It’s that time of the year where we all look forward to letting our hair down guilt-free, and it seems that our babysitters will be reaping the rewards as a result.
According to new research carried out by MummyPages, with two-fifths of mums set to enjoy three or more nights out over Christmas, we can expect our babysitters to benefit to the tune of up to €250!
MummyPages called on its community to participate in a babysitting survey, and received some very interesting insights into the cost, house rules, and most important factors considered when choosing a babysitter.
If you haven’t already booked your babysitter for the festive activities ahead, you might want to get your skates on, as a whopping 76% of mums surveyed admitted to having already booked their babysitters for their nights out.
Our cost-related statistics showed that these evenings out for work Christmas parties, St Stephen’s Day and festive ladies' nights will likely set you back quite a bit, as it was revealed that half of mums will:
- spend between €40 and €50 a night on a babysitter
- splurge on extras for the babysitter such as snacks, takeaways and pay-per-view movies
Interestingly, cost-wise, the hourly and nightly rates of babysitting varied significantly depending on our mums’ locations, with a major increase for babysitters in Dublin compared with other parts of the country.
The MummyPages’ community reported the following figures:
| Location | Hourly rate | Nightly rate |
| Ireland | €8.62 | €36 |
| Dublin | €10.50 | €45 |
| Limerick | €7.10 | €32 |
| Cork | €9.75 | €40 |
| Galway | €8.10 | €38 |
Aside from the fact that one-fifth of mums surveyed admitted to poaching a babysitter from their friends or family, another alarming finding showed that an incredible 86% of mums have not discussed an emergency situation plan with their babysitter.
Commenting on the latter finding, MummyPages’ Mum-in-Residence Laura Haugh expressed her concern.
“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,” she said.
