
"Amina came and helped us out when our babysitter canceled last minute. She was great with our kids. Even our 11 month old son who has stranger anxiety warmed up to her."
Marie C., parent

Need a sitter on short notice? Santa Cruz families find trusted, background checked babysitters on UrbanSitter.
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Families in Santa Cruz use UrbanSitter for last-minute date nights, schedule changes, backup care, and same-day babysitter needs.
8 available today | Avg hourly rate: $29.93/hr
All babysitters shown here are background checked every year. Learn more.
Hi! My name is Elizabeth, and I’m a Business Economics student at UC Riverside. I have experience working with children through volleyball camps and at a daycare, where I helped supervise activities and create a fun, safe environment. I’m patient, responsible, and happy to help with homework, crafts, meals, and playtime. I’m also comfortable caring for pets, with experience taking care of my own cat and friends’ dogs. I look forward to providing dependable, caring babysitting for your family!
✨ Hi Families! My name is Sydney, and I’m a career nanny and family assistant with over 5 years of experience caring for children from infancy through school age. I’m currently represented through a staffing agency as I search for my next long-term family fit, but I’m also here on UrbanSitter because I genuinely love connecting with families and helping wherever I can in the meantime. I would describe myself as calm, warm, organized, and very hands-on. I love creating a home environment where kids feel safe, understood, and comfortable being themselves. Whether that’s helping with routines, planning fun activities, getting outside, helping with homework, or simply being an extra steady support for busy parents, I truly enjoy being someone families can rely on. Along with childcare, I’m happy to help with family assistant style tasks like meal prep, laundry, organization, errands, and keeping things running smoothly day-to-day. I’ve worked in long-term, travel, and rotational roles, so I’m very adaptable and comfortable in busy households. Outside of work, I love mountain biking, swimming, long-distance running, and rock climbing, and I naturally bring a very active and positive energy into my work with kids. 🤍 Right now I’m mainly looking for my next long-term fit, but I’m also open to temporary help, date nights, weekends, and short-term support for families who need an extra hand.
Hi! I’m a 30-year-old caring, responsible, and dependable babysitter with previous nanny experience from my high school and college years. I’ve always enjoyed working with children and creating a safe, fun, and nurturing environment where they feel comfortable and cared for. I’m patient, attentive, and happy to help with playtime, meals, homework, bedtime routines, and keeping little ones entertained!
Hi, I'm Kat. I have over 20 years of experience in childcare. I graduated from UC Berkeley and currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. I have experience in nutritional science as well as childhood education. I have served as a nanny for children ranging from newborn to middle school. I enjoy engaging children in the natural world of plants and creatures, reading, science, arts and crafts, sports, and fun games. As an instructional assistant, I have experience in tutoring and homework help. I can make baking and cooking a fun and interactive activity for children. I am CPR certified by the American Red Cross. As a cat parent myself, I have some experience with pet care-taking as well.

As of October 2026
Babysitters on UrbanSitter are background checked every year, with every profile individually reviewed by our Trust and Safety team.
206 sitters background checked in Santa Cruz, CA
5.0 average star rating from total of 1,127 reviews in Santa Cruz, CA

"Amina came and helped us out when our babysitter canceled last minute. She was great with our kids. Even our 11 month old son who has stranger anxiety warmed up to her."
Marie C., parent

"She was so flexible and came last minute to help out. The house was really neat when I got home and both kids were asleep. Two thumbs up!"
Jenny S., parent

"Thrisa was amazing! Came over last minute and took amazing care of our 11 month old - including bedtime - she's coming back tomorrow :)"
Jesse D., parent

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Submit a request to hear from available sitters.
To sign up with Facebook, we need permission to use your email address.
Sharing your friends list is optional, and allows us to connect you with sitters they book and recommend. Nothing will be shared or posted.
In most cities, average response time for last-minute requests is under two minutes.
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