I found a website that gives you the average price of babysitting per hour and you will not believe what the hourly babysitting rate is for Arkansas.

We are getting back to doing 'Date nights'  in full force now but everything is just a little more expensive. From the dinner and the after-dinner entertainment to even picking the right spot to eat can be pretty stressful. But what about the babysitter?

When it comes to how much you pay the sitter, what is the right amount? Is it something you pay per hour or is it just a flat rate? I am always thinking we are not paying enough for sitting. But now that the kids are older, 14 and 10 they are not quite so much trouble. Since they have their phones and good internet.

Marisa Howenstine Unsplash
Marisa Howenstine Unsplash
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The site parents.com says that the national average is 17.73 for one kid and 20.30 for two kids and 21.49 for three kids. The last time we had a babysitter we paid her $25.00 and bought pizza for them all to eat.

Since the pandemic, the demand for finding good babysitters has been difficult. I guess with so many of us getting back out in the world the demand has gone up. Marina Lloyd, the owner of a nanny placement agency had this to say about babysitters and nannies:

"When parents are suddenly working at home and have kids at home, they need that extra set of hands to be present more than ever."

So how much do we need to be paying for our babysitters in Arkansas? According to the website about $13.28 an hour. So for our 4-hour 'Date Night' I should have paid $53.12. That is a pretty serious number, but when it comes to finding a babysitter we usually hire someone we know and do not always go to an agency.

Tanaphong Toochinda Unsplash
Tanaphong Toochinda Unsplash
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So how about some of the other states? What can a babysitter expect to make in Texas? How about $15.00 an hour. Guess what state has the highest average rate for babysitting? It is not California, for them, it is $16.49, it is actually Washington coming in at $18.38 an hour.

How much do you pay your babysitter? Let us know in the comments.

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

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