babysitting rates

Mommy Dearest,

I'm a stay-at-home mom with a part time nanny that helps out when I need to run errands, work out, lunch with friends or take a night out with my husband. She watches our two sons, ages 5 and 7, for $20 an hour. My best friend and I usually go to the gym together so she drops her six year old off at my house and the children play while we are away. He's well behaved and they get along great. My nanny always welcomes him, but told me yesterday that a playdate is one thing and my friend dropping her child off on a daily basis is another. She is willing to watch him, but expects to be compensated for it. I was taken back because we've had this arrangement for about a year and she never seemed to mind. Is it fair for her to ask for more money now?

— Should Nanny Get Compensated

To read the response from Mommy Dearest, read more

The last thing a new mom needs to do when preparing for a night out on the town is to fret over how much to pay the babysitter. Sittercity offers an easy and free solution with their rate calculator.

Parents just type in their zip code, number of children and years of experience and age of their babysitter before hitting the button that configures the rate. The calculator also explains cost adjustments for overnights, special events, twins and newborns and doing housework.

So spend less time thinking about logistics and more energy focusing on hanging out with your spouse!

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