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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tell me about babysitting rates...

91 replies

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 18:21

I'm gobsmacked by babysitting rate- just been quoted £7-10 per hour! Possibly because I'm an older Mum who only got a fiver a night back in the day. Say you go for a meal and drinks with friends, leaving home at 7, back at midnight- £50??? Really? On top of night spends? Who can afford this?

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 05/05/2023 19:05

NurseryNurse10 · 05/05/2023 18:53

Also, You still have to pay at least minimum wage which is
£10.42 for those aged 23 and over.
£10.18 for those aged 22-22.
£7.49 for those aged 18-20
£5.28 for under 18's

So as I said, if you want it cheap you will need to pick someone very young

No you don't as you're not employing anyone.

Prettybutdumb · 05/05/2023 19:09

Emailed received a couple of weeks ago from our baby sitting company - their updated rates:

‘Outside London
Daytime - £19.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
Nighttime - £17.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
In London
Daytime - £23.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
Nighttime - £19.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour

Overtime rates (for all nannies, times + locations) will be charged at a 30% premium to the relevant standard rate.’

Applequash · 05/05/2023 19:56

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 18:28

I'm evidently well out of touch! 🤣

Do you not understand the concept of inflation? That things are more expensive now than way back when?

IAmTheWalrus85 · 05/05/2023 20:14

I very occasionally ask the staff from nursery to babysit and they charge £12 per hour. Which I think is more than fair enough given they’re qualified childcare professionals and working in the evenings/weekends.

WellTidy · 05/05/2023 20:22

I did a lot of babysitting in the early 1990s when I was 16-18yo. A lot of my friends did the same. We each charged £5 for the entire evening, usually about 4 hours. This was before NMW was introduced.

The Bank of England calculator says that goods and services which cost £5 back in 1992 would cost £10.29 today. So £10.29 for the evening! I was clearly underpricing my services!

Obviously I have nothing at all against babysitters today charging whatever they want though.

SunsetsInVenice · 05/05/2023 22:48

I wouldn't ever pay under NMW, it's taking the piss.
It's expensive but kids are.
Our sitter is in her twenties. We pay £11 per hour.

Haveallthesongsbeenwritten · 05/05/2023 22:50

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 18:21

I'm gobsmacked by babysitting rate- just been quoted £7-10 per hour! Possibly because I'm an older Mum who only got a fiver a night back in the day. Say you go for a meal and drinks with friends, leaving home at 7, back at midnight- £50??? Really? On top of night spends? Who can afford this?

I suppose it depends where you live. I used to do a lot of babysitting when i lived in London and for like 6pm to midnight i’d get £100 and that was about 10 years ago…

Original poster
dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 23:56

WellTidy · 05/05/2023 20:22

I did a lot of babysitting in the early 1990s when I was 16-18yo. A lot of my friends did the same. We each charged £5 for the entire evening, usually about 4 hours. This was before NMW was introduced.

The Bank of England calculator says that goods and services which cost £5 back in 1992 would cost £10.29 today. So £10.29 for the evening! I was clearly underpricing my services!

Obviously I have nothing at all against babysitters today charging whatever they want though.

This is what I remember, I guess. Sounds like we were royally taken the p out of!

OP posts:
Original poster
dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 23:57

@Applequash of course.

OP posts:
AllOrNothingSituation · 06/05/2023 00:07

Where are you .?! That’s good! When I looked it was £15/£20 an hour with minimum 4 hour booking! And that was on childcare.co.uk

Boomboom22 · 06/05/2023 00:08

That is very cheap, do you mean like neighbours kids or a dbs checked actual babysitter from a company?

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 00:16

I must be getting a bargain I ask my 27 year old son to babysit my 16 year old Foster Son with additional needs if we go out for the evening and he charges me £25 for the whole evening for about 3 hours plus, and to pay for them both to have a takeaway delivered. He has even babysat on New Year's Eve once but I did pay him £50 for that evening.

