How to Start Your Own Babysitting Business

This article was co-authored by Lauren Chan Lee, MBA. Lauren Chan Lee is Senior Director of Product Management at Care.com, the largest online marketplace for finding and managing family care. She has worked in product management for over 10 years across a variety of specialties and areas. She received her MBA from Northwestern University in 2009.

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Want to care for super cute kids, all while making some extra cash? Babysitting might be your perfect job! An informal babysitting business is super easy to start, and you don't even necessarily need experience in childcare. All you need is a can-do attitude and some enthusiasm—and we'll supply you with all the know-how you need. To learn everything you need to know to start your own babysitting business, read on!

• Once you've decided on your hourly rate, get the word out to parents and start interviewing with potential clients.
• Improve your babysitting skills by ironing out an emergency plan, brainstorming fun activities, and learning to keep clients' homes clean.
• Get experience as a new sitter by taking a babysitting course or offering to babysit friends' kids for free.

Building Your Business

• You should also include at least 3 references on the resume who parents can call to verify your credibility. For example, if you babysat your younger cousins, you can put down the contact info for your aunt and uncle as references.
• An example of an extracurricular activity that shows additional responsibility and knowledge would be if you were or are a boy or girl scout, especially if you had any leadership role in your troop.

• For instance, you may feel that infants and young children are more difficult to care for and opt to babysit older children.

• You could talk to other local babysitters and see how much they charge to help you decide what a fair price is.

• Be sure to include ages you will babysit, your phone number, and days or hours you would be available on any fliers.
• If your community has any local social network pages, such as a Facebook page or Nextdoor page, you can also advertise there.

Interview with parents who want to hire you. Parents will typically want to meet with you or at least speak on the phone before actually hiring you to take care of their kids. [4] X Expert Source

• If you are under 18, then always make sure your parents know when you are going to an interview and give them the name, phone number, and address of the potential clients, even if it’s someone you know.
• If the child you will be babysitting is present during the interview, make sure to interact with them so the parents can see how you get along.
• If you aren’t comfortable with how a certain job sounds, it’s perfectly OK to reject it. The interview process goes both ways and is about finding a good fit for everyone.

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Use a planner or app to schedule your appointments so you don’t overbook. [6] X Expert Source

• You can also keep track of your payments in a notebook or app to do personal accounting as well as record all of the contact information for your clients and any special notes about the children you babysit.

Improving Your Skills

• If a child does have any allergies, make sure you know where their emergency medication, such as an epipen, is.

Have a plan for how to handle any emergency situations. You need to be prepared for any kind of emergency that might occur, from a minor scrape or cut to a house fire. Make sure you know where the first aid supplies in the child’s home are and have a mobile phone with you at all times so you can quickly call emergency services if you ever need to. [7] X Expert Source

• Other emergencies could include getting locked out of the house, a child choking, a child falling down and hitting their head, a child running off, or a burglar. You need to know how to react to any of these possible situations.

Plan fun activities to do with the kids. Try to come up with fun things to do with the kids you babysit like art projects, playing board games, or going to a park. Make sure that anything you plan is OK with their parents, especially if you want to take the kids out of the house. [9] X Expert Source

• This will keep the kids entertained and they will look forward to spending time with you. Planning fun activities will make you a way better babysitter than someone who just sits and watches TV with the kids for the entire time.

Keep the house tidy for the parents. Make sure to pick up any messes you make before the parents get home. This means cleaning up after playing games or doing art projects, as well as washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen after making food. Try to leave the house in the same or better condition than it was in when you got there. [11] X Expert Source

• Parents will really appreciate that you kept the house in good shape for them.

Avoid being on your phone while you are babysitting. Focus your attention on the children you are babysitting and don’t get distracted by your phone. Don’t use Facebook, Instagram, or text with friends while you are supposed to be caring for a child. [13] X Expert Source

• This is especially important when you are watching young children who can easily get themselves into trouble if you aren’t paying attention.

Tip: If you want to use your phone or a computer after putting a child to bed, just make sure it’s OK with the parents first. Don’t listen to any loud music or anything else that will prevent you from hearing the child if they get up or need something from you.

Gaining Experience

• This is very important because your parents will be able to judge if you are mature enough and responsible enough to care for other younger children. If your parents don’t feel like you are ready to babysit, you can ask them what you need to do to show them you are ready for the responsibility.
• Even if your parents agree that you are up to the task of babysitting, they might have other concerns. For example, they might worry that it could interfere with your schoolwork or family responsibilities. You can discuss these types of concerns with your parents and try to come to an agreement about how you will balance babysitting with your other tasks to get their approval.

Take a babysitting course. A formal babysitting course will help prepare you for various situations by teaching you valuable child care skills and first aid skills, including CPR. Look for well-known courses with good reputations like the ones offered by Red Cross or Safe Sitter. Parents will feel much better about leaving you to take care of their kids if they know you have received formal training from a reputable company. [16] X Expert Source

• Some course topics include basic child care, professionalism, safety, and even how to start a babysitting business.
• You typically have to be at least 11 years old to take these types of babysitting courses.

