How Much Babysitting Costs in Singapore and Their Factors [Updated 2022]

Here, MEIDE Babysitting reveals the exact babysitting costs, and 8 factors affecting how much a babysitter would cost in Singapore. This article serves to clarify all your doubts. Trust us, have done our extensive research about available options in Singapore. Ultimately, budgeting for the right care arrangements for your child or children is an important factor when deciding on a babysitter (or not). Hence, we break it all down for you to understand better.

1) Number of Kid(s) To Be Taken Care Of

Simply put, the more kids that need to be taken care of, the higher the babysitting costs will be. Furthermore, not all babysitters would be willing and keen to take up a babysitting job if there is more than 1 kid to be responsible for. We at MEIDE Babysitting only recommend for the more experienced babysitters, where there are multiple children or babies at hand. Definitely, it requires a more skilled sitter who can multitask for a job required to handle multiple kids. Consequently, parents can expect to fork out a higher pay for the sitter. Remember, safety first always!

2) Special Needs or Health Issues – Will Affect Babysitting Costs

Believe it or not, many parents actually often forget to mention about their kid(s) health conditions or special needs. Yes, we are talking about conditions such as autism, ADHD, reflux issues, asthma, and the like. Again, when a babysitting job requires taking care of a kid(s) who might have these issues, MEIDE Babysitting will avoid allocating a sitter who is unwilling or lacks sufficient experience in these areas. In return, the available supply of sitters who are a good fit for children with special needs can become limited. Therefore, as much as we hope not to, the rates for babysitting will be hiked up for such scenarios.

Secondly, parents should also remember to highlight these issues even if they have not been “officially diagnosed”. This means, letting us know about a POSSIBLE health issue even before the medical confirmation. Why? Because knowing more about your family’s circumstances and kids’ health is of paramount importance to us. This way, we can best match the fitting babysitter for you!

3) Kid(s) Age(s) – Determines Babysitting Costs

Generally, the younger your baby, the higher the costs of the babysitter. Older kids become more mature and independent, hence babysitters charge less for them. Conversely, younger kids require more constant watch and attention.

In fact, a newborn from 0 to 4 weeks requires really specialized care – often provided for by confinement nannies. Also, babies ranging from 1 to 6 months old are almost equally vulnerable. Hence, at MEIDE, we take careful notes of the ages of all your children before matching you with the right babysitters.

4) Profile of Babysitters Affects The Price Too

Babysitter Demographics

Here, we are upfront and transparent. Some profiles of babysitters are especially popular – speak to our coordinators to find out! Thus, parents and caregivers should expect higher babysitting costs should they select to only engage babysitters of specific demographics. Nonetheless, our babysitting arrangements for you can cater to your wants and needs. When our coordinator is in contact with you, feel free to let us know your preferences. You may state if it is a strict requirement, or simply an inclination.

Here are the factors to consider: age ranges, gender, race/cultural suitability, religious orientations and language spoken or understood. Most of the time, we recommend keeping an open mind because restricting the profile may significantly reduce your chances of finding a good babysitter (at a good price)!

Babysitting Experience

Lastly, though all babysitters are vetted and experienced, some are more experienced than others. Additionally, some are more familiar with certain aspects of babysitting work, such as potty training or sleep training your child. Some of our babysitters are equipped with tactics to boost your babies’ learning too! With MEIDE, we do our best to match the right experience with the right requirements for your baby and family.

In fact, should you want babysitters who have black-and-white qualifications or certificates*, we can cater for that too. That said, it is expected that babysitters with higher qualifications and experience would command higher babysitting salaries.

* Some common certificates amongst our babysitters that are highly valued are: NIEC (Early Childhood) Course Qualifications, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Certificates, Higher Certificate in Infant Care (HCIC) , Infant and Adult First Aid, CPR and AED Accreditations, amongst others.

5) Required Babysitting Duties and Responsibilities

Along the same vein, parents should expect higher babysitting costs if there are greater babysitting duties and responsibilities required. It is crucial that parents do NOT downplay the responsibilities or miss out stating certain duties required, when recruiting the sitter. This is because there is hardly a one-size-fits-all approach to find the right babysitter.

