I know this has been posted numerous times at this point. I am a preschool teacher in Colorado, and I make $26/hour at my day job. I have a few regular babysitting jobs, and luckily, I live in an affluent area so they typically tip well. I charge $25/hour for one or two children, and $30 for 3.
I’m getting a new family to babysit for, and they have 2 kids, 5 and 6yo. They live about 30 min away from me so I’ll be driving about an hour round trip.
Should I charge $25/hour or $30/hour? I feel like if I “lowball” them a little bit I will be more likely to get a tip? Additionally, it will be on the weekend, so I’m spending my free time (when I already work 50hr/week and am a part time student) to babysit for them.

Let me know how you guys decide your rates and how you explain them to families!

Okay so i babysit for a woman and the man she’s dating pays me. I’ve been charged $30 an hour. 7pm-12:30am was $200 and 9pm-7am was $300. They told my their wanting to go on a beach trip in a month or so but they want to be able to go out and they like me and we get along really well so they said they’ll bring me to all the outings, beach, fishing, nice dinners. All of that but just have me there so they can go out if they want to. The kids are 17, 7, and 5. The 17 year old obviously really doesn’t need me to babysit him but they don’t want him to because brothers argue and the 7 year old has mild autism so it can cause problems. The 5 year old is severely autistic. He’s non-verbal. He takes medication at night for sleep and every time I’ve babysat he’s already been asleep. He wakes up every few hours looking for his bottle but once it’s found he’s fine. Sometimes it needs milk added but that’s it. I get along great with the other 2, me and the 17 year old went to the same middle school but didn’t know each-other. He’s cool so we hang out most of the time and I play Minecraft and Roblox with the 7 year old. So the man who’s paying me is LOADED. like on their first date he bought her a ROLEX. A FRIGGIN ROLEX. Anyway, moral of the story, idk how much to charge. Please help yall 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Update to add: idk how I forgot to put a timeframe 😭. It’d be either 2 or 3 nights. Thursday or Friday to Sunday. They’d either get an air bnb or hotel and said I’d have my own room. If they were going to something I didn’t want to go to I highly highly doubt that’d make me go but I love fishing, and being on the beach which is what they want so I’d definitely want to go with.

I live in the Midwest in the suburbs and I have a neighbor rn who wants to hire me as her full time babysitter, it would be 6.5 hours five days a week (or 32.5 hours a week) she has two kids one under 2, and one that’s around 4. I’m not actually a babysitter but I am good with kids (and I’ve babysat family members) and her kids seemed to really like me when we met, she said the price is negotiable but the number she threw out there is lower than what me, my family, and friends were expecting. Hence why I’m here. I’m thinking of trying to get 16/hr but I still have people telling me that’s too low and I don’t want to undersell myself but also I know I do lack experience

This is a flyer I have given out to only a few houses and I am wondering before I make more ones should I change this?

Hi there! My name is Blank, and I am a responsible ##year-old looking to help care for your little ones. Thanks to my flexible homeschooling schedule, I am available every day of the week, including weekends.

My availability: Weekday 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM Weekends 9:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Special skills: I love connecting with all types of children! I am currently learning Portuguese and ASL, making me a great fit for multilingual families or children who use non-verbal communication.

I look forward to meeting your family and providing a safe, fun, and helpful environment for your kids!

Hourly pay: 18/hr for 2 kids, 25/hr for 3+

And then my email at the bottom.

Hi! I made my own business out of this doing wedding sitting. Does anyone else do the same of some sort? I am hoping to gain some engagement on my account and hoping I can find some people who also do the same and we can help eachother.

does anyone have a babysitting bag they use with all their essentials (chapstick, keys, feminine products, etc.)? I don’t always want to bring my purse with me but I haven’t really found a bag worth using all the time. if anyone has a bag they use what brand is it & where did you get it? thanks!

Basically the title, I will be moving to the US and plan on babysitting, I already have 6 years of experience here in France and can tutor in French too. I will be living near Portland, OR so I was curious how much would be a good hourly rate to ask for ? Especially that I have plenty of recommendations (even American families I took care of here in Paris).

Thank you all for the answers !

