How Penny books a babysitter for you on WhatsApp
You save the people you already trust. When you need one, Penny does the chasing.
Send Penny your babysitters' names and numbers, most preferred first. When you need one, tell her the date and time, for instance "babysitter for Saturday 7 to 11pm". She messages your first choice on WhatsApp. If they say no, or don't reply within 15 minutes, she moves to the next name, and tells you each time. When someone says yes she tells you and adds it to your family calendar. Penny only contacts people you have saved, and your babysitters don't need an app or an account, just WhatsApp.
1. What it does
Finding a babysitter usually means messaging one person, waiting, giving up, messaging the next, and keeping track of who said what across three separate chats. Penny does the waiting and the working down the list. You give her the date once, and she comes back to you with a yes.
| You send | Names and numbers once, then a date and time whenever you need someone |
|---|---|
| Penny does | Messages your babysitters in your order, one at a time, until someone says yes |
| Your babysitter needs | WhatsApp, and nothing else. No app, no sign-up |
| You get | A message at each step, and a calendar entry once it's booked |
2. Saving your list
Send Penny a name and number, the way you'd text a friend a contact: "add Emma as a babysitter, 07911 123456". Most preferred first, because the order is the order she'll ask them in. You can also say "put Emma first", "remove Emma from my babysitters", or "who are my babysitters" to see the list as it stands.
The list belongs to your family rather than to one phone, so either parent can ask Penny to book. It's the same idea as one shared plan, two separate chats that the rest of Penny runs on.
3. Booking one
Tell her what you need in normal words: "can you get a babysitter for Saturday 7 to 11pm?" If you leave out the date, she'll ask for it. Then it goes like this:
- She messages your first choice. You hear "On it, I've messaged Emma first", so you know it's underway.
- If they say no, or say nothing for 15 minutes, she moves on. You hear who's next, and she messages them.
- When someone says yes, you're told straight away. "Emma said yes ✓ Booked for Saturday 3 Oct 7:00pm to 11:00pm." It goes on your family calendar, so it turns up in your Briefing on the day.
- If nobody can, she says so. You'll hear that she went through the whole list, and she'll offer to try again later.
At any point you can ask "what babysitters have we got booked" and she'll list what's confirmed.
4. What your babysitter sees
A short WhatsApp message from Penny saying which parent is asking, and for what date and time. They reply with a plain yes or no, "yes", "yep", "sorry, can't", whichever comes naturally. If their reply isn't clear, Penny asks them to reply YES or NO rather than guessing.
They don't create an account, download anything, or need to have heard of Penny. Penny holds the name and number you gave her so she can contact them, and uses them for this and nothing else.
5. What Penny doesn't do
She doesn't find babysitters. She only contacts people you've chosen and saved, so who looks after your children is always your decision, not an algorithm's. She doesn't vet anyone, take payment, or agree a rate on your behalf. Penny's job is the back and forth of asking, and getting you a yes.
If you're weighing up what else Penny can take off your plate, what an AI parenting assistant is covers the wider picture.
Save your first babysitter now, and next time it's one message. Free for the first 30 days, both parents included.
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