Common
questions

You can reach out to us via text or at community@withotter.com to make changes to an existing booking. Changes made to a booking with more than 24 hours of notice will be accommodated based on sitter availability. Please be aware that changes to a booking less than 24 hours before the start of care will be charged for the amount of time originally booked.

Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start of care will require payment of 50% of the booking cost, including transit fee when applicable. Cancellations made with more than 24 hours notice will be billed for the first hour of care to compensate the sitter for holding the time. For questions regarding our cancellation policy, reach out to us at community@withotter.com.

No, we don’t vary our rates based on the number of kids who are receiving care! That said, we cap each booking at 3 children to ensure that sitters are able to provide high quality care for each family. If you need care for more than 3 children or for multiple families, let us know! We can coordinate and offer a specific rate based on your needs.

Otter can absolutely help with last-minute care! We can confirm sitters in as little as 2 hours.

Our sitters are typically able to take care requests between 7AM - 11PM, but please let us know if you need care outside those times! Book as much time as you need. Our minimum booking time is 2 hours.

Babies to high schoolers are welcome! Our sitters have worked with all ages of children. We’ll match your family with a sitter who has relevant experience.

This is a request we are thrilled to support! We will try our best to book you with a sitter you’ve worked with before based on their availability.

Otter sitters have relevant childcare experience, are interested in building community, and want to be able to work around their schedules. We vet, background check, and interview every sitter so we can learn more about them and their experience with children. Otter also offers free CPR and First Aid training opportunities for sitters.

Sign into your Otter account at https://app.withotter.com using your phone number. Then click “book care” and enter your family’s details. Otter will take care of it from there!

If a parent needs to make changes to a booking, we’ll check in with you to see if you can accommodate it based on your availability. Changes made to a booking less than 24 hours before the start of care will be paid out for the amount of time originally booked.

Please always use your best judgment when providing care. If you are ever unsure, please reach out to the parents and/or Otter for support! 1. Say hello and chat! Once you are connected via 3-way text with parents, introduce yourself and ask any questions you have related to sitting. Remember to keep all communication in this text thread. Being readily responsive to parents helps you start building trust with families. 2. Make a plan! Once you confirm a care session, make a plan to arrive on time! You are responsible for managing your own transportation for the care sessions you accept. 3. Be a super fun sitter! Babysitting can be a memorable experience when you give children your full attention and engage in age-appropriate play and activities with them. Always ask about a family’s screen time preferences prior to its use. 4. Focus on kids, not your phone! Only use your phone during care to chat with parents, Otter, and for emergencies. Parents expect sitters to supervise their children at all times for their safety. Do not take any photos or videos of children unless directly requested by the parent. 5. Help with clean-up! Before parents arrive home, clean up after younger children and help older kids pick up any toys and kid messes that were made. Please leave a family’s home at least as tidy as when you arrived. 6. Be ready! If there is an accident, injury, and/or illness, please contact the parent immediately! If there is an emergency, call 911 and follow their instructions. Never administer any medication without written parental consent and/or instructed by a medical professional.

Choosing to book with a family off the Otter platform is against our policy and will result in removal from our platform. Please ask parents to reach out to Otter directly and they can request to to book with you. We’re happy to support this kind of request! Booking through Otter benefits you too! It ensures that you can work for as many families as you’d like, when you’d like. Since Otter manages all logistics and payments, it means you are protected against last minute cancellations and always paid the agreed upon rate, on time.

Each care request will include the area where you’d be providing care. This is typically at a family’s home, but occasionally there may be a request to care for children at a public location, such as a park or a library. Sitters cannot care for children in their private living areas or homes, including dorms. Otter sitters can only care for one family at a time.

If you have at least one year of experience caring for kids and are located in Otter’s service area, you can create your sitter profile here!

You are responsible for managing your own transportation to and from care. We ask that you factor transportation into your decision prior to accepting a booking. Note: Otter sitters are not permitted to provide transportation for children during care.

Hourly rates vary based on location and how urgent care is needed. For example, you will make more per hour for last-minute booking requests. If you have questions about specific rates, please reach out to our team!

Otter handles all the payments for you. You’ll get paid out every Friday for all of the care sessions you complete that week. Otter sends a payment link to parents after each session, so there’s nothing you need to do.

We know things come up, but we ask that once you accept a care request you only cancel due to an illness or emergency. Please text us to let us know as soon as possible, with at least 24 hours notice in advance, so that the family isn’t left without care at the last minute. We ask parents to extend the same courtesy once they have confirmed a care session. If they cancel within 24 hours, you will still be paid a percentage of the booking.

We’ll send you care requests for families that match your current childcare experience.

Parents can book care requests anytime between 7AM and 11PM every day of the week, but there may be requests outside those times. Parents can book as much time as they need and we ask that they book 2 hours minimum.