Help Center

Have questions or need help?  You're in the right place!  Please see below for a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for both our registry and for interested family support service providers.

If you still have a question after reviewing our FAQs, please feel free to reach out using our "Contact Us" form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Babycito

Q. What is babycito?
babycito is a free, inclusive online community dedicated to connecting parents with family support service providers in Northern Virginia.   We educate parents about essential family support services and provide them with referrals to trusted, local providers.  We believe that all constellations of families should be empowered with knowledge and resources to access the services they need.
Q. How does babycito work?

Babycito provides 3 essential services to parents and caregivers:

  1. Directory of Trusted, Local Providers: Browse all providers and/or sort by support category to quickly and easily connect with family support service providers.
  2. Service Registry: Create a cash fund registry for the services you need and want (e.g., doula, night nurse, lactation consultant, newborn photographer, etc.).  Soon you'll be able to use this feature to create experience and activity birthday registries!
  3. Service Planning Consultations: Book a consultation with our founder to review available services, learn what you might need and when, get support with your service registry and ask questions.
Q. How can babycito help me?
Babycito supports parents and caregivers in northern Virginia by providing education around family support service providers.  With that knowledge, parents and caregivers will be empowered to seek the support they need from established, trusted, and reliable providers.  Our service registry supports families by enabling them to access more services.  Each service requires a fee, and with contributions from friends and family, families will be able to access more of the services they need and want.
Q. You claim that babycito is inclusive.  What does this mean to you?

babycito is committed to providing support to all constellations of families.  We do not discriminate by race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.  

Many family support services are often specifically mom-facing.  While moms 100% need a lot of support, all families and family members need, can use and can benefit form support providers. At babycito, we want to be sure that all family members and family formations know they are welcome and we are here to support them.

We are also committed to the process of learning about the needs of families of all backgrounds and makeups.  We strive to continually improve our understanding of the everchanging and unique needs of all families.  We want to be sure we recognize and honor the differences and different needs of our local families, while providing equitable support so they can access the services they need and want. 

Our diversity, equity and inclusion commitment is an ongoing process of reflecting, learning, understanding, and changing.  This work will never be “done.”  Our hope is that by means of these efforts, we will be able to grow our community and provide more meaningful and tailored support to all constellations of families.

Q. You claim that babycito's providers are trusted.  What does this mean?  How does this work?
Before being listed, babycito providers must go through our screening process.  We ask providers questions about their training and education, experience, personal purpose, client interactions, and diversity, equity and inclusion.  Through these conversations, we are able to learn more about each provider and assess if our company values align.  Finally, we ask each provider to provide references so that we can confirm positive experiences from real, local families.  As a parent, getting a referral from another parent who had a fantastic experience with a provider is often all we need to take that first step to learn more.
Q. What are babycito's company values?

Our core values are: 

  • Inclusion: We serve all constellations of families and include a variety of providers to meet each family's unique needs.
  • Education: We provide a service guide as well as service planning consultations so families are aware of what's available and are prepared when they need support.
  • Access: Our cash fund registry offers families the option to register for services, providing them with greater access to services thanks to contributions from friends and family.

Registry Users

Q. What is a babycito service registry?

Our babycito service registry feature offers families an easy way to request service gifts (rather than or in addition to physical gifts). There are a variety of ways you can take advantage of this feature: if you’re expecting, children’s birthdays, holidays and more! 

A babycito service registry is a cash fund registry.  Your network of friends and family will be able to contribute cash payments towards the services you list on your registry.  After sharing your registry, you will receive any gifted funds at the end of each week.  You can then use those funds towards the services you requested!  And more great news… if you don’t end up needing a service, you’re not locked in.  You have the cash gifted towards that service and put it towards something else.

Check out our registry page for more information and registry examples!

 

Q. How much does it cost to have a babycito Service Registry?
Creating a babycito Service Registry is free!  You can share your registry link with your friends and family network, just like you would share a registry for physical goods.  When your loved ones contribute to your registry, they pay a small fee that includes Stripe and babycito platform fees, which help us fund the costs of running this site. You will receive the full amount of each gifted contribution.  Always.
Q. How do I create a babycito Service Registry?

It’s easy! 

  • Create an account as a "registry user"
  • Review our family support service providers on our provider page. 
  • See something you like?  Click the “Add Service” button and voila!  That service is now listed in your registry. 
  • If there is a service you’d like to add that is not listed or you know of a provider who is not listed, you can select "Create a custom service."  You will name the service, provider (if you know) and the amount. This will then appear on your registry.

​Still need help? No problem! Click here to schedule a FREE service consultation with our founder, Lindsay.

