How Much to Charge for Overnight Babysitting

Overnight babysitting refers to babysitting children at night while they are asleep. An overnight babysitting shift begins when the children go to sleep and ends whenever a parent or guardian returns home, often late at night or the next morning.

The duties of an overnight babysitter or overnight nanny include staying at the family’s house and attending to the child throughout the night. Because of the greater responsibility involved in overnight babysitting, many parents will require you to be a few years older than the minimum babysitting age to take on overnight babysitting jobs.

Here’s what you can expect to do as a nighttime sitter:

• Prepare dinner and clean up after the meal
• Feed younger children
• Bath infants, toddlers, or younger children
• Bottle-feed babies and change their diapers
• Supervise evening activities (e.g., watching movies or playing board games)
• Help school-age children with their homework
• Put children to bed
• Handle any emergencies that arise during the night

Depending on when the parents return, the sitter may need to take care of morning tasks as well, such as dressing the children and preparing breakfast.

Can you sleep while babysitting overnight?

Many babysitters who are doing a late-night or overnight sit wonder if they’re allowed to sleep while on the clock. The short answer is that it depends.

Whether you can sleep while overnight babysitting depends on these four factors:

1. What the parents say: Some parents are perfectly fine with their sitters sleeping, whereas others are not. Babysitting is a job built on trust, so the number one rule here is to communicate with the parents to find out what they expect of you.
2. When the parents are coming home: If the parents are planning to be back home at 11 pm or 12 pm, they may be expecting you to stay awake the full time you’re babysitting. If they’re not returning until the next day, they’re probably expecting you to sleep.
3. Age of the child: Sleeping after a 10-year-old has gone to bed is a lot different than sleeping while a newborn infant is in bed. Children of different ages require different levels of attention.
4. Whether you can hear the child: To sleep while babysitting, you should be a relatively light sleeper and stay within earshot of the child or use a baby monitor. This way, you’ll be more likely to wake up if the child needs attention.

Always remember that you’re still on duty while you’re sleeping, and you’re responsible for anything that happens during the night. Assess the situation, and take necessary precautions, such as checking on the child half an hour after bedtime to make sure they’ve gone to sleep and setting periodic alarms if you’re a heavy sleeper.

There is no universal going rate for overnight babysitting, and average fees vary by location. Care.com rates for overnight babysitting show that they tend to be around $1–$2 higher per hour than regular daytime sitter rates across major US cities. However, these average salary statistics don’t tell the full story.

The table below offers a more comprehensive estimate of how rates differ for regular daytime babysitters and overnight babysitters and how hourly overnight fees differ from overnight flat fees.

Standard Overnight Babysitting Rates

These rates provide simple guidelines, but there are variations in terms of how babysitters charge for overnight sitting. For example, if you’re overnight sitting for a teen and the parents are expecting you to sleep the whole night while on the clock, you may agree on an overnight fee that works out to be lower than your hourly day rate.

On the other hand, if you’re caring for multiple infants or toddlers who will likely keep you up throughout the night, it makes sense to charge more than your day rate due to the greater responsibilities and inconvenience involved.

In terms of how to charge for overnight babysitting, it’s common for a babysitter to charge their regular hourly rate while the kids are awake and then charge either a separate overnight rate or an overnight flat fee for the time that the kids are asleep.

For example, if your normal babysitting rate is $15 per hour and you’ll be babysitting from 6 pm until 9 am the following morning, here’s how your fees might break down:

• 6 pm until 9 pm: $15/hour
• 10 pm (bedtime) until 7 am (wake-up time): $150 flat fee
• 7 am until 9 am: $15/hour

Alternatively, you could charge a flat fee for the entire duration or have hourly rates that apply to sleep time, waking time, or both. You can also have a separate rate that kicks in if a child wakes you up during the night.

Whether you charge hourly or set a flat fee for overnight babysitting is entirely up to you and the parents. The key point to remember is that your night sitter or night nanny salary includes payment for every hour on the job, even when you’re sleeping, since you’ll be responsible for getting up and caring for a child if they wake up during the night.

Average overnight babysitting rates offer a good place to start when deciding how much to charge for overnight babysitting services. However, they don’t tell you everything you need to know.

You’ll want to tailor your rates to your circumstances and adjust them on a case-by-case basis. Here are some factors you should take into account when setting your rate for each overnight babysitting gig.

1. Location

Your city or region will greatly affect the going rates for overnight babysitting due to differences in cost of living. Standard babysitting rates tend to be higher in cities than in more rural areas.

Another key location factor to consider is how far away you live from the family you’ll be working for. If you live in a very remote area and getting to the home involves a long or expensive commute, then it makes sense to factor these time and monetary costs into your babysitting rates.

2. Experience and qualifications

The more babysitting experience you have, the more parents will be willing to pay you. This goes for daytime and nighttime babysitting rates.

Obtaining CPR and first aid training certifications is absolutely critical for becoming a babysitter. While you aren’t legally required to do so, it’s the responsible thing to do, and parents will be more willing to hire you and offer higher rates.

In fact, many babysitting apps and sites require sitters to undergo CPR and first aid training to find clients on their platforms. If you want to boost your credentials and be an even better equipped sitter, you could pursue additional credentials, such as a food handler’s permit or child behavior certification.

