Here’s one issue that may have been overlooked when you were working on your already tight holiday schedule: babysitting.
If you plan on hiring someone to watch your kids while you hit the holiday party circuit, you better start looking now. The weekend falling two weeks before Christmas is the most popular weekend of the year for hiring a babysitter, according to a new report from Care.com, a website that matches sitters and parents. This year the weekend falls on Dec. 10-11.
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New Year’s Eve is also a popular time to hire a sitter, ranking behind only Valentine’s Day as the most popular holiday.
Despite the increased demand, it actually costs less to book a babysitter during the holiday season than the rest of the year. The average rate for sitters in December is $14.40 per hour, compared to a year-round average of $15.05. That’s nearly twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
The price varies by location, of course, with parents in San Jose paying the most ($20 per hour), followed by those in New York ($19.64) and Portland, Oregon ($18.69). Ask local parents to find the going rate in your area.
Care.com also looked at the going rate for other help during the holidays, and found that dog and cat sitters make more money per hour ($17.45 and $17.34 respectively) than those watching children. It costs an average $18.88 per hour to hire a holiday house sitter.