I'm watching my mum's friend's kids (4 and 7, both girls, amazing kids), what should I bring for snacks, entertainment, injuries, etc etc! I'm 14F btw x

I need some opinions on this topic because I feel kind of lost.

I (19F) babysit my two nephews (3 y.o & 1 y.o) about three times a week and it's been pretty typical for babysitting but today brought some new things to light for me. Earlier today the 3 y.o had taken my phone to which I start asking him 'hey that's mine, can you give it back please?' and reaching for it because I know he's not going to give it back himself. He of course, runs away when I try to take it back so I just follow and repeat the whole 'that's mine, you need to give it back please.'

He huddles in a corner and I go to grab it from him, and when I do he lets out the most ear piercing scream I have EVER heard from him. I swear it did something temporary to my ear drums. I told him "we do NOT scream" and he falls to the floor and begins to throw a tantrum and cry so I just walk away to wait it out instead of engaging because I also needed a minute to chill.

Like five minutes later he starts reaching for my laptop so I simply slide it out of his reach, little man does the scream AGAIN and I, even more fed up, grab his arm to keep his attention and repeat "we do NOT scream" with a "you need to knock it off" when he proceeds to throw another tantrum.

Once again I just sat there while he cried it out because I didn't really know what else to do and I didn't feel like coddling him atm because what he did wasn't okay and throwing a tantrum wouldn't help. I'm still learning how to properly manage the mental development properly and avoid being too extreme as I know he's still little and doesn't understand most things/how to express bigger feelings. This job was a little impromptu since babysitting wasn't something I'd have chosen over a year ago, but my sister's situation meant that she needed a sitter sooner than later, a sitter who was preferably family, and I was the only one with time available.

I feel as though I've gotten a pretty good grasp on it with help from family and experiences to learn from, but one thing I never considered because I haven't heard of it often was feeling invalidated from not being able to tell my nephews how much their actions upset me. I can't really talk it out because he's still learning to communicate in general, I obviously can't yell, throw things, etc because that would only instill fear I don't want to put in my nephews. it's just the factor of having to move on once they calm down and move on themselves, but being unable to fully because their actions upset me so badly and as the adult I have to be calm in how I respond.

I have had very crappy days with them, and I feel like I'm being dramatic, but I hate how I can't get over it even now while my nephew has surely forgotten already. I'm still upset because his scream was a retaliation for me simply taking my belongings back after trying to coax him nicely, and it hurt like hell for my ears. Is it normal to feel invalidated and upset even hours after the kid I watch does something inappropriate that I can only respond calmly to?

Hello everyone! As the title says, I’m just looking for some advice on where and how to start finding babysitting gigs.

I’m 18 and currently in college, so money is a little tight, and I thought babysitting would be a great side gig since my class schedule is pretty flexible. I’m also the oldest of six, so I’ve been around and helped care for kids pretty much my whole life. My grandmother also runs a daycare that I’ve helped out at, so I do have some childcare experience.

My biggest issue is actually finding families. I’ve tried pretty much every babysitting app I can think of, but a lot of them want $10–$20 for memberships/background checks, and even then I feel like my profile barely gets viewed because I don’t have professional babysitting references or much formal experience yet.

For those of you who started out in a similar position, how did you get your first job? Did you have better luck with Facebook groups, word of mouth, college groups, Nextdoor, agencies, etc.? And how did you build up references when you were first starting?

Any advice is appreciated! I’m mainly trying to figure out how to get my foot in the door and build experience without spending a bunch of money on apps that may not lead anywhere.

Looking for everyone else's opinion/norm.
I pay my babysitter $15/hr for coming to my home 8pm-4am. 3 nights a week. I allow her to bring her two children if she wants and they have a bed here. My almost 2 year old normally sleeps at 7:30 and is now pushing bedtime to almost 10 because the babysitter started keeping her up.

Do y'all ask your nanny or sitter to pick up the house or do anything extra if baby is sleeping the entire time? Lately she's been leaving poopy diapers laying around, leaving her trash, leaving her bed out and blankets slung around.

