So, you’re going away for the weekend and you need someone to watch your kids or younger teenagers?
Whether it’s that much-needed vacation you’ve been looking forward to, an important business trip, or something else – finding childcare is never easy, but knowing what to pay a babysitter can help smooth things out.
At the end of the day, if you’re desperate for someone to look after your teens or kids and you can’t find too many options, they can kind of set their own price – but knowing the usual rates, what’s fair, and what to expect is still really helpful.
That’s what this post is all about. We’re going to give you a rough idea how much to pay babysitter for weekend services, different things that can influence the rate, and some things you can do as a parent to ensure a successful weekend.
How Much to Pay a Babysitter for a Weekend
You should expect to pay a babysitter around $150-$300 for the weekend.
Most parents will want to pay a flat rate for overnight babysitting, but you need a way to calculate this rate. It’s common to pay the babysitter their usual rate for 16 hours per day during the weekend, and then a flat rate for the time that the kids and the sitter are asleep. Add those numbers together, and you can present it as a flat rate.
This rate, however, depends on a number of factors. That’s just an idea of what to expect. You can negotiate a flat-rate with a babysitter, but you should expect to pay more for an experienced nanny versus the neighbor’s teen coming over.
The babysitter is giving their whole weekend to your family, since they’ll need to sleep over to watch the kids at night. If there’s another parent or a family member/friend that the kids can stay with during the day and you only need a sitter for night (or vice-versa), then you may be able to negotiate a different rate, but some sitters might prefer to just stay over instead of having to find transportation back and forth from your home each day.
If the babysitter isn’t staying overnight, then you should expect to pay their usual hourly rate for the amount of hours that they spend with your kids. If they’re staying overnight or multiple nights, then that’s something you’ll need to discuss and negotiate with them…
Ways to Pay a Babysitter For the Weekend
The amount of money that you should pay a babysitter for watching your kids for the weekend will vary based on certain factors, including:
- If it’s a holiday or special occasion and there’s greater demand,
- If they’re spending the night in your home,
- Their experience level,
- If they work independent or part of a company
- and more…
Flat Rate vs Hourly Pay for Weekend Babysitter
The easiest way to go is to come up with a flat rate for a babysitter based on how long they’re going to be staying over and watching your teens/kids.
If your babysitter is spending the night, some parents will want to pay less during the night hours and more for the waking hours. The idea is that the sitter is just sleeping during the night, and so are the kids, but it’s disrespectful to act like the babysitter isn’t still working during the nighttime.
They’re there in case something goes wrong, or there’s an emergency, and so on. It’s like being “on-call”, so they still obviously need to be paid for those hours.
Rather than trying to offer them one rate for waking hours, and a lower rate for sleeping hours, you’re much better off just averaging it out in your head and offering a flat rate.
You could always ask your sitter if they prefer a flat rate or an hourly rate,
Do You Provide Food for an Overnight Babysitter?
Yes, you need to provide food for babysitter for the weekend!
You should leave an additional fund, in addition to what you’re paying them, for them to spend on groceries or ordering food.
Keep in mind that if they’re using groceries in the home, they’ll be preparing the meals for the kids and themselves. Also, if they’re ordering food, it’s for the kids and themselves. So, make sure your budget for ordering food or your pantry have enough for everyone.
You should find out if they have any dietary restrictions. If your babysitter is going to be cooking or preparing food for your kids, but it’s food that they can’t eat, they’ll need to spend their own money on their food, whereas they’d be able to share the family’s food otherwise.
This is just something to keep in mind, where you can be extra considerate and go the extra mile to become one of their favorite clients which will get you preferential treatment during busier holidays, and so on.
A babysitter might not want to spend the weekend at a home where they don’t feel like they’re being treated as well, whereas if you take care of little things like their food, they’ll be looking forward to the next time they visit your home.
Final Tips for Paying a Babysitter for a Weekend
Remember, the babysitter is giving up their weekend to take care of your younger teens or children. You’re paying them, of course, but you should think of this as a bit of a “premium service”, and pay accordingly.
If you’re hiring a nanny from a company, who has decades of experience, you can expect to pay a higher premium than if you’re hiring a teenage babysitter from the neighborhood.
All in all, just be considerate, be upfront and discuss expectations and a price that both parties agree to, and just remember that you don’t want to be too stingy if you’re desperate for a sitter.
