Mom With Three Kids Says A Babysitter Wants To Charge Her $35 An Hour And Other Parents Say That’s Normal
It takes more than a village to raise a family these days.
cottonbro studio / Pexels Raising kids comes with certain built-in costs, from diapers and wipes to braces and school supplies. Daily life in the US has become increasingly more expensive, with or without kids. Essentials like groceries, gas, and housing cost more than ever, yet people’s paychecks haven’t quite caught up.
One woman lamented what she saw as the drastic spread of inflation beyond basic amenities to everything including hiring a babysitter.
A mom with three kids said a babysitter wanted to charge $35 an hour.
“You are not going to believe this,” she started in her post. “I just got a quote for a babysitter for my children, who are 5, 7, and 9, so like, completely independent — no diaper changing, no special needs, they go to bed at seven o’clock, by themselves, basically.”
“Guess how much this babysitter wants to charge per hour? $35 an hour.” She repeated the number, her jaw dropping, seemingly aghast by the babysitter’s request.
“I said, ‘Are you CPR certified at least?’ Good gracious,” she continued, “That is more than I would make working a job — A professional job, what I do — And I have a Master’s Degree and 15 years of experience and that is more than I would make per hour, if I took a job right now.”
Photo: Ivan Samkov / Pexels
“You have to at least be CPR certified and able to do the Heimlich at $35 an hour. I asked her for that, she never responded,” the mom said. “The most shocking part is that I posted this on Instagram and people are up there, like, ‘Yeah, that’s normal.’ That’s normal? $35 an hour for a babysitter to watch your kids sleep is normal to you?”
Jenna questioned other people’s incomes, asking, “What do you do? Because a loaf of bread is $4 right now and a gallon of milk is like, $7, so I’m confused what you all do that you afford life, plus you pay your babysitter $35 an hour, and then, you go out on top of that? How are people affording this right now?”
“I’m shocked,” she said, “And again, the most shocking part is that y’all aren’t shocked by that. I live in the Midwest, too. I’m not on the East or West coast, I live in the suburbs of St. Louis.”
Photo: Monstera Production / Pexels
Inflation has touched all aspects of American life, including the cost of hiring a babysitter.
According to research done by Urban Sitter, babysitting rates have risen significantly in 2023, increasing by 9.7%, outpacing the 7.1% inflation rate. The national average hourly babysitting rate for one kid is $22.68. The average cost for two kids is $25.37. For three kids, the average hourly rate is $27.70 an hour.
At $35 an hour, the mom’s potential sitter was charging way more than average, yet the tone of her reaction seemed to set people off.
In a second post, Jenna responded to a comment exclaiming that “Childcare is a professional career. Like you said, $35 is a realistic hourly wage for a career.”
She began her clarification saying, “I think the reason this video has become so controversial is because I didn’t make it clear, the context in which I was talking about.”
She briefly recapped the video for anyone who hadn’t seen it, recalling, “I’m talking about how inflation has hit babysitters because I was quoted $35 an hour for my three kids for a date night position. So, I was not talking about a professional child care, I was not talking about a nanny.”
“That, to me, is like a skilled position that would… should earn a more skilled wage. Unfortunately, I was just talking about, like, a simple date night babysitter. I was thinking, like, a college student or a high school student, definitely not, like, a professional child care provider.”
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
“I think it’s unfortunate that professional child care providers do not earn a realistic wage for what they do. You can go through the thread and see that there are so many childcare providers earning, like, $35 a day.”
“So, just to clarify where I was coming from, I’m talking about a date night babysitter that isn’t really a skilled, it’s not technically a skilled job,” she continued. “It’s something that can be done without a ton of education, especially when you’re talking about my typically-developing children who are 5, 7, and 9, so like, more independent.”
Jenna’s not wrong: It is hugely unfortunate that childcare providers aren’t paid to scale for their labor. Yet it’s also unfortunate that she places certain kinds of jobs at a higher premium than others.
“I hope that clears up any confusion that occurred from that video,” she ended her post. “I agree that a professional childcare provider should earn a professional wage. I don’t actually know the going rates, I could just tell you, that yes, I do have a Master's Degree, and I would not make this in my professional career.”
Her attitude plays into the larger cultural and economic narrative our country weaves: That certain jobs hold more value than others. Instead of elevating jobs requiring higher education, maybe it’s time to widen our perspective on what skilled labor means and elevate the idea that all work is skilled work, no matter what the job is.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers parenting, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.