I’ve written before about the importance of parents going out for regular date nights. Having a great babysitter is your ticket to a bit a freedom, and a healthy dose of reconnecting with your spouse. If you are lucky enough to find a great sitter, she is worth her weight in gold! I recommend you treat her well so she will stick around.
One question I hear over and over from new Moms is “how much should I pay the babysitter?”
Many factors will decide the appropriate hourly rate:
- Region: Find out what the going rate is in your area. In regions with a higher cost of living, the rates will be inflated.
- Number of kids: While summer sitters charge a single rate for their time, others may charge more for more children.
- Age: You can expect to pay an adult or college student more than you would pay a high schooler.
- Job requirements: Will the sitter be expected to drive the children around? Make dinner? Or will she spend an hour putting them to bed and then watch TV for the next four hours? (Some parents may ask a babysitter to do housework, personally I feel this is out of the scope of their job. The exception would be if it’s directly related to the children, like assisting the children with picking up their toys or preparing food for the kids.)
Of course you can always simply ask the sitter what she charges and go from there. Go in with a ballpark price range based on other Moms in your area and adjust as necessary.
It’s also important to distinguish between a weekend date night babysitter, and a regular daytime childcare provider. The first I consider a babysitter, and the latter a nanny or daycare provider. The expectations and rates vary greatly between the two.