Because we do not assume that babysitting comprises any standard set of tasks, you can find a list of tasks suggested here that many babysitters can possibly do. Then, be sure to make a new list yourself of the tasks you’d like your babysitter to do. Our lists are non-exhaustive. For example, you can even request the babysitter to wash, sterilize and assemble your breast pump, and MEIDE can cater this for you, as long as the understanding is that babysitting costs may be raised.

What May Be Beyond The Scope of Duty

As a rule of thumb, there may also be higher babysitting costs if parents or caregivers want particular tasks like cooking, handling laundry, and doing housework or cleaning. At MEIDE, we have a dedicated team of cleaners too (should you require, book HERE) because we know it is no easy feat juggling cleaning and taking care of kids!

6) Requested Working Hours, Days and Duration

The shorter the duration, the higher the hourly rate of babysitting would be. This is because babysitters need to facilitate income for themselves and their families too. Ad hoc or less frequent babysitting arrangements mean that the babysitter needs to specially block out their schedule and possibly turn down other regular babysitting jobs. Hence, expect a higher babysitting cost per hour. On the bright side, your overall costs per month may be lower despite the higher “per hour rate”.

On the other hand, if you are keen to engage a long-term, regular babysitter with fixed days and durations, babysitting costs (per hour) can be saved. For instance, an offer to engage a babysitter for all 5 weekdays – Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, with fixed break times, can be used to negotiate a lower babysitting cost per hour. Nonetheless, with longer hours, take note that your overall costs per month may add up.

Are you still clueless or lost about the babysitting costs? Fret not – let our coordinator at MEIDE Babysitters help you out via a call / message now. It’s free-of-charge.

7) Profile of Your Own Family

Next, like it or not, just as you choose your babysitters, your babysitters have a say in choosing their client(s) too!

Proximity To Public Transport And Amenities

For instance, if your residence is easy to access and of close proximity to public transport systems, the babysitting costs can be more easily negotiated down. On the other hand, if your house is located deep in an residential region, and not easily reached except via private transport, expect higher babysitting costs.

Availability of Babysitter Welfare

At MEIDE, we are fair to all parties, and believe in advocating for the welfare of our babysitters. The better we treat our babysitters, the kinder and nicer they would be to our kids too! A good babysitter-client relationship makes price negotiation easier. Hence, our coordinators always check if there is an available rest time and place for babysitting jobs of long durations. By assisting with such an arrangement, you can help lower your babysitting costs.

Lastly, not everyone, including babysitters, are familiar and can get along well with furry animals (read: pets). As such, families with pets around may be faced with a smaller spectrum of sitters to choose from. Thus, we recommend families with pets to have the option of being able to isolate, muzzle or kennel their pet should the babysitter request for it. Definitely, this is not compulsory, but can help you in negotiating a lower babysitting cost!

8) Flexibility of Babysitting Arrangements

Last but not least, the reasons for your need for babysitting will affect babysitting costs here in Singapore. Let us elucidate:

A client who strictly requires a babysitter to follow a rigid work schedule, perform certain tasks by certain strict timings, would most certainly not be able to fight for cheaper babysitting costs.

A client who is open to adjusting his or her own schedule, and amenable towards allowing a babysitter to choose or reject various tasks, and maintains an open mentality towards accepting differences, would likely benefit from lower babysitting costs.

Strict Arrangements May Not Be Wrong Too

This said, there is no right or wrong, better or worse. Every family has their own unique circumstances. For example, some clients would be able to cater for meals for the babysitter, whereas some clients require the babysitter to bring their own food. Additionally, some parents are open to bringing their kids to the babysitter house, whilst some parents can only accept an arrangement where the sitter goes to their house.

At the end of the day, you are given the freedom of choice to list down all your requirements with us at MEIDE Babysitting, and state whether you want us to strictly follow them, or maintain an open mind towards other options. The more flexible you are with your babysitting arrangements, the lower your babysitting costs could be!

