How Much to Pay a Babysitter (and More for a Baby)
How much to pay a babysitter: Care.com's posted average, what to add for an infant or a second child, tipping, and the script for agreeing the rate up front.
Pay a babysitter the going rate in your neighborhood, add a little for a baby, and agree the number before they arrive. As a starting point, Care.com says the posted babysitter rate in the US averages $19.81 an hour (its figure as of February 12, 2026; we checked the page in November 2026). The same page says parents typically add $1 to $2 an hour for an infant and $0.50 to $1 an hour for each additional child. Your local rate may be well above or below that average, so the most useful number is the one you get from three parents near you.
Start with the local rate, not the national one
A national average tells you roughly what to expect and nothing about your street. Care.com’s guide to babysitter costs makes this point itself: where you live is one of the biggest factors, and rates can differ between the middle of a city and its suburbs. The finance writer it quotes recommends asking local friends what they pay.
The club does it this way:
- Ask three local parents what they pay and for how many kids. A neighborhood group chat will answer within the hour.
- Look at posted rates on a care platform for your zip code, to check the range.
- Ask the sitter. Experienced sitters have a rate. “What do you usually charge for one baby?” is a normal question.
Take those three numbers and use the middle of the range as your base rate. Remember the Care.com figure is an average of rates sitters post on one platform. It tells you what sitters ask for. Nobody has surveyed what every family actually pays.
What moves the number up
Once you have a base rate, adjust it for the job you’re actually offering.
| What changes | Which way | The detail |
|---|---|---|
| The child is an infant | Up | Care.com says parents may add $1 to $2 an hour for a baby, since a newborn needs more than an independent older child |
| More than one child | Up | Many parents add $0.50 to $1 an hour per additional child, per the same page |
| Experience and training | Up | Several years of experience or a CPR certification usually commands more |
| Last-minute, weekend nights, holidays | Up | Busy times and short notice often cost more |
| Extra duties | Up | Driving, cooking full meals or real housework are beyond basic sitting and should be paid as extra |
| A mother’s helper while you’re home | At or under the average | Less responsibility, usually a younger sitter |
The figures in the first two rows are Care.com’s, checked November 2026. The rest is direction only, because nobody publishes a reliable dollar amount for “it’s New Year’s Eve.”
Why a baby costs more
New moms sometimes feel awkward paying extra for a baby who will be asleep most of the evening. You’re paying for what the sitter has to know. An infant sitter needs to know safe sleep (on the back, in an empty crib or bassinet), how to warm and pace a bottle, what a normal cry sounds like and when to call you. Paying a higher rate is how you get a sitter who knows those things and wants to come back.
It works in the other direction too. If you’re paying an infant rate, check the skills. The club’s questions to ask a babysitter has the screening list, and the first booking goes more smoothly with the plan in leaving your baby for the first time.
Asleep hours, awake hours and the minimum
There’s no rule on any of these three, so decide them before you book.
- Do sleeping hours cost less? Some families pay one flat rate. Others agree a slightly lower rate after bedtime. With a baby who may wake and need a bottle, the club leans toward one rate, since the sitter is still responsible for the baby while they sleep.
- Is there a minimum? A sitter who travels for a 90-minute booking often expects to be paid for two or three hours. Ask.
- When does the clock start and stop? It runs from the time you asked them to arrive until you walk back in, including the 20 minutes you spent showing them the house. If you’re late, pay for the lateness and round up.
Tipping and the ride home
Care.com’s guide suggests finding out whether tipping is common where you live, and says that where it is, a tip is typically a few dollars on top of regular pay, particularly for last-minute jobs, holidays or exceptional care. The club’s habit is to round up to the next ten and say thank you like you mean it. A rate that’s fair every time matters more to a sitter than an occasional big tip.
For a teenage sitter, getting them home safely is your job. Either drive them or pay for the ride.
Agree it before they arrive
Most awkwardness about paying a sitter comes from not having discussed it. Send this when you book:
“We’d love you Saturday 6 to 10:30. It’s one baby, four months old; she’ll have a bottle at 7 and should sleep after that. We pay $[rate] an hour, by [Venmo/cash] when we get home. Does that work for you?”
That message gives the hours, the child’s age, what the evening involves, the rate and how you’ll pay, and it finishes with a question so the sitter can come back with a different number. Leave the house details for the night itself, on the club’s emergency info sheet for sitters.
Heard in the club: “The first time, I didn’t mention money and then stood in the hallway at 11pm doing math out loud. Now the rate is in the first text.”
If the sitter becomes a regular
An occasional Saturday sitter is one thing. A sitter who comes every week can become your household employee in the eyes of the IRS. Its Publication 926 lists babysitters among household workers and says Social Security and Medicare taxes apply once you pay one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026. Wages paid to a sitter under 18 generally don’t count if they’re a student and sitting isn’t their main occupation. That’s general information, not tax advice. If your regular sitter is an adult and the yearly total is heading toward that line, read the publication or ask an accountant.
A bedtime a sitter can run
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FAQ
How much should I pay a babysitter per hour?
Start from your local going rate. For reference, Care.com reports an average posted rate of $19.81 an hour nationally (as of February 12, 2026, checked November 2026). Ask three local parents and the sitter for the real figure in your area.
Do you pay a babysitter more for a baby?
Usually, yes. Care.com says parents may add $1 to $2 an hour for an infant, because a baby needs more hands-on care and more know-how.
How much more for two kids?
Many parents add $0.50 to $1 an hour for each additional child, according to Care.com’s guide.
Do I pay the same rate when the baby is asleep?
There’s no rule. Many families pay one flat rate because the sitter is responsible the whole time. If you want a lower rate after bedtime, agree it when you book.
Should I tip a babysitter?
Ask around locally. Where tipping is common, it’s typically a few dollars on top, and more for a last-minute or holiday booking.
