How to Start a Babysitting Business

Babysitting is an important responsibility whether you are a teenager or a college graduate. Starting a babysitting business is fairly easy and inexpensive and can prove financially rewarding. Here's how to succeed with your babysitting.

Instructions

1. Gain experience. If you don’t have any babysitting experience, ask family friends or other family members with children if you can babysit their children, so you have some hands-on experience before you start your babysitting business.

2. Take classes to enhance your credentials. For example, the Red Cross offers babysitting training for teens. See Resources below.

3. Ask for references from those clients for whom you’ve babysat in the past. In all likelihood, new clients are going to want to contact references by phone, so make sure the references you choose don’t mind being called.

4. Set your prices. Research to find out what other babysitters in your area are charging, then set your prices, keeping in mind that you can charge more if you have more experience.

5. Set a schedule of when you are available to babysit for clients. Allow yourself enough time to complete schoolwork and any other responsibilities you may have when you’re not babysitting.

6. Advertise your babysitting services in your local newspaper, post fliers, or spread the word about your babysitting business through word of mouth.

7. Start a bank account, so you can deposit your babysitting earnings into it. It will also help you keep track of how much you make for tax purposes.

8. Get to know your clients before you begin an assignment. During your babysitting interview, discuss hours, rate of pay, date of pay, transportation to and from the babysitting gig and any other questions or concerns you may have with new clients.

9. Expand your babysitting business. If you get so many clients you simply don’t have time to accept all of the babysitting assignments offered to you, bring other babysitters into the business.

Tips & Warnings

• Stand out as a babysitter by interacting with the children you are babysitting. Play games with them, have craft days, or come up with fun, creative ideas for playtime. Bonding with the children you babysit will ensure you’re the babysitter their parents go to again and again.

• Once you’ve worked for clients for a considerable period, such as a year, consider charging more for your services.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Babysitter’s Training Course (for teens)
• Safe Sitter Training (for teens)