Choose care around the responsibilities you need covered.
Start with the actual care your family needs: who will be there, what they will do and how the day should run. An au pair and a babysitter can suit different arrangements.
Describe the time and the work.
Make a short list of the responsibilities involved, such as being present at home, preparing an agreed snack or helping a child follow an afternoon routine. Separate essential tasks from preferences.
Think about whether you need occasional cover or a recurring arrangement. Discuss the children's ages and relevant experience privately with a prospective carer; do not publish family schedules or personal details.
Use the role name as a starting point.
An au pair arrangement commonly centres on a recurring family routine, while babysitting commonly covers an agreed period of care. Neither label settles every responsibility. School collection, transport, homework supervision or meal preparation need an explicit agreement.
Read the two service pages using the same questions: what work is needed, when it happens and who takes responsibility for each part.
Make the important details explicit.
Discuss relevant childcare experience and how the carer would approach the routine, and read the verification record on the carer's profile for the checks that matter to your family. A title or affiliation alone does not answer those questions.
Agree who may collect the children, whether outings are allowed and which tasks are outside the arrangement. Any specialist care needs require a separate conversation about suitability; do not assume ordinary childcare covers them.
A good handover makes the plan usable.
Keep the essential information together: how to reach you, the agreed routine, authorised collection arrangements and what to do if plans change. Share it privately with the person responsible for care.
Walk through the handover before leaving and agree how you want updates. When you return, leave time for a short account of how things went.