Parents Pay Premium for Last Minute New Year's Eve Sitters

CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Anybody with little ones knows that New Year's Eve is the most difficult day to find a babysitter, but what most parents might not know is that the longer they wait to snag a sitter, the more they may have to pay.  According to Sittercity.com, most parents wait until December 29 to find a New Year's Eve babysitter, often leading to having to pay higher rates.

New Year's Eve by the numbers according to Sittercity:

• Parents started looking for New Year's Eve sitters as early as June – this year, the first New Year's Eve sitter job was posted on Sittercity on June 24th
• The majority of parents post New Year's Eve sitters on December 29th
• The average job starts at 7PM and ends at 1AM

Sittercity tips to find a New Year's Eve sitter:

Start Now.  It's never too early to start looking for a New Year's Eve babysitter.  Sittercity.com recommends that parents book their sitter  early in December.  It may sound early, but competition can get fierce.  The earlier you ask, the better your chances of getting a sitter.  

Increase Pay.  Because babysitters like to celebrate New Year's Eve too, they'll need extra incentive to forgo their own plans in favor of a New Year's Eve babysitting job – or another tempting babysitting job offer.  A 50 percent increase over your normal rate should do, or you can double if you want to be really competitive.  If you need help with a normal or holiday pay situation, check out Sittercity.com's Babysitter Rate Calculator at www.sittercity.com/rates to see the average hourly rate in your area.

Consider Overnight.  Want to ring in the New Year curfew-free?  Consider offering your sitter a flat rate to stay the night.  To determine this flat rate, first figure out what your babysitter's hourly New Year's Eve rate would be between the time the sitter comes over and 10pm.  Then add a flat overnight rate – about $100 according to an International Nanny Association survey – to that number.  

Babysitter Share.  If you are going to be ringing in the New Year with friends who have children of similar ages, consider pooling your resources and hiring one sitter for multiple families. How much should you pay a shared sitter?  You should consider how many children the sitter will be caring for and what their responsibilities will be: will you be caring for infants or older children.  Then you could pay by the hour or by a flat rate.  A good rate to base hourly and flat rate jobs on is approximately $25-30/hour total (as opposed to per family).  Remember it's not unusual for a babysitter to earn a tip on New Year's Eve, especially if the sitter has kept the kids happy, entertained and under control the entire evening.  

About Sittercity.com®

Sittercity.com, the inventor of online caregiving, is America's largest and most trusted online source for child care, pet care, senior care, housesitting, housekeeping and tutoring.  Sittercity has a network of more than a million caregiver profiles nationwide, and helps families and individuals across America find the perfect in-home care provider quickly, easily and safely. Sittercity's care seekers can use the company's four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing free access to background checks. Sitter profiles also come with photos, experience, training, safety skills, availability calendars, reviews and more. Our Corporate Program now serves a number of marquee clients, including Avon, the Department of Defense, MasterCard, FOX Networks, Pitney Bowes and Monster Worldwide. For more information, visit the company Web site at http://www.sittercity.com.

SOURCE Sittercity