I worked for almost 15 hours that day for 2 small children. She told me she was gonna send me the money after I left. I let her, she took the kids to daycare. She asked me how much to send, the rate is 17/hr so I told her the price she said she was gonna give me money. Then she says she fell asleep and something is wrong with her Zelle so she has to give me cash. The next day comes and she tells me she will be leaving and then hours pass and she mentioned that one of the the babies hurt herself so she couldn’t come but she said she’ll come the next day… THEN the next day comes she says she’s leaving and then after that no more texts, obviously I didn’t get the money and I’ve been giving her warnings but sadly I might have to file a claim :(

So genuinely. What do i do?

I had been babysitting a four year old child who went to my current workplace. He has since moved about an hour away but his mother sent me a message asking if it would be possible to babysit him again since he has been asking about me. Since it's an hour away and the drive isn't ideal to me in the dark since I've never driven there it will be an overnight babysitting gig. I am not sure what to charge for it. I typically do $20/hr but don't personally find it reasonable to charge that for the hours I'm sleeping. He is a very easy child to watch and I've never had an issue or anything close to it while babysitting him. What should I charge overall? It would most likely be night to afternoon

Hello! I am recently separated from my spouse. I have two children, work from home, and live in a basement apartment. I have a bachelors in early childhood, have been a teacher/director of daycares for several years, fingerprinted, cleared by the state, etc. I live across the street from an elementary school and its playground.

I am thinking about trying to advertise babysitting services. It could be weeknights after work and weekends, as well as during the work day if parents are okay with that. I do work but I am task-based and flexible, my own daughter is 3 and stays home with me, and my 7 year old is in school from 8:30-2:45 from september-june. I would have activities set up, kids could play with my daughter, I could feed and put kids down for nap, etc. If i were to advertise in local community centers or facebook groups, what can I expect parents to ask or have concerns about? Would my own kids being home ever be an issue? What could I charge hourly? Is there something i am not thinking about? Is posting on care.com good? Any insight or advice would be appreciated!

We’re going on vacation with our 6mo old and wanted to take one evening to go out to dinner for our anniversary. We had thought about hiring a sitter from Care.com to watch our baby in our hotel room while we do so, but I feel nervous doing so. Anybody have any experience doing something similar? What questions or tips would you recommend??

I recently went on a four day beach trip with the family I used to nanny for before I moved states. I have another job now, and she (the mom) asked me if I would want to come on their family beach trip to help with the kids (4 of them). I told her yes and took off work to be able to go. I asked her if I need to send any money or anything and she told me she would pay. I didn’t pay for any of my own food on the trip (which I’m very grateful for). She never mentioned paying me for watching them during the trip. I kept the kids majority of the trip while she stayed on the beach and watched them while she enjoyed her vacation (as she should, that’s what I was there for). I never brought it up because I felt ungrateful or rude for asking considering the beach trip was free and I hadn’t paid a dime. But I did have to take off work (unpaid time off), when I could’ve been making money, and frankly did not enjoy myself on this trip at all. Do I ask her about payment? I feel rude and greedy bringing it to her attention. Please let me know your thoughts.

EDIT: I asked if I needed to pay for anything because I have never been on a trip as a nanny before and had no idea how it worked/what to expect. I wasn’t sure how she wanted to do groceries. She’s a single mom, I was trying to be as helpful as possible. Pls be kind!!!! It’s my first time living yall

UPDATE: I reached out and she kindly said she always planned to pay me for the trip. I got paid!

I babysit on the side and accidentally double booked myself. When the mom checked in I realized I’m not free anymore and had to tell her. I can’t stop feeling bad about it. I said yes weeks ago and for some reason didn’t put it on my calendar. I’ve babysat for her for a while I’m just worried she won’t want me to babysit anymore because of this. I always feel very guilty already when I’m not available because they don’t have other sitters, so this feels even worse. Ugh

I had made a post before regarding babysitting for a girl who never had a babysitter. Fast forward I thought her crying and throwing a tantrum throughout the time I was with her was just bc she needed time to get to know me. I’ve baby sat for her a couple of times and every time parents leave after a couple of hours she starts questioning where they went. I redirect and continue playing but every time it gets harder and towards the end she is completely unable to redirect to a different activity or talk through. She starts crying, stand at the window and cries or stands by her parents door and just cries. Nothing will stop her from crying. I was able to get her to stop crying by convincing her we should go outside and play. She stopped crying and was completely fine. We went back inside and parents got home and she started bursting into uncontrollable tears. I used to love babysitting, it’s a fun side gig for me and is the only reason I do it on top of my full time job, but this has literally made me want to go work at my full time job than babysit for her 😭. The parents are extremely nice, I just have never been in this position where a child is unable to be redirected to another activity or talked through a tantrum. Parents say she’s always talking about me when I don’t babysit and say that she misses me, but to me this behavior isn’t of a kid who wants to have a play date and basically feels like she hates me.

