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Babysitting for Neighbors and Friends: A Grandparent-Friendly Side Income

ByFrank Delgado

Busy parents are always looking for someone calm and trustworthy to watch their children. If you’ve raised kids or helped with grandchildren, you bring real experience. A regular evening or two a month could, as a rough estimate, help cover a bill like your internet service.

What babysitters are paid

Rates vary by town and by how many children there are. As reference points:

  • Care.com’s 2026 Cost of Care report puts the national average for a babysitter at $175 a week for one child, based on eight hours a week.
  • Another Care.com guide, updated February 2026, gives a national average of $19.81 an hour.
  • UrbanSitter’s 2026 figures, reported by TODAY and other outlets, show averages of about $26 an hour for one child and about $30 for two.

Ask a few parents what they usually pay, then set a rate you’re comfortable with.

Finding families

Start with people you already know: neighbors, friends’ adult children, families from church or your community center. Word of mouth builds trust quickly. If you join a site like Care.com, know that caregivers must pass its background check, which is repeated every year.

Consider a refresher course

The Red Cross offers an online First Aid/CPR/AED course for adults, children and babies for $37. It also has a $45 online Babysitting Basics course. That one is designed for younger sitters, but it covers useful topics like emergency response and caring for infants. A certificate can reassure parents.

Safe sleep has changed

Advice for babies has changed since many of us raised our own. The National Institutes of Health’s Safe to Sleep campaign says:

  • Put babies on their backs for every nap and at night until age one.
  • Use a firm, flat surface with only a fitted sheet. No pillows, blankets, bumpers or toys.
  • Never let a baby sleep on a couch or armchair.

Gently follow each family’s instructions too, and ask questions if anything is unclear.

Before the first visit

  • Agree on hours, pay and how you’ll be paid.
  • Get emergency phone numbers, allergies and any medicines in writing.
  • Ask about rules for screens, snacks and bedtime.

Look after yourself

Lifting toddlers and getting up off the floor can be hard on backs and knees. Bend at the knees, use a step stool or changing table, and be honest about what you can manage. Choosing older children, or one child at a time, is perfectly fine.

Taxes and benefits

How you’re taxed depends on the setup. IRS Publication 926 says a sitter who cares for children in their own home generally isn’t the family’s employee. But if you work in the family’s home, following their instructions, you may be their household employee. For 2026, a family that pays one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages owes Social Security and Medicare taxes on them. If you’re self-employed instead, you generally file once net earnings reach $400.

Babysitting income can also count toward Social Security’s earnings limit if you’re under full retirement age ($24,480 in 2026), and may affect SSI or Medicaid. Check your own situation at irs.gov and ssa.gov.

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