is a good way to connect with parents in your area.” (Apple Store, September 2019)

You can’t communicate with parents before accepting a gig

On Bambino, you can only communicate with parents once they’ve requested your services and the booking is confirmed. This means that there’s no option for you to negotiate job or payment details with a parent unless you’ve already agreed to babysit for them.

While this kind of quick booking process may appeal to sitters who want quick confirmation, the lack of communication options could be off-putting to new sitters and those who’d prefer to have a chat with the family before committing.

User reviews:

“There is no way to message parents after they send you request but they don’t except your approval.” (Apple Store, September 2023)

“Another issue is not being able to communicate off hand with parents.. you shouldn’t have to pay for something like that.” (Apple Store, October 2022)

Booking requests don’t mean guaranteed gigs

One of the biggest complaints from babysitters about Bambino is that parents can cancel a booking at very short notice, change their mind and go for a different sitter, or simply fail to ever confirm a requested booking.

Since there’s no cancellation pay or guaranteed payment for sitters on Bambino, this means you could end up holding out for a high-paying gig and even turn down other bookings only to be left with nothing in the end.

User reviews:

“I have families accept the confirmation only to cancel day of and I get nothing. That has happened 3 times already.” (Reddit, February 2024)

“Definitely favors the parents more. When a babysitter cancels a request they already confirmed, they get docked points but the parents dont face penalities when they cancel the confirmed request … I am tired of getting ghosts requests.” (Google Play, May 2023)

“The main problem i have is that they allow parents to request multiple people at the same time and once you accept they all of a sudden always ‘choose another sitter’ it’s quite annoying to think you have a gig coming just to see they canceled right after.” (Apple Store, October 2022)

No option to customize your rates

As a Bambino sitter, you can only choose one rate to charge parents for babysitting. This base rate will apply to all your bookings, regardless of the type of babysitting gig you’re doing. While this isn’t always an issue in other lines of work, it’s a big pain point for babysitters.

Under Bambino’s model, you could end up getting paid the same amount for babysitting 10 children as you would babysitting a single child. One way around this issue is to specify custom rates in your bio. But since parents don’t always read sitter profiles—and there’s no way to get in touch with parents before confirming a booking—you could end up stuck with job offers that just aren’t worth it for you.

User reviews:

“You have to set a flat rate, which means that you can’t change the amount you get paid depending on how many kids you’re sitting for.” (Apple Store, September 2023)

“They also don’t allow sitters to chose a rate for multiple children which is another big issue because obviously 2+ children is not going to be a basic flat rate!” (Apple Store, October 2022)

“I’ve had problems w parents lying about how many kids they have which is dangerous. Also, sitters should be able to add a multiple kid fee. Making the same amt of money for babysitting one kid vs 5 kids (which I’ve gotten requests for) is insane.” (Google Play, January 2022)

It’s a flexible way to build experience and make connections

In both positive and negative reviews alike, Bambino sitters acknowledge how convenient the app is for making new connections with local families and finding gigs that fit your schedule. Sitters have a great deal of freedom and flexibility when creating their schedules, and the app can simplify the process of finding new gigs.

User reviews:

“It’s cool you can decide on which jobs you want. You make your schedule. You make your own pay rate … It’s a good job if you’re young or just for some side hustle.” (Indeed, January 2023)

“The connection aspect of the app is wonderful, as are the families I have met through Bambino.” (Apple Store, February 2022)

“I love bambino because it helps me branch out to new families who need babysitters. I have met many good people with good kids and I totally recommend.” (Indeed, August 2020)

Bambino is one of the best babysitting apps for teen babysitters since you only need to be 13–18 years old to use it. The app is dedicated solely to babysitting and comes with several protection features, making it particularly safe to use to find babysitting jobs.

It’s a particularly great option if you already babysit for one family in your town but you want to expand and find new babysitting gigs. In this case, the Bambino app will offer you a convenient way to get quick and secure payments, build up your babysitting experience, and make new connections.

With that said, Bambino won’t work for everyone. Like the case with any gig app, some areas will have fewer job opportunities. And if you’re a more proactive person who doesn’t like the thought of waiting for parents to contact you about jobs, then you may be better off with another app.

It’s also not the best choice if you want an app that allows you to do more than just babysitting or handle payments off the app.

Bambino pros and cons

Across the board, Bambino babysitter users agree on a few of the app’s key benefits and shortcomings. Here’s an overview of the factors you should consider when deciding whether the Bambino app is worth it.

Alternatives to Bambino

If you’re feeling like Bambino isn’t the best app for you, don’t fret. There are plenty of other caregiving and babysitting apps to explore. Here are a few you might want to look into:

• Sittercity
• UrbanSitter
• Care.com

Alternatively, you could try a different side hustle altogether. If Bambino’s low age requirement is what attracted you to the app, you could explore other job apps for teens. Or if you just want to work with children, you could try becoming a tutor. There are plenty of options to explore.