3. Number and age of children

Caring for multiple children at once is naturally more difficult than caring for just one child, and more work means higher earning potential. A common move is to increase your hourly rate by $1–$5 for each additional child, depending on your base rate.

As you can imagine, overnight childcare is typically easier with older children who can sleep through the night and more challenging with infants and toddlers who require extra attention. Therefore, the child’s age will affect how much you should charge for babysitting overnight.

While overnight sitters will usually increase their rates when taking care of younger children, they may also be willing to reduce their rates for older children who typically sleep through the whole night.

4. Working hours and dates

Babysitters often charge a different rate for overnight babysitting (8–12 hours), 24-hour babysitting, and multi-day babysitting. While more working hours naturally translates to higher earnings, babysitters usually don’t charge their higher overnight rate throughout the day during 24-hour or full-weekend babysitting jobs.

You may also charge higher rates if you’re babysitting during holiday periods. Similar to charging for multiple children, you could add an extra $1–$5 per hour for holiday babysitting gigs.

5. Responsibilities

Each parent will have different expectations for their babysitter. For instance, while some parents may only need you to keep an eye on their child before bedtime and tuck them into bed, others may ask you to perform additional duties.

You may think about charging more if you’re expected to stay awake throughout the night while the parents are away, check on the children throughout the night, administer medication, cook, or do housekeeping tasks beyond cleaning up messes that were made under your watch.

If you’re looking after a child with special care needs, you’ll have more responsibility and may even need specialized training. In these cases, it’s reasonable to charge higher rates than you would for babysitting children who require only basic care.

Remember to always set clear expectations right off the bat. Before accepting any gig, communicate clearly with the parents or guardian about your duties and responsibilities so you can set a fair rate that’s worth it for both of you.

6. Additional expenses

In addition to the factors discussed above, consider whether there are any additional expenses you should take into account when setting your rates.

For example, here are some common expenses that you might need to cover:

• Transportation: Think about the transportation costs involved if you’re taking the children on any excursions or commuting a very long distance to the family’s house.
• Food and supplies: Will you need to pay out-of-pocket to order meals or purchase any supplies for the children? If so, the parents should reimburse you for those expenses.
• Entertainment: You may take the children out or rent a movie to watch at home at night, with the prior consent of the parents. You should factor any relevant expenses from these activities into your pay as well.

As you’ve probably gathered, overnight babysitting is pretty different from regular daytime babysitting. These tips will help you ensure you arrive prepared and know what to expect.

Communicate with the parents

Strong communication is a must for being a good babysitter, and it’s especially important for overnight babysitting gigs. Discussing responsibilities beforehand is a crucial step, but the communication shouldn’t end there.

It’s a good idea to ask questions about these points, if you’re not sure:

• Where should you be sleeping?
• Is there a security system or burglar alarm you need to activate at night?
• What time do the children normally go to sleep?
• What is each child’s bedtime routine?
• What is each child’s morning routine?
• What should the children eat for breakfast, dinner, and snacks?
• Are there any nighttime behaviors that you should know about, like insomnia or sleep walking?
• Who should you contact in case of an emergency?

In addition to gathering this key information at the start, take note of how things went during your time at their house. Parents often appreciate a summary when they get back home about what happened while they were away.

Pack nighttime essentials for your overnight stay

When you’re babysitting overnight, you can’t just turn up like you would to any other babysitting gig. You’ll need to bring along everything you might need in the evening, during the night, and the following morning.

Here are a few overnight necessities you might consider bringing along:

• Pajamas/sleepwear
• Spare change of clothes
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.)
• Book or other form of entertainment for after the kids go to sleep
• Snacks for yourself
• Phone charger
• Wallet and money in case of unforeseen expenses

You should also bring along other items that you would typically bring to a longer babysitting gig, such as games or toys for the children, children’s books, and first aid supplies.

Offer extra services to earn more from overnight babysitting

If you’re knowledgeable in a specific subject, you could tutor the child or help them with their homework. Unlike teachers, you generally don’t need to be licensed to become a tutor.

Parents may also be willing to increase your pay if you take care of their family pets in addition to their child. If you want to become a pet sitter, you should be familiar with animal behavior and learn pet CPR.

Accept short-notice requests

Unforeseen circumstances occur from time to time, but it can be difficult for parents to find reliable sitters at the last minute. In such cases, parents will typically pay a premium for childcare from someone they trust.

What’s more, being there for them in their time of need can help establish trust and build your reputation as a reliable babysitter. The parents may then call on you more often or refer you to their friends.

Ensure exceptional quality of care

Becoming a reputable overnight babysitter starts with good babysitting practices. In addition to creating a safe, nurturing, and engaging space for the children in your care, give timely updates to their parents and take in any constructive feedback to improve your services.

Just as you should hash out the details of your obligations right off the bat, you should always discuss overnight babysitting rates upfront and come to an agreement before the job starts. You don’t necessarily need a contract for babysitting, but it’s a good idea to write down the details of each job to avoid any misunderstandings.

Lastly, remember to review your babysitting rates regularly and adjust them if necessary as you gain experience and get new clients. Average overnight babysitting rates are gradually rising over time, and so should yours.