Babysitting by the hour.
See the rate before you book.
A local babysitter by the hour — an evening out or every Friday. Rate shown up front; ask for Garda vetting.
A local babysitter, booked by the hour — an evening out, a work call, or the same person every Friday. The rate is shown up front, and you can ask for Garda vetting before you book.
- Free to look — no account
- £10 credit that lowers hourly service rates when you sign up and download the app
- Garda vetting and references on request
Need regular care? Nannies and childminders by the hour →
How Locufy keeps you safe
ID checked, then deleted
Photo ID checked against the person, then deleted — not stored.
Reviews only from real jobs
Only booked jobs can be rated, by both sides.
Your number stays private
Calls and messages run through Locufy once a booking is confirmed.
Ranked by real distance
Babysitters ordered by how close they really are — never a county-wide list.
Near you
The babysitters nearest to you
Babysitting is local. Tell us where you are and we show who is in your area, their real hourly rate and how far away they are.
Where are you?
Results are ranked by real distance, so we need a place to start from. An Eircode is most accurate; a town or area works too.
Your location is used once to rank results and is not stored.
What is hourly babysitting on Locufy?
A babysitter for the evening — or regular care for the week
Hourly babysitting is one local sitter in your own home, booked by the hour at a rate shown up front — usually three or four hours, with a sitter your children know. Regular care is different: a nanny comes on set days, a childminder cares for children in their own home.
A babysitter, by the hour
- In your home — evenings, weekends, one-off or every week
- Usually three or four hours
- Ask for Garda vetting and references with one tap
- Rate per hour, shown before you book
Regular care on set days
- Nanny: in your home, the same days each week
- Childminder: in the minder's home, Tusla-registered or not — shown on the profile
- Both booked by the hour on Locufy
- Same ID check, vetting and reviews
The rate you see is the rate you pay
Credit makes it lower
Babysitters set their own hourly rates. Locufy Credit comes off that rate automatically when you book — no codes, and it doesn't expire. Every referral and every review adds more.
- £10credit that lowers hourly service rates — sign up and download the app
- £10per friend — both of you
- £1for every review
To get your £10: sign up and download the Locufy app.
The credit lands in your account in the app and reduces your hourly rate.
Typically around 10% off the rate; the exact amount depends on the babysitter.
Example — 2 hours of babysitting
- Babysitter's rate
- £20/hr
- With your £10 credit that lowers hourly service rates
- about £18/hr
- You pay for 2 hours
- £36 £40
No subscription fees. Our job is getting your rate down — not adding to it.
How it works
Booked in three steps
- 1
Say where you are
Town or area is enough — babysitters are ranked by real distance to you.
- 2
Compare sitters
Hourly rate, distance, Garda vetting badge and reviews from booked jobs — side by side.
- 3
Book the hours
One-off or repeating. Instant Book confirms on the spot; others confirm your request. Extend during the job if you need to.
Rather not search? Post the job.
Say what you need, your hours and your budget. Local babysitters see it and contact you — free, no account, no app needed.
What protects you
The checks behind every booking
What we do before you book, and what happens if something goes wrong.
They prove who they are
Providers prove who they are with photo ID. We check it's really them — then the ID is deleted, not kept. The “ID checked” badge shows who has done it.
Garda vetting & references on request
Badges on the profile show which ones a babysitter has; the documents themselves are never published. Request them with one tap: if they're on file, they come straight to you.
Reviews with a make-it-right step
Under four stars, you're asked first whether to send it to the babysitter so they can put it right — and we follow it through. Sorted or not, you then leave whatever review you want.
Your number stays private
Calls and messages open once a booking is confirmed and run through Locufy, so you never have to hand out your number — unless you want to.
No-show protection
If a babysitter doesn't turn up, it's recorded. Three no-shows and they're suspended from Locufy for six months.
Hours that are real
Babysitters confirm their available hours every month, or they stop showing — so the people you see are actually taking work.
A babysitter without the Garda vetting or reference badge hasn't failed anything — they just haven't added it yet. You can always ask them to.
We're new, and we won't pretend otherwise
No invented ratings or “trusted by thousands” here — reviews appear as real customers leave them (see us on Trustpilot). We are growing area by area. None in yours yet? Tell us where you are and our team will go and find someone.
Questions about hourly babysitting
- Each babysitter sets their own rate and shows it on their profile, and your credit comes off it automatically.
- Some are. A “Garda vetted” badge means the sitter has a vetting disclosure on file (obtained through a school, club or employer — individuals can't apply for vetting themselves). Request it with one tap; if it's on file it comes straight to you. A sitter without the badge hasn't failed anything — ask them to add it.
- Most people book three or four hours. If the evening runs over, extend the hours during the booking — you only pay for the time used.
- Yes — once a booking is confirmed, messaging and calls open through Locufy, so you can talk before the day without sharing your number.
- Yes — save or follow a sitter and rebook them in a tap, weekly or whenever you need.
- A babysitter comes to your home for a few hours. A nanny comes to your home on set days each week. A childminder cares for children in their own home; since September 2024 childminders can register with Tusla, and registration becomes a requirement in 2027. All three are booked by the hour on Locufy. Nannies →Childminders →
- Tell us what you need and where. Our team goes looking for babysitters in your area, adds them to Locufy and emails you when someone's bookable — we aim to do it within 24–48 hours.
See the babysitters near you — and what they charge
Free to look. No account needed. Rates shown before you book.
Babysit by the hour? Set your rate, your areas and your hours, and you appear on this page for every area you cover. Free to join.