Baby Sitting World

Some holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving are generally “family holidays” where the children go wherever the parents go, so a babysitter is rarely needed.  But, other holidays like New Years Eve and Valentines Day put sitters in high demand.  If you are a babysitter and you frequently babysit for more than one family, then plan your babysitting on holidays in advance.   You can and should  get paid a higher rate on New Years Eve and Valentines Day especially.

If you are a sitter on the younger side and don’t have a boyfriend or significant other yet, then you may not be concerned about babysitting on these two holidays in particular.  But, you should still be able to charge holiday rates even though you aren’t giving up a night out.  The holiday rate is up to you.  But if it is too high, nobody will hire you. 

You could probably charge anywhere from a couple of dollars more per hour to double your regular rate of pay depending on where you live.  A babysitter in New York City will more than likely be able to get several times her regular pay on New Years Eve, while a sitter who lives in a small quiet town far from any major city might only receive a couple of dollars extra per hour.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that having an email connection with the parents you babysit for is important.  This is one reason that it may be helpful to have email addresses.  A couple of months before a holiday, you could send out an email to all the people who you generally babysit for, telling them about your holiday rates.  This will also prompt parents to call and book you early so you can plan your schedule.

Another idea is to make up a flier ahead of time to give to new clients.  When parents meet with you for an interview or even if they didn’t interview you and just have you come to babysit, it would be helpful if you had a flier to give them.  It could include your regular and holiday rates, your availability, your experience, and any other pertinent information.  This may be a big help for you if you are uncomfortable discussing how much you would like to get paid. 

If you are an excellent sitter, be sure you get paid what you’re worth.  Check out what other babysitters in your area get paid when figuring out your rates, by checking out an online babysitting rate calculator, checking the ads in the classifieds, or by just asking friends or people you know that babysit or hire babysitters for their own kids.  Remember that rates can vary greatly from town to town.

Lisa McLellan, Child Care Expert