Platform work · starts at $0 – $90

Babysit

Watch other people's kids for an hourly rate, finding families through sitter marketplaces or word of mouth.

Comment this word on the videoSITTERand the Babysit guide gets sent to your DMs

The numbers

Each one links to its source and the day it was checked.

Startup cost

$0 – $90

Source: redcross.org · checked 2026-10-23

Time to first dollar

About 1 week at the earliest — 3-5 business days for a background check to clear before families can see your profile, then however long a first booking takes

Source: help.care.com · checked 2026-10-23

Earnings

Low

$19/hr — bottom of UrbanSitter's city range for one child

Typical

$21-$26/hr for one child

High

$29.87/hr average for two children, $32.33/hr for three

Source: urbansitter.com · checked 2026-10-23
Corroborated by care.com

What it is

Babysitting is paid, short-term childcare in the family's home, usually billed by the hour for a single evening or a recurring after-school slot. Most sitters now find families through marketplace apps that handle profiles, background checks and payment, though the best-paying work still comes from repeat families and neighborhood referrals. It is one of the few side hustles with effectively no startup cost and no equipment requirement.

How it works

Pick two or three platforms

Sitters join free on Care.com, Sittercity, UrbanSitter, Bambino and Babysits. Listing on more than one is normal, because each has different family demand in your area.
Build a profile that names your experience

Bambino's own setup guide asks for your experience, your hourly rate, a current photo, an About Me section and a recommendation from a parent you have sat for or another responsible adult.
Clear a background check

Platforms gate family-visible profiles behind an identity and background screen. On Care.com an Enhanced Background Check typically returns in 3-5 business days.
Set your rate against local data, not a guess

Both UrbanSitter and Sittercity publish city-by-city average rates. Price at or just under the local average until you have reviews, then raise it.
Apply to jobs and collect reviews

Early on you apply to postings rather than receiving requests. Reviews from the first few families are what make inbound requests start arriving.
Convert one-off sits into repeat families

A standing weekly slot with two or three families is worth more than a full profile of strangers, and it removes the per-booking hunt entirely.

What you need

Minimum age set by the platform — Bambino accepts sitters from 13, with a parent or guardian's permission under 18
A payout account; Bambino routes payouts through Stripe, which requires the account holder to be 18, so minors use a parent or guardian's details
Willingness to pass an identity and criminal background check
A smartphone for booking requests, messaging and payment
Reliable transport to the family's home, usually evenings and weekends
At least one adult who can vouch for your childcare experience
Optional but strongly expected by families: current pediatric CPR and first aid certification

The gear

Pediatric first aid kit (bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, blunt scissors, gloves)

Every babysitting-kit guide treats first aid as the core of the bag; it is also what families ask about.

Digital thermometer

A sick child mid-sit is the most common reason a sitter needs to give parents a concrete reading.

Lidded plastic activity bin

Care.com's kit guide recommends one to carry a ball, coloring pages, a craft project and dress-up pieces between jobs.

Craft supplies (colored paper, washable markers, glue sticks, stickers)

Age-appropriate activities are what turn a one-off sit into a family that rebooks you.

Hand sanitizer and disposable gloves

For cleaning scrapes and diaper changes; recurs on every kit list.

Portable phone charger

A charged phone is the booking app, the payment method and the emergency line; a dead one ends all three.

The catch

The hourly rate looks good but the hours are few and badly timed — Care.com's own survey is built on sitters working about 15 hours a week, and the demand is concentrated in Friday and Saturday evenings, so $26/hr rarely turns into full-time money. Getting started is slow in a way the signup flow hides: your profile is invisible until a background check clears, and after that you are applying to postings rather than receiving them, because families book sitters who already have reviews. The rate also varies enormously by metro, from $19 to $29 an hour on UrbanSitter's own data, and the BLS median of $15.41/hr for employed childcare workers is a reminder that the marketplace averages describe city families paying for evening care, not the floor of the industry.

Where the work is

Bambino

Wyndy

Every number on this page

13 facts, each with its source and the day it was checked.

Red Cross Pediatric (Child and Baby) First Aid/CPR/AED online course price

$37.00

confidence: high

Source: redcross.org · checked 2026-10-23

Care.com Enhanced Background Check turnaround time

3-5 business days (3-10 business days with motor vehicle records)

confidence: high

Source: help.care.com · checked 2026-10-23

UrbanSitter national average babysitting rate, from its booking data (updated January 2026)

$26.24/hr for 1 child, $29.87/hr for 2 children, $32.33/hr for 3 children; city range $19-$29/hr

confidence: high

Source: urbansitter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Care.com Cost of Care survey national average babysitter rate for one child (2025)

$21.07/hr, based on after-school sitters averaging about 15 hours a week

confidence: high

Source: care.com · checked 2026-10-23

Sittercity national typical hourly rate for a babysitter

$23/hr ($25/hr for nannies)

confidence: medium

Source: sittercity.com · checked 2026-10-23

UrbanSitter year-over-year increase in average babysitting rates

4.9%, against about 3% inflation

confidence: high

Source: urbansitter.com · checked 2026-10-23

BLS median hourly wage for childcare workers (employed, May 2024 data)

$15.41/hr, $32,050/yr median; employment projected to fall 3% over 2024-2034

confidence: high

Source: bls.gov · checked 2026-10-23

Care.com optional upgraded background check prices paid by the caregiver or family

Enhanced Background Check from $49 one-time; Enhanced Background + Motor Vehicle Records from $59 one-time

confidence: high

Source: care.com · checked 2026-10-23

Bambino sitter Refer-A-Friend payout (help article last modified 2026-03-26)

$20 per referral, paid after the new sitter or parent completes their first booking; no tiers

confidence: high

Source: support.bambinoapp.com · checked 2026-10-23

UrbanSitter Refer a Friend credit and lifetime cap (parent-side)

$25 credit to the referrer once the referred parent books a first caregiver, $25 to the new member; $400 lifetime maximum across all referrals

confidence: medium

Source: urbansitter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Babysits cost to sitters, and the member protection fee charged to families

Free for babysitters, who keep 100% of earnings; families pay a 3% fee on Premium or 15% without it

confidence: high

Source: babysits.com · checked 2026-10-23

Bambino minimum sitter age and payout setup

13+; under-18 sitters need parent or guardian permission, and the Stripe payout account must be set up with a parent or guardian's information

confidence: high

Source: support.bambinoapp.com · checked 2026-10-23

Sittercity affiliate program structure and cost to join

Free to join, run through Impact Radius, which handles all payments; commission paid per new paid family membership. No dollar rate published on the page.

confidence: high

Source: sittercity.com · checked 2026-10-23

Researched 2026-10-23. Back to every hustle