Last updated on July 31st, 2023 at 02:50 pm
Welcome to my series on my personal experiences in earning side income! Here I share details of my own stories in order to bring to light honest reflections. It should be noted that these are tales of my babysitting experiences, and not everyone will have the same outcomes.
If teens can do it and apparently have a whole club and book series centered around babysitting, surely it’s a sweet gig, right? If you’ve ever wondered if babysitting on the side is worthwhile, especially as a busy mom, read on.
How I started childcare on the side
My best friend had her son a year before I had my daughter, so watching her raise him in his infancy was a source of applicable and timely tutelage.
After a few months, my baby education was going to become even more relevant.
I was about three months pregnant when she asked me to watch her son occasionally. I ended watching him a few times a month until my middle was watermelon-sized.
Babysitting while pregnant
Though pregnancy affected my energy, I generally wasn’t too tired or nauseous to handle babysitting an under-one-year-old. I credit this mostly to the fact that I was over 13 weeks– my threshold for not needing to barf any time I upset the delicate balances of early pregnancy.
My second trimester, which was the bulk of my babysitting period anyway, was my most energized. Though I had energy to do most of my normal activities in addition to babysitting, I still felt compelled to put my feet up and give myself a break when baby was napping.
While pregnancy experiences can vary, I found my gestational period to be little obstacle to babysitting one child. (Babysitting multiple children might have been a different story…)
I finally put myself on “maternity leave” from babysitting and my 2.5 other side hustles when my belly grew so rotund it was a challenge to lay the little guy in his crib without awkwardly jostling him and waking him up. (One could try laying an infant down in a deep crib with a medicine ball positioned between one’s abdomen and the bars for a similar effect.)
Babysitting as a mom
Since I became a mom, other babysitting opportunities arose.
My daughter was about six months old when a friend was in a situation where she was in need of childcare for a few hours one day.
Feeling vaguely confident now that we were past the constant chaos of the newborn period, I agreed to watch her two-year-old and my baby all at once.
Babysitting two children was a different ball game. I know scores of parents for millenia have cared (caretooken?) for multiple children, and I tip my messy bun to them. And I know it’s quite possible I may have to care for my own infant and toddler in the future. Still, it was not as easy as I thought.
Everything was fine when we played together with the toy food and kitchen. (One of us in the party was sampling all of the colorful plastic offerings!) The challenge arose when the children had separate, immediate needs.
Feeding baby her milk, for instance, had me specifically and geographically tied to her, which left the two-year-old feeling forgotten/bored. But I suppose that is why the good Lord allowed us to have TV.
Though babysitting one child in addition to my own was challenging, it wasn’t impossible.
Babysitting on the side: Is it worth it?
My recent babysitting gig brought in a bit of extra money. And my daughter got a chance to socialize with another, older friend. I had the satisfaction of helping my fellow mom friend out.
For those infrequent times, I’ve determined it’s worth it.
There have been several times where instead of receiving payment for babysitting, we’ve agreed to swap: after I watch the kids one day, she takes both kids for the same amount of hours another day.
This was a valuable trade for me to get some things done I wouldn’t normally achieve. So, here’s my rundown of the gig:
Babysitting as a side job
- Supplies/setup needed: None
- Ease of job: Ranges in difficulty, mostly easy
- Earning potential: Okay, but exchanging babysitting service is best
- Schedule flexibility: Good
Babysitting earnings
Earnings for babysitting can vary greatly depending on experience, geographical area, how many children are being watched, etc. Long ago (think back to the first time overalls were in style), I was a preteen babysitter, and would definitely expect to make more now than I did back then.
But babysitting is also sort of weirdly behind the earnings curve, in my opinion. At a certain point of experience, factors like job experience and education level don’t seem to matter.
I could be totally wrong on this, but I get the feeling you could have a PhD in Child Development and have worked for NASA for two decades and still not command any notable increase in pay for babysitting. There seems to be a threshold.
If a parent is paying for babysitting so he or she can work, then it makes sense that the parent will pay less than what they’re earning. If mom earns $20 an hour at her job, for example, she’d just be breaking even to pay someone $20 to watch her child.
Add several hours of childcare together, for multiple days, and it can get expensive for families. I’m not saying the rates are great, but I do understand the ceiling they tend to hit.
That’s why, from my observations, babysitting is a job that seems to be on the lower end of earning potential. I’ve been paid $15-$18 an hour for babysitting. Kid swapping with trusted friends, to me, is a far better payment than the $15-$18 an hour.
This is all my experience, and it’s possible to earn more or less. Care.com has a useful babysitting rate calculator based on a few factors. It predicted my babysitting rate to be $17.75 for one child, which was aligned with what I’ve been charging.
I’m happy with this rate because I babysit so infrequently. As a regular job, it wouldn’t be worth it to me.
Getting started with babysitting on the side
This is another side job that floated, unsolicited, into my life. But if you’re interested in babysitting on the side without having to wait for someone to ask, here are my suggestions:
- Make it known in your circles that you’re open to babysitting (talk about it in person and on social media)
- Advertise your services in local Facebook groups– I’ve found that moms groups or word of mouth groups in my area seem to be interested in babysitting services
- Become familiar with state laws regarding possible licensure for caring for children in your own home (this varies by state)
- Decide what hours and days you’d like to take on babysitting work
- Decide if you’d like to be self-employed or work for through company
As an occasional side income opportunity, babysitting has been an alright gig. Since I’ve got so many other plates spinning, this is how I’d like to keep it. (At-home motherhood is my main jam– but if I can squeeze some other money earners in from time to time, I try to make it work.)
Here’s where I wrote about those “other plates:”
Can a Home Bakery Be Profitable? My Experience
My Experience with House Cleaning as Side Job
Is Starting a TPT Shop Worth It? My Experience
My Side Hustle as a Substitute Teacher
Tutoring: A Soft Landing for Resigning Teachers