Q. How does payment for the registry work?

Payment for our cash fund registry is safe and secure thanks to our Stripe integration.  You will connect your bank account via Stripe.  The money is held until the last day of each month, when any available funds are paid out directly to the account you connected.

Q. Help! I have no idea what to put on a Service Registry.

Not to worry!  We have resources to help you better understand resources available to you, when you might want to use them and why.  Start by clicking here to access our Service Guide.  This provides an overview of services and when you might want to use them.  The guide goes through our ABC stages (Anticipation, Birth, and Continued Care) and outlines service to use or action items to prepare for future stages. Still have questions?  Click here to set up a FREE service consultation with our founder, Lindsay.

Q. People contributing to my registry are charged a transaction fee.  What is that?

When friends and family members contribute to your registry, they are charged a 5% transaction fee.

  • 2.9% of the fee goes to Stripe for credit card processing

  • 2.1% of the fee is our babycito service fee

For each contribution, you will receive the full gift amount.  Your registry user will pay a little more to cover these costs.  The babycito service fee is in place so we can cover our costs to operate our business.  We are just starting up and hope that as we grow we will be able to lower or even remove this fee for your registry visitors.

Q. How can I share my registry?

It’s SO easy!  On your registry page you will see a paper airplane icon that says “Share your registry with friends and family.”  Click on that icon and it will create a link that you can share with your support network.  Be sure to include this on any baby shower, baby sprinkle or other event invitations so friends and family know how they can support you!

Q. How can I use my registry to prepare for services I don’t yet know I will need?
The beauty of our cash fund registry is its flexibility.  If you register for a service (for example, a lactation consultant) but realize after baby comes you don’t need or want that service (breastfeeding is going well!), you can use the cash funds you received towards that service in whatever other way you see fit.  This might mean leveraging another service such as a sleep coach or night nanny, perhaps investing it in pelvic floor physical therapy, or even putting it towards diapers or formula!  As much as we plan for what life will be like after welcoming a new child, once they arrive everything changes (in wonderful and unexpected ways!).  Your registry funds are YOURS so that they can align with your family’s needs.

Providers

Q. How does babycito work for me and my business?

Babycito provides you and your business a prominent position facing thousands of potential customers in Northern Virginia.  This additional exposure and promotion will drive more traffic to your website.  Additionally, babycito registry users will be able to fill their service registries with the family support services they want (like your services!).  The funds they receive from their friends and family go directly into their account.  Families then pay you the same way they do right now. The way you do business doesn’t change.

Babycito does not take any portion of your service fees.  We simply help families find you (with our directory) and help more families access your services (through funds they receive with a babycito service registry).

Q. How much does it cost to list my business on babycito?

babycito offers local businesses a variety of support, including but not limited to the following:

  • Access to a community where you can market your business and share your services
  • Additional exposure to Northern Virginia families to grow your client base
  • Promotional opportunities on babycito blog and social media channels
  • Attendance at babycito events, such as the annual NOVA Family Fair
  • Network of trusted referral partners
  • Networking events: Opportunities to connect and collaborate with other providers in our area to expand your network
  • Access to a solution for clients who are concerned about cost with our babycito Service Registry

...and more!   

To be listed, after successfully completing the babycito screening process, providers select and sign up for one of our membership options. Click here to view membership option pricing and benefits.

Subscription fees are fully invested into further growing and supporting our babycito community.

Q. Can I edit the information on my babycito virtual storefront? How?

Yes! And at any time.  When creating a new account on babycito, you will create a username and log in. You can log in at any time to view your profile and/or edit your business'’' information.

Q. How will I know if being listed on babycito is benefiting my business?

With babycito, we will be able to track how many clients have clicked on your babycito page.  We will share these statistics with you, including how many clients have added one or more of your services to their service registry.  This data, in addition to your own data analytics for your site, will show how your business’ exposure will increase as a result of being part of the babycito community.

Q. Can users review my business on babycito?

Our current system does not allow for reviews.  However, our plan for the future includes a review process in which providers share a specific link with their clients in order to invite them to write a review.  Protecting the reputations of our providers is important to us, as is allowing families to share honest feedback about their experiences.  This information is invaluable so that other Northern Virginia families have what they need to make informed decisions.

Q. How do I get paid when someone adds my service(s) to their registry?
With our babycito Service Registry, the registry users receive the gifted funds directly to their bank accounts.  The money gifts processed through babycito go directly to the registry user.  This means that registry users will then transact directly with you to schedule meetings/visits and complete payments. Payment for your services will NOT go through babycito.

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