Compilation of Actual Babysitting Rates in Singapore

Even with several other options for childcare, did you know that finding a babysitter in Singapore is no easy feat? With so many factors to consider, it is no wonder the costs of babysitting services in Singapore has a wide range.

So now that we know about factors that affect the babysitting costs, what are the actual figures of babysitting costs? 

MEIDE Babysitting has tried its best to compile a table (neutrally) for your reference. We believe in transparency and sharing of knowledge. So here is a concise summary of our research: 

Summary Table of Babysitting Prices in Singapore

S/N	Company	Factor(s)*	Rate Per Hour	Rate Per Month	Miscellaneous / Fine Print Costs
1	MEIDE Babysitting	We settle it for you.	$8 to $30	Calculated for you based on the hourly rate and your required days and durations.	$98 Platform Fee Only.
2	BSSG	At Sitter’s Place	–	$750 to $1000 Upwards	$100 top up when child starts solid foods to cater for 2 meals
3	BSSG	At Client’s Place	$15 to $18 for regular 5 days a week, or $25 for ad hoc	$1800 Upwards	$100 top up when child starts solid foods to cater for 2 meals
4	CGRA	1 Child	$20 to $22	–	Top Up 20% (or 25% if required within 24 hours) booking fee for all bookings
5	CGRA	2 Kids	$25 to $32	–	Top Up 20% (or 25% if required within 24 hours) booking fee for all bookings
6	NNSO	At Babysitter House	$25 to $35	$800 to $1500	Prices are for fixed hours. Additional fees may apply for overnight duties, transport fees. Also, a $50 to $100 top up required for meals, and a red packet to be given to the nanny on the first and last day is considered customary.
7	NNSO	At Client House	$25 to $35	$2500 to $3950
8	BSTS	–	$14.20 to $15.25	–	Pay $14.98 per month subscription fee to find your own sitter,  and fork out additional 8% of the sitter’s fee, which will be collected by the website upon engagement.
9	BSTS		$18 to $20		One time $298 agency fee plus required taxi fare if after 11pm, and additional $50 charge for any cancellation last minute.
10	BBNN	At Babysitter House	–	$800 to $1500	Meals to be provided, Taxi fare applies if after 11pm, Minimum of 4 Hours; Extra $50 to $150 to be paid for kids who consume solids; Also extra $100 for babysitters with early childhood certifications
11	BBNN	At Client House	–	$2000 to $3000	As above
12	BBCR	–	–	–	$36 subscription fee a month to view contact details on the website
		IN CASE YOU MISSED US OUT !!!
*	MEIDE Babysitting	We settle it for you.	$8 to $30	Calculated for you based on the hourly rate and your required days and durations.	$98 Platform Fee Only.

Last Updated May 2022:

Above is a table of compiled babysitting costs in Singapore based on MEIDE Babysitting. Note: All rates are quoted in Singapore Dollars and considered as estimates – exact costs will still need to be determined following discussions with the respective companies.

Best Solution To Save On Babysitting Costs

* Yes, these rates may vary from time to time and also change based on an assessment of your factors as detailed above. Tired of hidden costs and want to save all the hassle? Then, trust us to get the best price and best fit for you by simple booking at baby.meide.sg/book! We will gather all your required factors to sieve out the babysitters you need and deserve.

Final Note: Why You Should Know About Babysitting Costs

In summary, here are the 8 factors that would seriously affect babysitting costs here in Singapore:

• 1) Number of Kid(s) To Be Taken Care Of
• 2) Special Needs or Health Issues of Baby
• 3) Kid(s) Age(s)
• 4) Profile of Babysitters
• 5) Required Babysitting Duties and Responsibilities
• 6) Requested Working Hours, Days and Duration
• 7) Profile of Your Own Family (Eg. Location’s ease of access and proximity to public transport, Pets)
• 8) Flexibility of Babysitting Arrangements

As you can see, it is no wonder the prices for babysitting can range from $8 to $35 per hour (and fluctuating still).

Everything said and done, you can see that getting a babysitter is really viable with the flexible and wide range of pricing available. We at MEIDE Babysitting hope that with our transparency list of factors here, parents and guardians will be better equipped to plan their finances and budget for babysitting costs!

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