A mom went viral after she posted a video complaining about cost of babysitters. It didn’t go as planned.
TikToker Kourtnie (@kmwoods_) posted the video, which was viewed 261,000 times.
In the video, Kourtnie speaks candidly to the camera. “Since when are babysitters charging $100 a day? One kid, 8 hours a day, for $100.”
“And don’t get me started on the whole, ‘You should pay your child care workers more,’ I pay my daycare plenty,” she continues. “[I’m] talking about a backup sitter for when I need one. Maybe a convenience thing, but where I’m from you pay $50, and that’s like on the high end.”
She finishes her argument with, “Boy, let me tell you I’m about to quit and become a babysitter.”
@kmwoods_ What do yall pay for care where you are? #childcare #MomsOfTikTok #fyp ♬ original sound – Kourtnie
Users did not take her side in the comments. Many pointed out that $100 for 8 hours was less than minimum wage in some states.
“I charge $15-$20 an hour! typically daycares are a lot cheaper but nannies and babysitters are more expensive,” one self-described babysitter said.
“$100 for 8 hours is barely anything. That’s $12.50 an hour which is less than my state’s minimum wage,” another explained.
“When I was a nanny I charged $160 for 8 hours,” a user added.
“50 dollars for 8 hours? That’s 6.25 an hour,” a user said.
Others pointed out that a need for a babysitter creates a higher demand, and that $100 dollars is a good price.
“I mean 100 bucks for an EMERGENCY sitter seems fair..” a user said.
“An on demand backup should be paid even more,” another agreed.
“$100 for 8 hours is a freaking STEAL! We’re paying anywhere between $20-25/hr,” a commenter replied.
Some pointed out that the pay scale for sitters has shifted since the pandemic.
“Ma’am. the going rate is $20-25 a hour. Even for a teenager paying them anything less than minimum wage is awful,” a user explained.
“In California the usual rate it 25-35$ an hour, unless it is like a teenager, adults need a livable wage even if it is “just” babysitters,” another added.
Kourtnie replied, explaining that she is calculating her price for a group instead of having a sitter watch her child alone: “I’m not saying they don’t, but sitters usually have more than 1 kid, so they will make a livable wage.”
“Daycare owner and former nanny here! It’s an intensely high stress job, pay what it’s worth or you won’t have childcare,” a commenter responded.
The Daily Dot reached out to Kourtnie via email.
Update 12:50pm CT, July 21: Kourtnie responded to the Daily Dot by explaining that her video was not meant to offend childcare workers or to diminish their value in the marketplace: “I was not degrading or downplaying the job of a babysitter or nanny. I simply was not aware that they charged so much. Do I understand them wanting to charge the amounts they do? Yes, kids are a lot of work and they need to make a living. Do I think they are affordable? Not for everyone. I have my children in daycare. I have not needed to use a babysitter in a long time, since I was going through my divorce. When I was looking for one, most people I spoke to were stay at home moms just babysitting for extra income-not for a salary as their husbands worked full time—so I was given prices from $20-$50 a day with me providing food/snacks etc. Charging an hourly rate was not something I was ever asked about or had someone tell me. I apologized to anyone I may have offended by implying they did not deserve more because that is not true.”
