The amount of money you can charge to babysit an infant depends on the client, your location and the extent of your experience as a child care provider, particularly as an infant caregiver. Take all of these factors into account as you decide your babysitting rate.
In some parts of the country you will not be able to charge as much as in other parts. Rural areas typically have lower babysitting rates in general than urban areas. Check out what other babysitters in your area are charging by talking with acquaintances who babysit infants and reading babysitters’ charges on sites such as Care.com and SitterCity.com in your area. This will give you an idea of what the going rate for babysitters is in your area. Use the rate calculator at Babysitters.com to figure out what to charge based on your location.
If you are a teenage babysitter and are just starting to babysit infants and older children you will find that the rates parents are willing to pay you will be lower than those for more experienced caregivers. You will probably have to charge three or four dollars less per hour than a babysitter who is more experienced. Caregivers over the age of 18 who have about a year or two of babysitting under their belts can usually charge somewhere in the range of $8-10 per hour in many places.
If you are watching more than one baby, you can probably charge around $12-15 per hour in most locations. Babysitting infants can usually bring in another dollar or two per hour over what you typically charge for babysitting older children. You can also charge more for babysitting infants overnight, for long hours, or on holidays.
It is important that you maintain integrity and consistency in your babysitting charges. If you are babysitting exclusively in an upscale area, you can often charge more than you would if you were babysitting only for lower-income households. Also, if you are only watching one baby, you can charge more than if you are watching more than one, as you will be dividing your attention between multiple babies. Be sure you comply with your state’s day care licensing regulations before you watch more than one child who is not related to you at a time.
