Overpay your babysitter

Yes, you read that right....I said OVERPAY your babysitter. There are lots of places to cut corners but childcare is not one of them. You want to seek out a great babysitter and overpay her/him to ensure you will always be the reason they are willing to cancel their plans and earn some extra cash. Trust me when I say that this will make your life way easier and will be worth every penny.

So, the next question is...what is the going rate. I have asked among my parenting peers and this is where the averages lie. Keep in mind that this is before you add in her "tip" for any extra favors she may have done for you such as cleaning house, cooking supper, taking a kid to practice etc.

• Jr high aged sitter is appropriate only if you have kids over the age of 2 years. The going rate of pay is $8-$10 per hour.
• A high school aged sitter would be more appropriate if you have an infant, or more than 4 kids. The going rate of pay is $10-$12 per hour. The added bonus of this age is that they typically can drive.
• Adults typically want to be paid per "day" or "per child", so you will need to work this out on a case by case basis. Expect to pay $50-$100 based on number of kids and timeframe you will be gone.

Here is an easy way to calculate out how much to pay -

• Note the time your arrive home and subtract the time they arrived. If the difference is 3.5 hours, then pay them for 4. You can always round up, never round down.
• Add on extra for any additional duties they may have performed
• If you figure that you would pay a house cleaner $25-$50 per hour, throwing in an extra $10 for the sitter to pick up all the toys, cook dinner and do the dishes, really is a bargain.
• If you expect them to transport your child to/from any activity or play area, you should add in some extra for fuel & vehicle wear. With gas being ~$4 per gallon, you should throw in enough to cover at least 1-2 gallons or so.