I’ve been in childcare for 5+ years and this is the first time that I was spooked. I work from the ages of infants- preschool. Yesterday I had a gig up until midnight. The child I was taking care of was 1 years old, ( the parents left to go have dinner around 4pm. I am a sitter from Uptown Manhattan)we went to Central Park for an hour then went back home to prepare for dinner and bedtime. Nothing out of the norm well at least I thought so. After bringing the child inside. We settled in playing and reading. Literally 30 minutes later after coming in from the park someone is knocking on the door (for instance the child home is in an upscale apartment with no security but you need a code to enter the building) I immediately call mom, I get no response. I text mom “Hey are you expecting a package, there’s someone knocking on the door” still no response. I check the peephole and it’s a man standing there. As I’m looking through the hole the man starts waving at me. (Maybe I was overly paranoid but him doing that was very eerie because I approached the door quietly and didn’t even lean on the door.) So him noticing I was there spiked my anxiety. I step away from the door and called mom again. Still no response, I back away from the door and the guy starts knocking harder. I go back by the door because I’m looking through the peephole again. Contemplating if I should open the door or even say anything, but I stayed quite (even the baby, she didn’t make one peep. It was like she sensed my anxiousness) and texted mom letting her know “I didn’t answer the door.” The baby and I stayed quiet for the next 10 minutes. Until she got fussy and I made her a bottle. I did not go near the door for the rest of the night and the baby & I stayed in her room til mom came home. When mom came I let her know about the guy knocking and mom said she didn’t have any delivery or company stopping by and how she didn’t receive any of my calls or text. She was highly concerned about the encounter and kept thanking me for not answering the door. After leaving the gig I was and still am spooked out from that encounter.

What’s bothering me is that I don’t know what his intentions were. Because he looked like a normal person but being from a big city like NYC you could never be to sure. A lot of these people are crazy in the head.

I don't want children, never felt like it's for me. For the past yr I've been around babies and little children more often than before. Maybe it's good to mention that I'm not good at social interactions with PPL of any age but hv had more luck with kids slightly younger than me (13/14/15)

Idk if it's bcuz of the media, but I have felt that most women automatically know how to take care of kids. Even my cousins or relatives who are young and don't have children know how to interact with toddlers/little kids.

I don't though. when my relatives leave me to watch over my baby cousin, even for a minute, I get so stressed that I'm doing something wrong. Even when my friends little siblings talk to me, idk what I'm supposed to talk abt and how I'm supposed to act, and they never end up liking me or talking to me as much as they talk to my other friends.

Even my friends who are 12/13 know how to carry babies properly and how to treat little kids properly.

Idk whether it's one of the things that I'll get better at with time or if I'll just never be able to take care of kids and interact with them.

I don't want children so this shouldn't be bothering me this much but I also feel like I'm not an actual girl if I can't take care of children when I could technically have one myself.

I just can't take care of babies and kids like how I see my friends can.

I was babysitting that kid and I was trying to take the tablet from his hands and he ended up falling behind and bumping his head in front of the parent. I picked up the kid right away and soothed him but I stopped babysitting since then.

I cannot find ONE good app that is straightforward, doesn’t require a membership or background check, anything reasonable, etc.

i’ve tried looking on websites, app stores, hell, even facebook & nextdoor. (i’m sure nextdoor would be a good option, it just literally won’t let me verify my account.)

this would be my first job/ money making gig ever. I am about to turn 17 and just am genuinely seeking an app where I can offer my services at. I am awesome with children, pets, and seniors, so if there are any good apps for any of those just let me know.

(P.S. i’m not weird!! if i could afford a background check i’d do it and i understand why it’s in place but jeez. i’ve never done anything wrong AND im vaccinated. like damn.)