Mom talks about being shocked by the hourly prices of local babysitters, sparking debate

After nannies, babysitters have become the lifesavers for parents who need to have time to themselves. While babysitting earlier was done by family members or by young people to earn pocket money, it has become a full-fledged profession today. Jenna Leigh—who goes by @jennaleighstl on TikTok—shared that she was taken aback by the babysitter hourly rates in her area, which sparked an interesting debate over social media. The mom, who has three kids between the ages of 5 and 10, revealed that even basic and minimal babysitting calls for hefty amounts which have left her astonished and confused.

“I just got a quote from a babysitter for our children, who are like 5, 7 and 9, so like they’re completely independent. No diaper changing, no special needs,” the mom explained. She then revealed that her babysitter was charging her $35 an hour. “That is more than what would make working a job,” the mom said. She further added that she had a master's degree and 15 years of experience and with all of that, the babysitter’s rates would still be higher than what she’d make. The mom was dumbfounded after she tried to ask her babysitter if she was at least CPR certified for that rate and was left with no response.

The mom also mentioned how her previous babysitters have put her off by leaving pizza boxes on the counter and so on. That was not all; the mom went on a rant about how people are finding the rates normal and she just couldn't fathom shelling out that much for basic babysitting. “$35 an hour for a babysitter to watch our kids sleep is normal to you?” Leigh was taken aback by the costly prices of the time and the fact that people’s salaries were still able to afford to pay those kinds of amounts to babysitters too. “A loaf of bread is like $4, a gallon of milk is $7 so what do you do? I’m confused about what you all do, that you afford life plus pay your babysitter $35 an hour and then you go out,” the mom added

“I’m shocked… How are people affording this right now? And the most shocking part is that you all aren’t shocked,” she said. The mom who was adamant that the rates are increasingly high, received quite a few reactions about her perception. While many agreed that the rates are undoubtedly over the roof, people on the other side of the spectrum believed that it is worth the rates given the current state of the economy.

@sware1 said, “This is insanely too much. If it’s not, I need to quit my job and become a babysitter.” @julie91482 said, “I made $5 30 years ago. Sounds reasonable to me for three children.” Many even argued that babysitting is a professional job and so the rates are rightly calculated and quoted. @nannymomrhonda said, “This is the going rate. I’m a nanny and nannies and babysitters are a privilege.” @mynameissmackmak said, “Babysitter deserves to buy groceries too, believe it or not!”