PUH-LEEEEASE Watch My Kids!

Val Curtis

Have you been there? Things come up.

Doctor’s appointments, committee meetings, date nights (oh those!), snow days (aw hell), sick days (Wait. Do we get those?), fundraisers, luncheons, haircuts, waxing (well!?), nails – maybe even, ALONE time. Stop laughing.

A few years back, we decided to start a babysitting co-op so we could attempt to get a date night in regularly. We had a BRILLIANT plan. 6 families, everyone could get a week or 2 where they drop their kid(s) off and you took a turn hosting every sixth week? What could go wrong? We had a spreadsheet!

Well, a few things. Ok, a LOT of things went wrong. Friendships were strained and the whole thing went into the toilet. It began to get VERY Pinterest-y (envision fairy wings, paper straws and face painting)  and some of us aren’t very Pinterest-y (read: insert movie and serve popcorn). Then some families ended up with ALL of the kids on one night. Then others never dropped their kids off and wanted more the next month.

We were in a death spiral.

It ended.

Years passed.

Almost magically, something popped into my inbox from a new company called Komae (Koh-May). Oh wait, they are a Kickstarter. I almost deleted the email (not that I EVER do that), but something caught my eye. This was an app for managing babysitting co-ops. All of the babysitting co-op memories started flooding back. Good times. Bad times. Spreadsheets.

This app? It is GOOD. I mean REALLY GOOD. I requested a call with the founder and was immediately sold. Audrey and Amy, the co-founders, have done their homework! They are so passionate about reinventing babysitting and enriching family lives across the country. This baby has been in beta for a year and a half and it has been working wonders for them and their village of friends. I know it would have completely changed the dynamics of our attempt.

Komae Babysitting App

Here’s the concept:

Komae is a babysitting exchange app that connects moms with free, trusted care for their children, while eliminating mommy-guilt that comes with the juggling act of parenthood. 

Komae Babysitting AppAt the touch of a finger, moms across the country will use the Komae app to invite their trusted mom-friends to join, submit a babysitting request, accept an offer, drop off kids, and enjoy free time. Users’ requests will only be seen by people that have been invited to join their own unique village. As a result, kids get to play with their friends while Mom:

  • Takes a guilt-free break;
  • Runs some errands,
  • Serves in her community, 
  • Works off the baby weight
  • Manages her business
  • Goes on a date, or
  • Catches up with a friend. 

The options are endless when exchanging free babysitting services through Komae!

Here’s the kicker. The app takes care of all of the management for you. You merely create your circle and then send out requests. A notification goes out to everyone and someone grabs it…and they earn points to use in the future!

You don’t need to carry around a purse of gift cards, call everyone on the long list or feeling guilty for dropping your lil’ sweeties off at a friend’s house AGAIN.

So, let me throw that list atcha again…

Doctor’s appointments, committee meetings, date nights, snow days, sick days, fundraisers, luncheons, haircuts, waxing, nails – maybe even, ALONE time.

It doesn’t seem so crazy now, right? Let’s throw in going to the grocery store by yourself. Mmmhmmm.

Mama A is going to jump on that opportunity because she is racking up points for snow days and Mama B wants it because her husband is on a business trip next week and she KNOWS she will need a little sanity break to do something like…go on a hike.

Wow. Mind blown. Pretty cool, right?


Listen to Val Curtis interview Amy Husted & Audrey Wallace of KOMAE on STITCHER or iTunes


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Thanks to a new parenting app, Komae, finding a babysitter is a thing of the past!


This post was written by Val Curtis exclusively for BonBon Break Media, LLC.

Val is the Editor-in-chief of BonBon Break. A former middle school science/math/tech teacher, she put her career on hold to be at home with her son and daughter on an island in the Pacific Northwest. When Val breaks away from her keyboard, she enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, camping, photography, tidepooling, sailing and potlucks. She gets a kick out of combing the web for recipes and making them gluten free so she can share meals with her husband, family and friends. She is a tech-gadget geek who is poked fun at, but it doesn’t bother her a bit. Combining her love of photography, tech and graphics to create new, fun content for BonBon Break quenches her “thirst” for integrated technology.