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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how much a babysitter costs?

80 replies

DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:06

Hello

I’m asking this following a few wedding threads where there has been a ruckus among guests who can’t possibly afford a babysitter. It would be really useful for me to know from a planning perspective (I am pregnant) how much babysitters now cost. My info is out of date from when I last babysat for friends of my parents, well over a decade ago?

So: how much is a babysitter per hour / per night? Does the price change with age of child and with number of kids?

Also if you don’t have family nearby and are reliant on strangers, how do you choose a babysitter?

Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:06

A few grammar mistakes above - apologies

OP posts:
Happycat1212 · 26/05/2021 19:11

I wouldn’t personally leave my children with a stranger so I don’t use babysitters, most people use family/ friends. The baby sitter I saw advertising wanted £10 an hour

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 26/05/2021 19:12

Price would Depends on where you are, are you hiring a teen or qualified nanny etc more the amount of kids

When i lived in London I charged £13ph as a v experienced nanny

osbertthesyrianhamster · 26/05/2021 19:13

Ask at their nursery or school if anyone knows babysitters.

roses2 · 26/05/2021 19:14

I pay £10-12/hour where I am in zone 2 London. I require regular babysitting so have the same person. Whether you get the same person will depend on whether you can give them a regular job and how much notice you can give them so they don't have prior plans

Nextchapterofmybook · 26/05/2021 19:15

£10 an hour here. Use ladies that work at the nursery my kids attend.

Crazycakelady17 · 26/05/2021 19:16

I pay £8 a hour but it’s one child she’s 11 and just basically needs supervising, she thinks when we go for a meal Friday she should be left alone 7-10.30 no chance!

misspattylacosta · 26/05/2021 19:19

£10/ £12 an hour usually.

They don't have to be complete strangers, a few staff members of the local nurseries offer babysitting services at the weekend.

You can also use a nanny agency.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 26/05/2021 19:20

The services like Sitters which use DBS checked people etc cost around £10/h where I live and you are usually required to have a minimum of 3 hours for a booking.

I use a local 17 year old (whom my kids know well) who only charges me £5 an hour - we are happy to use her on the basis that we are putting the kids to bed ourselves and going for a meal locally, she can ring us if theres a problem and we can pop back quickly.

Baby sitting for a wedding where you would need it realistically from noon til midnight, would be £120 plus so I can see why plenty of people might object.

Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:20

Can I ask an additional question: at what age would you leave your kids with a baby sitter? I remember being left from about 4 or 5 years old but we had no family nearby.

OP posts:
ShirleyPhallus · 26/05/2021 19:21

I find £10 an hour to be absolutely hideous money for someone to basically sit on your sofa and watch a film while the kid is asleep. For some families it’s prohibitively expensive - adding an extra £50 or so to your night

In my day I’d babysit the whole night for a fiver

misspattylacosta · 26/05/2021 19:24

I find £10 an hour to be absolutely hideous money for someone to basically sit on your sofa and watch a film while the kid is asleep.

for someone to be trusted with your own child and ready if the child needs help or anything happen?

I never understand that attitude of parents resenting spending money when it's about their own children! Even cleaners get more than that.
Nothing wrong with cleaners, but surely your child is more important than your carpet?

Yes it's expensive, so what?

Crazycakelady17 · 26/05/2021 19:24

@DeusEx

Can I ask an additional question: at what age would you leave your kids with a baby sitter? I remember being left from about 4 or 5 years old but we had no family nearby.
I left mine from about 2 but we had no choice if we wanted a social life DH was forces and we lived abroad so no family to rely on we used DHs bosses daughter she was 17 when she started

Now it’s my second cousin she’s 16

ChelseaCat · 26/05/2021 19:25

@DeusEx

Can I ask an additional question: at what age would you leave your kids with a baby sitter? I remember being left from about 4 or 5 years old but we had no family nearby.
We left ours at seven months old - he was a fantastic sleeper and we were very close by (literally 200m). However that wouldn’t be acceptable to everyone!

We generally pay £30 for an evening - roughly 730-1030/11. That’s for a 16 year old to come and watch TV in our house, he’s never had to actually do anything 😂

Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:25

Doesn’t sound like prices have changed much since I was a teenager!

£10 to watch my child and deal with any crises that could emerge does not sound unreasonable....

OP posts:
Royalbloo · 26/05/2021 19:27

You don't know until you have your own child how reluctant (or not) you will be to use someone other than family. I've never done it and I consider myself fairly chilled and she's 4 now.

Royalbloo · 26/05/2021 19:27

No judgment by the way...you will know how you feel when it happens

Plumbear2 · 26/05/2021 19:29

@ShirleyPhallus

I find £10 an hour to be absolutely hideous money for someone to basically sit on your sofa and watch a film while the kid is asleep. For some families it’s prohibitively expensive - adding an extra £50 or so to your night

In my day I’d babysit the whole night for a fiver

That's a bargain to know your child is safe with someone you trust. Do you really expect them to give up THEIR time for less?
Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:30

These replies are all so helpful - thank you. Do keep them coming.

OP posts:
Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:30

@Plumbear2 I agree!

OP posts:
Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:31

@Royalbloo thanks. This is what friends have said too, goos advice.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 26/05/2021 19:31

We've paid £10 an hour, and used staff from ds's nursery for many years after he left, and then our cleaner would sit for us and combine it with ironing.
The issue with weddings is that they often require an overnight stay, so you are looking at 24 hours or more of childcare which gets massively expensive, and most babysitters don't do overnights. So in 15 years we've had two nights away together when he was on a PGL holiday

misspattylacosta · 26/05/2021 19:31

You can also swap babysitting if you are not comfortable.

You keep a friend's baby or child, then they keep yours when you go out.
Works well within NCT groups when by definition you all have children the same age.

Original poster
DeusEx · 26/05/2021 19:31

*good

OP posts:
TwoAndAnOnion · 26/05/2021 19:31

@ShirleyPhallus

I find £10 an hour to be absolutely hideous money for someone to basically sit on your sofa and watch a film while the kid is asleep. For some families it’s prohibitively expensive - adding an extra £50 or so to your night

In my day I’d babysit the whole night for a fiver

Yes, my mother used to pay that to have me babysat in 1972 when she went to a dinner dance.