Mom Shocked To Learn The Going Hourly Rate For A Babysitter In Her Area
“That is more than I would make if I took a job right now.”
Everything right now is expensive. Grocery bills, day care fees, your tween’s Christmas wish list — it’s all just so much money. The stressors of finances make most of us want to take a break, blow off some steam, and maybe go on a fun date night with our partner, but wait, did you hire a babysitter?
You might want to find another way to ease the anxiety of a dwindling bank account because hiring child care will also cost you a pretty penny.
One Missouri mom, Jenna Leigh, posted on her TikTok, asking her followers if her shock over the going hourly rate for a babysitter in her town was dramatic after several other moms normalized the high number.
“I just got a quote for a babysitter for my children who are 5, 7, and 9. So, like, completely independent. No diaper changing, no special needs. They go to bed at 7 o’clock by themselves basically, and guess how much this babysitter wants to charge me per hour? $35 an hour,” she said before noting that this hourly rate is more than she would make with a master’s.
“That is more than I would make working a job, as [in] a professional job, what I do, and I have a master’s degree and 15 years of experience, and that is more than I would make per hour if I took a job right now,” she said. “You have to at least be CPR certified and able to do the Heimlich at $35 an hour. So I asked her for that. She never responded.”
Leigh goes on to say that at a rate of $35 per hour to watch some pretty self-sufficient kids, they also need to keep the house clean.
“My house better be spic and span. Like, that is the other thing. If I come home to pizza on my counter one more time from a babysitter, I’m going to lose my mind. I literally am going to lose my mind,” she said.
However, while the babysitter’s quote nearly struck Leigh dead, she was most shocked about how other mom’s reacted to her shock when she asked if this was a normal rate on Instagram.
“People are up there like, ‘Yeah that's normal.’ That’s normal? $35 an hour for a babysitter to watch your kids sleep is normal to you? Like, what do you do? Because a loaf of bread is like $4 right now and a gallon of milk is like $7. So, like, I’m confused what you all do that you afford life plus you pay your babysitter $35 an hour. And then you go out on top of that. What are you doing with your life? Like, what do you do? Because I need to do that job,” she joked.
“I’m shocked. And again the most shocking part is that y’all aren’t shocked by that. I live in this Midwest, too. I’m not on the East or West Coast. ... I live in the suburbs of St. Louis.”
Much to her dismay, Leigh’s commenters on TikTok seemed to also agree with her Instagram followers, noting that $35 an hour is perfectly normal for a babysitter rate in 2023.
“Childcare is a professional career. like you said, $35 is a realistic hourly wage for a career. 🖤,” one user wrote.
Another noted, “I feel like $25-35 is the going rate for 3 kids in the Midwest. I swap date night sitting with a friend because otherwise we couldn’t afford it often.”
“For three children…that doesn’t feel crazy,” another said.
Though she did receive some validation for her shock about the costly quote.
“I’m an RN in TN in the ICU. I keep people alive for $36/hr 😔,” one user said.
The OP replied, “Right!!!!!!!????? My speciality is also in the hospital!”
Another wrote, “Wow! Insane. Omaha here and we don’t pay that. I agree I am tired to coming home to food on the counter!”
Care.com recommends parents think about several factors when it comes to hiring a sitter and deciding on a fair wage.
“When figuring out how much to pay for child care, it’s important to offer fair, competitive babysitter rates or nanny rates. After all, you’re investing in the person who is taking care of your little one. There are many factors that influence the costs of a babysitter or nanny, including location, skill level and the number and ages of the children who need care,” the website reads.
According to Care.com, using their Babysitting Rates Calculator, a parent living in a St. Louis suburb with three children, looking for a babysitter with any number years of experience should expect to spend $15.75 per hour.
According to UrbanSitter, the national average hourly rate for a babysitter in 2022 was $20.57 for one child and $23.25 for two kids. A recent Sittercity survey found the national typical hourly rate of babysitters in 2023 is $20.00 per hour.
So, yeah, maybe this Midwestern mom is well within her rights to be a little put off by that $35-per-hour price sticker.