Tip: Use a search engine to search for "Red Cross Babysitting and Child Care Training" or "Safe Sitter." These are 2 of the most reputable babysitting courses and will provide you with a variety of valuable information and safety training, including optional CPR certification.

• For example, if you have any young cousins, you can ask your aunts and uncles to let you look after them while they go run errands or go out for a date night. After they see that you can look after their kids with no problems, they might recommend you to other people they know and you can start charging for your services.

Expert Q&A

Jessie Davidson is a Child Care Specialist and the CEO and Founder of BabysitPro, which provides online courses for current and aspiring babysitters. Jessie has over 20 years of childcare experience and specializes in best practices for sitters of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade-schoolers. BabysitPro’s courses are unique and age-specific so babysitters can learn detailed information relevant to the children they babysit. Jessie holds a BA in French Studies from Wheaton College and an MA in Visual Anthropology from The University of Southern California.

Show that you're responsible by investing in your baby knowledge and creating a safe environment for kids at all times. Complete a babysitting class, enroll CPR training, and get certified in first aid, too.

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Jessie Davidson is a Child Care Specialist and the CEO and Founder of BabysitPro, which provides online courses for current and aspiring babysitters. Jessie has over 20 years of childcare experience and specializes in best practices for sitters of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade-schoolers. BabysitPro’s courses are unique and age-specific so babysitters can learn detailed information relevant to the children they babysit. Jessie holds a BA in French Studies from Wheaton College and an MA in Visual Anthropology from The University of Southern California.

Being an outgoing babysitter is about being playful, positive, and confident. You can show that you're outgoing by being cheerful, engaging, and using your imagination to make up games and activities.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Jessie Davidson is a Child Care Specialist and the CEO and Founder of BabysitPro, which provides online courses for current and aspiring babysitters. Jessie has over 20 years of childcare experience and specializes in best practices for sitters of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade-schoolers. BabysitPro’s courses are unique and age-specific so babysitters can learn detailed information relevant to the children they babysit. Jessie holds a BA in French Studies from Wheaton College and an MA in Visual Anthropology from The University of Southern California.

Try thinking ahead to identify solutions and prevent potential problems. While babysitting, show you're proactive by taking care of chores around the home without being asked, like unloading the dishwasher or restocking the diapers in the changing table.

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Thank you for your feedback.
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When you are just starting out, kids that are at least 2 years old are a good option. They are no longer infants, so you don’t have to do things like bottle feed them or change diapers.

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• If you're babysitting more than one child, be sure to calm the other children down during an emergency and ask the eldest one to call 911. You should also take classes on how to perform first aid, CPR, and the heimlich maneuver.
• An easy way to promote your services is to hang flyers with your phone number and other contact information. Post the flyers on the street, at a store, or near a park, or hand them out to people you know.
• I took an affordable babysitting course through the American Red Cross. To find a class in your area, go to redcross.org/take-a-class and input your location and the type of class you're looking for.
• If someone is dropping off their child at your house, make sure the front entrance is clean so you make a good first impression. If you have pets, put them outside or in a closed room.
• If you're babysitting a child who needs to be bottle fed, always drip the milk on the back of your hand to check the temperature. That way, you can ensure it's not too hot or cold.
• Always bring some activities when you're babysitting, like a deck of cards or board games, and wear comfortable clothes.

1. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
2. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
3. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
4. ↑ Lauren Chan Lee, MBA. Product Leader, Care.com. Expert Interview. 14 February 2019.
5. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
6. ↑ Lauren Chan Lee, MBA. Product Leader, Care.com. Expert Interview. 14 February 2019.
7. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
8. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
9. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.

1. ↑https://www.savethestudent.org/make-money/how-to-make-money-babysitting.html
2. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
3. ↑https://www.savethestudent.org/make-money/how-to-make-money-babysitting.html
4. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
5. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience
6. ↑https://www.parents.com/kids/responsibility/what-age-should-she-start-babysitting/
7. ↑ Jessie Davidson. Child Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 11 June 2021.
8. ↑https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/babysitting-child-care
9. ↑https://kidsit.com/start-babysitting-with-no-experience

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Lauren Chan Lee, MBA. Lauren Chan Lee is Senior Director of Product Management at Care.com, the largest online marketplace for finding and managing family care. She has worked in product management for over 10 years across a variety of specialties and areas. She received her MBA from Northwestern University in 2009. This article has been viewed 449,245 times.

To start your own babysitting business, gather references and recommendations from anyone you have done babysitting for before. Think of parents, families, and friends whose children you have looked after. You’ll need these references and recommendations to show new clients that you’re trustworthy and reliable. Decide on a price per hour that you will charge based on your experience and location. Between $5 and $20 is normally reasonable and it can help to check out the prices for other babysitters in your area. Once you feel ready to start babysitting, it’s time to advertise your business! Create fliers or business cards which include your phone number, the ages you will babysit, and the times that you are available. Distribute the fliers or business cards to family, friends, neighbors, local schools, and libraries. For more tips on starting your own babysitting business, like how to choose the age range you want to babysit, read on!

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