The cost of babysitters

On Behalf of | Apr 21, 2015 | Child Support

There are many different types of child care that parents sometimes use. One of these types is having a babysitter watch the kids for awhile.

Recently, Care.com surveyed individuals on the topic of babysitting costs and other babysitting-related issues. According to the survey’s results, the cost of babysitters has been going up in the U.S. in recent times.

The survey’s results indicate that, in 2014, the average pay rate for a babysitter here in America was $13.44 an hour. This was up from 2013, when the average pay rate was $12.07 an hour. The 2014 number also represented a 28 percent increase over the pay rate from 2009. In 2009, the average babysitter pay rate was $10.50 an hour.

Another interesting thing the survey’s results indicate is that cost is generally not the primary driving force behind a parent’s decision of what babysitter to pick for their kids. Only around 3 percent of the surveyed individuals said that cost is the main deciding factor in their choice of babysitter for their kids.  

While cost may not be the main thing most parents put to the front of their mind when picking a babysitter, this does not mean babysitting costs cannot be quite impactful on a parent. Depending on how much a parent needs to use a babysitter, the cost of a sitter could add up pretty quick to a rather significant number. 

Thus, the cost of babysitters is one of the many things it can be important for divorcing parents to factor in when it comes to the issue of child care costs when trying to reach a child support arrangement that is fair. Attorneys can help divorcing parents understand what impacts babysitting costs and other child care costs can have in child support matters and can help them with factoring in such costs in the arguments they bring forward during such matters. 

Source: Business Insider, “Babysitters are more expensive than ever — here’s how much they charge in major US cities,” Libby Kane, March 26, 2015

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