Babysitting dollars and sense

So, you’ve found the perfect babysitter.

Now, the last thing you want is to come home from a nice night out and be crossing your fingers that you have enough cash to cover her fee.

Too many parents don’t talk up front with sitters about pay, and that’s a mistake, said Lynn Perkins, CEO of UrbanSitter, a Web-based babysitting service.

“One thing we hear from sitters is it’s really uncomfortable at the end of the night being asked what your rate is,” Perkins said.

So, how much should you pay a sitter in Denver?

Locally, the going rate for one child is between $10.50 and $11 per hour, on average, according to UrbanSitter and Care.com, two big players in online babysitting.

You’ll need to consider other factors, as well, when setting a rate, Care.com experts said. On--

line rate calculators can help do the math.

Number of children. Expect to pay $2-$5 more per hour for each additional child.

Experience. Sitters with CPR certification, specialized training and experience tending large groups of children will cost more.

Babysitter’s age. You can generally pay younger sitters less than you would someone older. But you should adjust pay as experience increases.

Time of day. Pay more if the kids will be awake the entire time you’re away. If the kids will be asleep most of the time, you can pay less.

Activities/cooking. Paymore if a sitter needs to get kids to soccer practice, appointments, etc. Add $10 if the sitter is expected to cook ameal.

Another tip, said Katie Bugbee, global parenting expert at Care.com: If you are borrowing a friend’s sitter, pay exactly what they pay.

“Borrowing a friend’s babysitter is like borrowing her husband to do an odd job,” Bugbee said. “You don’twant to overuse this very nice gesture, and you certainly don’twant to steal her away.”

As far as responsibilities beyond caring for your children, a good policy to put in place is “Leave no footprint,” Perkins said.

That means the sitter should wash any dirty dishes created and put back toys and activities the kids took out. What it doesn’t mean is additional housework.

“If it’s going to be nighttime and the kids are going to be asleep, it’s not OK to ask them to clean the entire house,” Perkins said.— Emilie Rusch