(WXYZ) — How much does a sitter cost these days? Well, that depends on who you ask. Pricing has risen over the years, and it has parents talking this summer.
Watch Christiana's full story in the video player below
We asked parents how much they pay on average for a sitter and our facebook comments were flooded with answers from $12/hour all the way to $40/hour. So we wanted to know why that range is so big.
For Destiny Tate, a mother of two, finding a babysitter was a big challenge.
"I have a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old," the Clinton Township parent said. "I was having issues finding it on the weekends on Saturday. And I would call off like every Saturday and I would get in trouble at work so it was a pretty big issue."
It took about a year, but she finally found someone trustworthy.
"8 hours I'm paying $130 for both for one day," Destiny said. "So that's almost $500/month."
That price varies based on who you ask.
"Usually it's about $350 weekly because they do like, I'd say like, $15 an hour," said Biggs, a Detroit parent. "And then they do like 4 or 5 days a week. You know they add up."
"For babysitting just like in our home, just like a date night type thing- we're gonna pay, for two kids I would say $15 to $25 an hour," said De'Chana Reed, a St. Clair Shores parent. "I think it's a little overpriced for what they're doing because typically they're just there to kind of put the kids to bed and then just hang out. I mean I did not make that when I was babysitting."
Rising prices has some parents questioning how much they should be paying. So we asked an expert: Francesca Monaco, the founder of Motor City Sitters, a Nanny and Babysitting Placement Agency.
"It depends on what the family is looking for too," Francesca said." Are they looking for just occasional? Are they looking for, and that's a babysitter, or are they looking for a nanny, which you know is the consistent 3 to 4 days a week?"
Monaco says it's a competitive industry in demand with varying levels of skill, which is why the range so board.
"It all depends on your education, expertise, how many years you've been doing it," Francesca said. "It depends on the tasks and duties of what the nanny has to do."
And if you're looking for a price...
"We at Motor City Sitters, we start at $22 an hour because we feel that is fair and we've done our research and we've done our research around multiple areas in metro Detroit," Francesca said.
Francesca's advice?
"Do your research," she replied. "I would say if you are a working parent or a parent that needs help, we are here to help you"
And know that the more children you have, add-ons like travel, certifications and cleaning, the higher the costs. Students should be on the lower range.
