What Find A Babysitter.com.au does

Find A Babysitter.com.au is an Australian online marketplace that connects parents and families seeking childcare with babysitters, nannies, and au pairs. Operated by Gameshape Pty Ltd (ABN 42 260 892 168) and headquartered in Brighton East, Melbourne, the platform has been live since 2005 and self-describes as Australia's first and largest babysitter and nanny job site. The product comprises a web platform plus native iOS and Android applications (launched 2023) with real-time messaging, location-based search, job alerts, a searchable carer profile database, and a two-way rating and review system. Working With Children Check documentation is encouraged but not enforced at the platform level.

The business monetizes exclusively on the parent side through a one-off membership fee available in 3, 6, or 12 month terms, with no auto-renewing subscriptions and accounts that automatically close at the end of the membership period. Babysitters and nannies join and create profiles for free, and the platform takes no cut of the underlying childcare transactions; parents and carers communicate, interview, and arrange payment directly. Mobile app payment flows are streamlined via Apple Pay and Google Pay. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the website, app stores, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), and an extensive SEO-driven content library covering childcare rates, safety, and Working With Children Checks.

The company is privately held and founder-operated. Jeff Bonnes and Delia Timms co-founded the business in 2005, sold it to new owners during the 2016-2021 period, and reacquired it in 2021, since when the platform has been refreshed and the mobile app launched. The company is a past winner of the 2008 Telstra National Micro Business Award and a recent finalist in the Australian Women's Small Business Champion Awards (2023) and Business Builder Awards (2026). There is no disclosed external institutional investment, and the company operates across all Australian states and territories.

Name

Find A Babysitter.com.au

Legal name

Gameshape Pty Ltd

Website

https://findababysitter.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Find A Babysitter.com.au is an Australian online marketplace, founded in 2005 and operated by Gameshape Pty Ltd, that connects parents and families with babysitters and nannies through a web platform and iOS/Android apps. The company charges parents a one-off membership fee while carers join for free, operating nationally without disclosed external funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Childcare Marketplace

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

General Babysitter/Nanny Placement Agencies (HSAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nanny Agency / Placement Services (HSAAABAN), Full-Time Nanny Placement Agencies (HSAAALAB)

Keywords

• Childcare marketplace
• Babysitter matching platform
• Nanny booking service
• Online childcare directory
• Family care platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Parent Membership Fees: One-off joining fee for parents to access the platform. Memberships available in 3, 6, or 12 month terms. No auto-renewing subscriptions.
2. Free for Babysitters/Nannies: Carers join for free to create profiles and apply to jobs. The platform monetizes only on the parent side.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Find A Babysitter.com.au operates an online marketplace that connects Australian families with babysitters, nannies, and au pairs. Parents pay a one-off membership fee (3, 6, or 12 month terms, no auto-renewal) to search a nationwide database of carers, post jobs, message candidates, and use a rating system. Babysitters and nannies join for free, create profiles with qualifications and Working With Children Check status, and apply to jobs through the web platform and native iOS and Android mobile apps.

Product overview

Find A Babysitter is a consumer-facing online marketplace and mobile application connecting Australian parents with babysitters and nannies. The core Find A Babysitter Platform (web-based) and Find A Babysitter Mobile App (iOS and Android) work together to provide a unified experience. Key product components include a Carer Profile Database for searching babysitters and nannies, a Job Posting Service enabling parents to advertise positions with automated job alerts, a Rating and Review System for community trust-building, Real-time Messaging for direct communication, Location Search for geographic matching, and Membership Management with flexible subscription options. The platform operates as a direct-to-consumer marketplace without agency intermediaries, charging parents a membership fee while babysitters join for free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Find A Babysitter Platform Australia's leading online babysitter and nanny job site, connecting Australian parents seeking childcare with babysitters and nannies. The platform enables parents to search a nationwide database of carers, post jobs that trigger alerts to matched carers, message candidates directly, view profiles with qualifications and Working With Children Check status, and manage their one-off membership.
• Find A Babysitter Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android that provides all web platform features in a mobile format for parents and babysitters on the go, including real-time messaging, location-based search of babysitters and jobs, in-app subscription management via Apple Pay and Google Pay, and profile browsing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Parents receive job applications within 24 hours of posting

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Airtasker: Australian-headquartered generalist local-services marketplace that lists babysitting and childcare tasks alongside many other categories. Overlaps on supply-side carers and parent demand for ad-hoc childcare, though childcare is not its core category.
• Hipages: Australian marketplace connecting customers with local tradies and service providers, including some childcare-adjacent categories. Comparable two-sided local marketplace dynamics and Australian D2C base, though focused on home services.

Direct peers

• UrbanSitter: US babysitter marketplace leveraging Facebook social graph for sitter recommendations. Comparable profiles, reviews, messaging, and parent-paid membership model with similar two-sided marketplace dynamics.
• Nanny Lane: Online platform connecting families with nannies and sitters through background-checked profiles. Same parent-side membership revenue model and caregiver matching product as Find A Babysitter, primarily US-focused.
• Babysits: International online platform for finding babysitters, nannies, and au pairs, with a dedicated Australian presence. Directly competes in the same caregiver-matching category with similar profiles, messaging, and parent self-serve model.
• Sitter.com: US-focused online marketplace for finding babysitters and nannies with profile browsing, reviews, and parent membership monetization. Closely aligned product, GTM motion, and category focus to Find A Babysitter.

Broad incumbents

• Seekana Babysitters: SEEK is Australia's dominant generalist employment marketplace, where babysitters and nannies are listed as jobs alongside other roles. Comparable Australian parent/carer demand funnel, though childcare is one of many categories within a much larger platform.
• Care.com: Global leader in matching families with caregivers across childcare, senior care, pet care, and housekeeping. Comparable product, two-sided marketplace mechanics, and subscription-based parent monetization, but at much broader global scale.

Regional players

• HelloCare: Australian online community and resource hub for the care sector, including childcare, aged care, and disability. Adjacent Australian caregiver ecosystem with overlapping audience, though not a transactional marketplace.
• Kinder Caring: Australian in-home care provider offering childcare, aged care, and disability support. Comparable Australian-based in-home caregiver service model, though delivered through employed carers rather than a self-serve marketplace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/findababysitter
• Instagraminstagram.com/findababysitter.com.au

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Find A Babysitter.com.au