It’s inevitable to hire sitters. As a mom, I do so from time to time. The question I would usually wonder about is: “How much is babysitting per hour?”
There are many reasons why parents hire babysitters. In my case, I always want someone to watch kids while I’m at work. There are times when I even hire over the weekend just so I can get some household chores done.
Of course, hiring babysitters was something new to me when I gave birth to my firstborn. I had a lot of questions about it and the question that always stood out was how much babysitting per hour?
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This article aims to share with you the common questions I usually ask the babysitters.
Table Of Contents
How Much Is Babysitting Per Hour?
The first question I usually ask myself whenever I want to hire someone to watch my kids is how much is babysitting per hour? This question is mostly asked by parents who don’t hire a babysitter on a regular basis.
Babysitting rates are usually based per hour. It’s for that reason that some rates could be high and some rates could be low.
Some sitters offer a lot of skills and therefore, they could ask for a higher rate. The sitters in our neighborhood, who are usually teenagers, usually require lower rates.
There’s nothing wrong with that but if you want someone who is very experienced with childcare, then you’d have to settle for a higher rate.
More often than not, there is no direct answer to the question, how much is babysitting per hour. The answer will depend on the ages of the kids. The younger the kids, the higher the rate is.
More often than not, there is no direct answer to the question, how much is babysitting per hour. The answer will depend on the ages of the kids. The younger the kids, the higher the rate is.
Furthermore, you must consider the babysitter’s abilities. A babysitter who is experienced and good at taking care of small children usually asks for a higher rate.
What I have learned over the years is that babysitters who are signed up with a service, like Sitter city, ask for reasonable rates per hour.
Childcare services usually have standard rates per hour. If you’re wondering how much is babysitting per hour for Sittercity sitters, it’s usually $17.00.
I’m not saying that this is the rate for all the sitters signed up with that particular sitter service. It’s an average rate for all the sitters signed up with the service.
| Top Cities | Babysitter Rates Per Hour | |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | $16.00 | |
| Austin, TX | $17.50 | |
| Baltimore, MD | $17.00 | |
| Boston, MA | $20.00 | |
| Charlotte, NC | $15.00 | |
| Chicago, IL | $17.50 | |
| Cleveland, OH | $15.00 | |
| Columbus, OH | $15.00 | |
| Dallas, TX | $15.50 | |
| Denver, CO | $18.50 | |
| Detroit, MI | $15.50 | |
| Hartford, CT | $17.00 | |
| Houston, TX | $15.00 | |
| Los Angeles, CA | $20.00 | |
| Las Vegas, NV | $15.50 | |
| Miami, FL | $17.50 | |
| Minneapolis, MN | $17.50 | |
| Nashville, TN | $16.50 | |
| New York City, NY | $20.00 | |
| Norfolk, VA | $14.00 | |
| Orlando, FL | $15.00 | |
| Philadelphia, PA | $17.50 | |
| Phoenix, AZ | $16.50 | |
| Portland, OR | $18.50 | |
| Providence, RI | $17.50 | |
| Sacramento, CA | $17.50 | |
| San Antonio, TX | $15.50 | |
| San Bernardino, CA | $16.50 | |
| San Diego, CA | $18.50 | |
| San Francisco, CA | $22.50 | |
| Seattle, WA | $20.00 | |
| Stamford, CT | $20.00 | |
| St.Louis, MO | $15.00 | |
| Tampa, FL | $15.00 | |
| Washington, D.C. | $18.50 | |
| U.S. National Average | $17.00 | |
| Source: Sittercity | ||
You can always use the average babysitter rate per hour when hiring a sitter. Of course, you would have to be signed with a service. There are lots of childcare agencies that offer attractive payment plans to those who wish to hire babysitters for their children.
Some offer attractive hourly rates, and some even offer daily rates to those who wish to have constant babysitters around. Make sure to do your research before signing up to determine whether you will be getting a fair deal or not.
How Much Do You Charge For Babysitting?
Another question most parents ask sitters is, how much do you charge for babysitting? I think it’s safe to say that this is a question most parents ask when they’re just curious about hiring a sitter.
They still don’t have an exact schedule as to when they’ll hire a sitter. They just want to have an idea, So, they will scout for sitters and ask, how much do you charge for babysitting.
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If you’re a parent who is curious about the answer, here’s what I have to say. The prices vary depending on the experience of the babysitter and what you expect from them.
First, let’s look at why babysitting rates can vary widely and why they can increase or decrease. Most babysitters work independently so you will not always get the same quality of care when you hire one compared to another babysitter.
