Kids are great but they are certainly not cheap. The government says the cost of raising a child from birth through age 18 is now approaching $250,000. One of those costs, both financially and stresswise is babysitting.
What’s a parent to do? Whatever they can to lower the cost of babysitting and there are some new and some not so new ways to do it.
Here are a few potential ideas for solutions. One idea is to have a babysitting co-op which is basically a group of parents sharing babysitting duties. This means organizing a group of parents. Earning credits by babysitting others kids and redeeming them for no cost sitting when it’s your turn.
Another idea is to use places like a health club to sit your kids while you theoretically work out or maybe just catch up on work or just take a break. But some parents are not a big fan of that idea. There is also the idea of utilizing city parks and rec programs which are often cheaper than a babysitter and your kids get to interact with others. However that may not resonate amongst some parents as well.
