There are a lot of things to consider when living in Japan and finding childcare is definitely something to think about. Outside of nursery or school, domestic help for children such as babysitting can be hard to find when you’re not sure where to look. Japanese households are also known not to look for extra help outside of family members.
Fortunately, Little Hug Babysitters is a company that fills that gap. With experienced English specialists under our roster, the babysitters we select for families provide warm-hearted childcare service for children of all ages.
In this article , we will go over how Little Hug assists families who are looking for an extra helping hand in caring for their children, on top of providing English speaking services within the Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures.
Adjusting to life in Japan
For a lot of families moving from other countries, it is very important to help kids adapt to life in Japan. Adjusting can mean resetting your life and introducing your child to a new school, home and culture. The unfamiliarity can feel a little unsettling which is why having a babysitter to step in can help ease the change.
Outside the home, the cultural differences can be noticeable in public places such as cafes, supermarkets and restaurants. Places such as these are not so welcoming to letting children be children and preserve a quieter atmosphere for the public. Because cultural differences like this will impact your child, Little Hug helps with having someone in their own personal space (e.g. their home) let them be themselves, by playing games and keeping them entertained have a good time.
Having a babysitter for a few hours in the week or month can not only assist the parents who need the space to complete household tasks or enjoy time away, but also lets the child get familiar with someone else in Japan that they can be with.
As parents who are also learning to cope and build community in a new country, Little Hug Babysitters work with families to ensure their children can do the same at their own pace starting with what support they can provide in the household. Whether it’s from taking them or picking them up from nursery or school, to introducing them to new games and rhymes, every little helps.
Experience and skills
At Little Hug, we make sure to provide families with the very best people that can take care of their children. Along with English as an expertise, our staff has a range of employees whose experience and skills can go a long way:
This would include:
- Bilingual or multilingual speakers
- Staff who has previous experience working with children – this can vary from English teaching, babysitting or being a nanny
- Flexibility to drop off and pick up children
- Able to react quickly and correctly to emergencies (e.g. being around dangerous obstacles, a child showing signs of getting sick)
- Great communication skills and patience with the children
- Able to help with English homework for older children
- Having additional qualifications depending on the staff (such as first aid, experience with special needs)
Because a lot of our staff come from various English-speaking countries or went to international school, families – especially ones new to Japan – can feel a sense of familiarity when a babysitter sings a recognisable rhyme or plays a game they know. This also helps with a child’s learning development in building their language and social skills which can benefit them as they get older.
We do recognise that every child is different and our babysitters work with the parents to follow clear instructions given prior, whether it’s their sleep schedule, allergies or the right time for pick up/drop off to nursery or school. Little Hug does not encourage introducing children to new food or drink, toys or objects without the parent’s permission.
Please note that after enrollment, it is possible to provide a prearranged meeting during the babysitting session between the family and our staff, but not for non-members. Our staff goes through a screening process involving an interview and training prior to visiting a client. For any more enquiries, please contact us before enrolling in our membership.
Big support in little ways
Little Hug Babysitters are enthusiastic to teach English and introduce new songs and games to young children, and on a larger scale, their experiences and skills can benefit a child in the long run.
Our staffs are fun and engaging, who enjoy fostering a child’s creativity and helping their imagination grow with playing pretend, reading stories and even genuine conversation with the child they look after. Therefore, the new activities and rhymes they pick up from our staff are a good start for them to grow into becoming creative and highly imaginative individuals.
In fact, with English as well, it helps the child get confident in speaking to other people from different backgrounds and cultures and express themselves differently from their mother tongue.
If parents think of this way, the work our staff does helps strengthen the relationship between the parent and child. Little Hug is like an extra helping hand to provide structure and notice behavioural changes for their child through babysitting. This could be from what they like and dislike, how they see and respond to people and places outside of babysitting, and how confident they are at speaking and listening to English in conversation.
Client Testimonials
Hearing from our clientele’s feedback is important in how Little Hug can improve and evolve. Little Hug will always do its best to put a child’s needs first, their ability to grow into their own person and learn English comfortably at our primary goals.
From past and present members, below are a few testimonials from clients who have used our services that can give a more personal perspective on:
I Family, Ota-ku, Tokyo
My children have loved Little Hug’s babysitters ever since we first asked them to babysit for us. As a parent, I also learn a lot from watching my children play with their bright, warm eyes. Our family mainly uses it during long vacations such as the spring and summer holidays. Even when I make a last-minute request for a spot, the person in charge coordinates the staff, so I trust them very much. I will continue to use Little Hug, as it provides an important presence for children.
K Family, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
My daughter always says she wants to play more with her babysitter. He has an aura where you can easily get along with him without any barriers, so you can feel at ease entrusting him to do his work.
K Family, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
My 5-year-old son is cared for four times a week, and each time is around 4 hours. Little Hug kindly and quickly made arrangements to suit the situation and introduced me to a very good babysitter. My son seems to be having a lot of fun and meaningful time with his babysitter. Thanks to your support, even though my son started learning English as a complete beginner, he was able to learn English to the best of his ability in less than half a year, and was highly praised by his instructors.
M Family, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo (girls aged 9 and 2 years old, boy 5 years old)
The babysitter got along well with her daughter, and I could feel the sense of security she felt towards her, and most of all, she treated me very well. If I ever come back to Japan, I would like to ask Little Hug again. I hope that I will be able to meet someone like my daughter’s babysitter again next time.
S Family, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture (girl aged 4 years old)
I was having trouble finding a babysitter company that would offer sittings in German, so I found Little Hug. After the babysitter went home the other day, my daughter told me a lot about what she did with the babysitter, what she found, what she enjoyed, and what new things she learned. “Would you like to play with me again?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Both my husband and I are very happy to see how our daughter is doing.
Interested in using our services? Contact us here on how to get a babysitter.
You can read more parents’ feedback on Little Hug Babysitters here.