There are some parents who want to know exactly what babysitting services they are hiring because they want to make sure that the services are appropriate for their child or children.
There are some parents who want to know exactly what babysitting services they are hiring because they want to make sure that the services are appropriate for their child or children.
There are ways to find out the costs of babysitting services. One way is to ask around. Ask friends, have babysitters. Get quotes from their babysitters.
Another way is to go online to different sites that can help you compare the prices of different babysitters.
These sites usually have different rates than traditional babysitter services.
However, you might want to take these charges into consideration because babysitters usually offer additional services like house cleaning and other things that could increase your bill. More often than not, the sitters they have on their site are licensed.
Sittercity is a good example of such a site. You will find babysitters who also provide household assistance like meal preparation and shopping. Some babysitters even provide transportation to and from the home of the children, so you don’t have to worry about driving your children around all day.
If you do your homework, you can find babysitters who are not just affordable but skilled as well.
If you do your homework, you can find babysitters who are not just affordable but skilled as well. My suggestion is to try a childcare site like Sittercity. They usually offer a free trial.
You can post a job and wait for a sitter to reply to you. From there, you can ask, how much do you charge for babysitting. Since Sittercity has a standard babysitting rate, you’re sure to get a reasonable quote from the sitters.
How Much Does Babysitting Cost?
If you’re a new mom and you’ve never hired a sitter before, you’re also bound to ask how much does babysitting cost?
That is a very valid question and I won’t lie to you. Hiring a babysitter can get costly especially if you’re not careful.
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As it is, it does cost to hire a babysitter. It will even cost more if you do not hire a professional babysitter.
Think about it. You and your kids are a lot safer with a professional babysitter. If you don’t hire a professional babysitter, then it will be very costly for you.
My advice to new moms who are wondering how much does babysitting cost is to look into services like Sittercity.
My advice to new moms who are wondering how much does babysitting cost is to look into services like Sittercity. Truth be told, the cost of hiring a sitter from such a service as Sittercity comes with some peace of mind.
The fact that you can always do some background checks on the babysitters on Sittercity will give you some peace of mind. When it comes to hiring a babysitter, safety comes first.
If it doesn’t, then it’s really going to cost you more. Financially and emotionally, it’s going to cost you a lot more.
How Much Do You Charge For Babysitting Overnight?
There are moms who are seeking to hire a babysitter for the night. I had done so a couple of times but I did think twice about it at first.
I wasn’t too sure about it but then I had no other choice because of work. Given that situation, the question that was on my mind was how much do you charge for babysitting overnight?
Luckily, I was already signed up as a premium member on Sittercity when I had to hire a babysitter for the night. Hence, I didn’t have a hard time hiring one. Even if I was having second thoughts about it, I was able to run a couple of background checks on the sitters and was able to choose one I felt very comfortable with.
When it came to their overnight rates, the babysitters based it on their hourly rate. The good thing about that was Sittercity has standard hourly rates for the top cities. That definitely came in handy for us.
With Sittercity, I was able to get all the answers to my questions. My suggestion is to look at Sittericty rates for the top cities. If you’re also wondering how much babysitting per hour is in your city, then then you will be able to get the answer you’re looking for.
It used to be the case that I would babysit for families. These days, I’m the one hiring sitters to watch over my little girl. LOL! How time flies. My mission now is to share some of my insights so that other moms get to benefit from my experience with babysitting. Read More
I really don’t mind paying premium rates for babysitting so long as I have peace of mind. So far, the sitters I’ve hired from Sittercity are trustworthy. I appreciate how transparent they are when they give me their daily report. Most importantly, my kids like them.
It’s always good to know the standard rate. You can always take it from there when you start negotiating the babysitter’s rate. Personally, I don’t put too much weight on the rate. I look into the babysitter’s skills and experience.
We have a sitter who comes over every day. She stays for about 4 to 5 hours, watching our kids. Both me and my husband are remote working so we need all the help we can get.
Anyway, our sitter agreed to watch our three kids. Instead of paying her per hour (which will really cost us), she agreed to a monthly rate. We’re very happy with her but we just had to be upfront. She didn’t mind what we had to offer her. That’s our experience with Sittercity. Pretty good so far. 🙂
Wow! The babysitter rates per hour are pretty high compared to the time when I was babysitting, which was a very long time ago LOL. 😊 Seriously, the babysitter rates per hour these days aren’t bad considering you get quality care. Not that the babysitters before weren’t giving quality care. It’s just that the babysitters these days are trained and certified.
I’m pretty lucky to be living in an area where the rate is still pretty affordable. Twenty dollars (or more) per hour is way too much for me. I’m glad I don’t live in those areas. 😊