Arxx · 06/05/2023 00:19

The place I looked at for 6 hours (probably would have needed 5 but wanted to be sure we wouldn’t be back later than we said) was working out at £120 for the one off fee plus hourly rate for the agency nanny. For only 1 hour of it or maybe even less would my child actually be awake. We had tickets to a comedian which cost less than the babysitting fee

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:21

NurseryNurse10 · 05/05/2023 18:48

Well if you want someone cheap you will have to employ a young teen.
I charge between £10-£12 an hour as am qualified and experienced and giving up my time.
It always baffles me that people think nothing of paying their cleaners a good hourly rate but begrudge paying someone to watch over their children. Who should be their most precious of possessions.

Cleaning is much much harder work than most babysitting. I have done years of both and babysitting, (except for SEN children or very poor sleepers) is easy. Usually get them in bed by 8 or 9 and then watch TV.

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:22

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 00:16

I must be getting a bargain I ask my 27 year old son to babysit my 16 year old Foster Son with additional needs if we go out for the evening and he charges me £25 for the whole evening for about 3 hours plus, and to pay for them both to have a takeaway delivered. He has even babysat on New Year's Eve once but I did pay him £50 for that evening.

I can't believe he charges you!!! My DSS babysit many many times for my DC for nothing.

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 01:17

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:22

I can't believe he charges you!!! My DSS babysit many many times for my DC for nothing.

Show quote history

I'm happy to pay him to look after dFS. He drives over to babysit so uses his fuel to get here and engaged with dFS too so plays chess with him or plays cricket in the garden with him. DFS needs entertaining most of the time, he won't just sit and watch TV on his own or scroll on his phone as most 16 years old would.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 06/05/2023 01:23

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:21

Cleaning is much much harder work than most babysitting. I have done years of both and babysitting, (except for SEN children or very poor sleepers) is easy. Usually get them in bed by 8 or 9 and then watch TV.

Show quote history

But it’s like many things - if you want a full on professional to do it you are paying for the experience and skills on call. Even if they’re not needed.

NurseEssie · 06/05/2023 03:38

I'm in Sydney and paid £188 for 8 hours for a babysitter for my 5 months old. Through an agency though so it was someone experienced and with first aid etc.

£23.5 an hour.
Looking after kids is bloody hard! Especially when they're not your own. Hours are usually unsociable too.

VintedoreBay · 06/05/2023 03:57

Nursery keyworker babysits for us at £10/hr and we pay her cab fare home too. South East.

chopc · 06/05/2023 04:13

So most people can afford £75 on top of their night out?

Kaiserchief · 06/05/2023 06:41

Its about £50, three times a year. I don’t drink, smoke or have any other expensive habits 😂 small house and old cars.

We’re a long time married (20 years) and it’s our only child-free time together.

IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece · 06/05/2023 06:45

Hah! I’m a professional nanny and I charge £15ph…and charged double last night as it’s a bank holiday

anon2022anon · 06/05/2023 07:01

Clearly I'm thinking different to most here but I class childcare different to babysitting. If I'm paying £10-15 an hour, I would expect that person to be sorting out food, doing activities with the child, be a qualified person.
Quite frankly, with a babysitter, I want to pay £20 for a night, they arrive just before bedtime, which I'll happily do, they can happily raid my cupboards and watch TV all night and probably not have to actually interact with a child at all. That's a babysitter to me.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 06/05/2023 07:11

IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece · 06/05/2023 06:45

Hah! I’m a professional nanny and I charge £15ph…and charged double last night as it’s a bank holiday

Yesterday wasn't a bank holiday though, just a normal Friday Confused

Do you really double time for the full BH weekend?

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 06/05/2023 07:13

anon2022anon · 06/05/2023 07:01

Clearly I'm thinking different to most here but I class childcare different to babysitting. If I'm paying £10-15 an hour, I would expect that person to be sorting out food, doing activities with the child, be a qualified person.
Quite frankly, with a babysitter, I want to pay £20 for a night, they arrive just before bedtime, which I'll happily do, they can happily raid my cupboards and watch TV all night and probably not have to actually interact with a child at all. That's a babysitter to me.

But you can't guarantee that they can just sit and watch TV all night.