The Average Cost of a Babysitter in 2017 is Really High

Do you pay your babysitters this much?

A new survey from Urban Sitter of over 20,000 American families revealed that hiring a babysitter is more expensive than ever. The average cost per hour for one child is $15.20, for two children it's $17.34, and for three children it's $19.57. 48% of parents say they end up spending over $1000 every year on babysitters! Maybe that's why only 17% of parents hire one more than one day a week...

I started babysitting when I was 11-years-old, and let me tell you, I was NOT picky when it came to my rates. My mom made me take a training class before she let me start passing out my homemade fliers, and then I went around my church trying to get jobs. There were a few families who hired me from time to time, but one mom used me about once a week. I think she paid me $6 an hour, and that was for all three of her kids. Honestly, that was a lot to me at 11-years-old. I could make $40 in one night? That was WAY higher than my weekly allowance of $7! Plus, that's probably all I deserved, considering all I did when the kids went to bed was eat Hot Pockets and watch Nick at Nite...

I guess how much you pay your babysitter depends on the age and the quality of the sitter, but also your family's budget. Parents say they are most likely to pay more for holidays and "special skills." The biggest challenge for parents? When the sitter doesn't tidy up.

How much do you pay your babysitters? Leave a comment with your rate!

[Via Urban Sitter]