Does your typical night out include at least £30 for babysitting on top of drinks, dinner and taxis?

Do you hate saying 'no' if a friend asks you to babysit when you can't, and this is the second time she has asked you this week?

Are you almost too embarrassed to ask your friend to babysit yet again even though you really want to go out?

Have you ever wanted time to make yourself feel human again - have your hair done or have a manicure, but the salon doesn't have a créche, your mum doesn't live down the road and the babysitter you sometimes use only comes in the evening for a minimum of 3 hours?

All of these have happened to us which is why we set up The Baby Bank.

Karen, Rachael and Elizabeth in September 2005

We met through an ante-natal class. One morning in early 2004 we got together with the rest of our group at Rachael's house like we usually did. We had just got over the shock of having our first babies and were starting to crave some 'me-time' - going out with our partners, our friends and even by ourselves - without spending a fortune on babysitters or spending the time worrying about the safety of our children, and we started to talk about a babysitting circle. Babysitting circles are not a new idea, but they can be difficult to set up and run, so the three of us developed The Baby Bank to help make me-time safe, cheap, and easy for everyone.

Karen now has two children under two and has just gone back to her full time job in the City of London. Rachael used to work as a project manager but has now chosen to be a full time mum. Elizabeth works three days a week as a lawyer. The three of us lead very different lives, but we all still need me-time. So anyone can use The Baby Bank at any time of day or night and for any reason!

We would love to hear from you so if you have any questions, or any feedback, or any ideas for the site which you think other parents would find useful, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Our details are on the Contacts page.