Mums let their hair down while babysitters cash in this Christmas!!

Two-fifths of mums will enjoy three or more nights out over the festive season with mums cashing out between €150 to €250 on babysitting fees. Today, MummyPages.ie, Ireland’s largest online parenting community launches the results of its Babysitting survey. Focusing on all aspects of babysitting, insights from the MummyPages community highlights the cost, the house rules and most importantly, the factors parents consider when choosing a babysitter for their children.

When it comes to paying a babysitter – 65% of mums choose to pay a nightly rate with 50% of mums forking out between €40 – €50 at the end of a night. Interestingly, MummyPages research highlights how babysitting fees can vary dramatically based on location – babysitters in Dublin can expect to receive a generous nightly rate of €45 in Dublin compared to €32 in Limerick.

Insights from MummyPages Babysitting survey include:
• 72% of mums will party between 2 and 3 nights this festive season. With 1 in 10 having 4+ nights out.
• 86% of mums have not discussed with their babysitter as to what to do in an emergency
• Nightly rate: €20 per night (15%), €30 per night (35%), €40 per night (22%) and €50 per night (28%).
• Hourly rate: €5 per hour (11%), €6 per hour (7%), €7 per hour (10%), €8.65 per hour (15%), €10 (46%), €12 per hour (9%) and €15 per hour (2%).
• Age of babysitter: 14yrs (3%), 15yrs (17%), 16yrs (56%), 18yrs+ (24%)
• 65% of mums choose to pay their babysitter a nightly rate as opposed to an hourly rate for their services
• 19% of mums have tried to poach a good babysitter from their friend / neighbour
• 71% of mums and their partner will require the services of a babysitter during the upcoming Christmas season. Out of the 29% who do not require a babysitter:
o 26% of mums says it’s too expensive to go out and pay for a babysitter
o 63% rely on family to bridge the childcare gap
o 25% prefer to socialise at home with friends or family
• 76% of mums have already booked their babysitter’s services for key nights over the Christmas period. For mums, the key nights this Christmas are:
o Work Christmas Party (52%)
o The Girls Night out (42%)
o St Stephen’s Night (26%).
• 55% of mums have experienced difficulty in finding a suitable babysitter
• 77% of mums agree with their babysitter to return home by a specified time with 47% of mums returning home before 12am, 35% before 1am and 18% choosing to dance the night away until 2am or later
• 50% of mums supply loads of added extras such as snacks and goodies to keep their babysitter happy
• 60% of mums would not allow a babysitter to have friends over while looking after their children
• 79% of mums would not allow their babysitter to bring a boyfriend / girlfriend over while looking after their children

With the majority (71%) of families seeking babysitting services it’s no wonder sourcing and retaining a suitable babysitter can bring out a competitive streak with one-fifth of mums surveyed admitting to poaching a babysitter from their friends or family. MummyPages research highlights the huge demand for babysitters over the festive season with three quarters of mums (76%) having already booked their babysitter.

To ensure a babysitter is happy with their working condition, Mums in Ireland offer a vast array of added extras, which include:
• Help themselves to the contents of the fridge (93%)
• Goodies / snacks (85%)
• Wi-Fi code (78%)
• Pay per view movies / Netflix (36%)
• Dinner or a takeaway (40%)
• A DVD (27%)

Commenting Laura Haugh, Mum-in-Residence for MummyPages.ie, Ireland’s largest online community of mums says:

“Although babysitting fees can make a night out very expensive, cost is not a factor for our mums when it comes to the safety of their children. The more important factors such as trust, familiarity, and reliability, outweighed the cost of a babysitter by a significant amount.”

“Worryingly however, our research did highlight a lack of clarity on the procedures a babysitter should take in an emergency. Shockingly, eight out of ten mums have not discussed with a babysitter the emergency procedures they should follow in the event of something medical, a fire, or even a burglary. With many of our mums’ babysitters aged 15-16 years old, it’s even more important to highlight a simple plan of action in the event of an emergency as they certainly wouldn’t have the life experience necessary to deal with it on their own.”

“Interestingly, two-thirds of mums pay their babysitter a nightly rate, and while that might be easier than calculating hours worked after a few glasses of wine, we would suggest that this is agreed in principal before the night starts to avoid inadvertently overpaying at the end of the night.”