Babysitting Costs for Families of Multiples

Purpose: To gather information about how families arrange occasional babysitting and range of babysitting costs. For the purpose of this survey, babysitting is defined as childcare for no more than 8 hours and a parent, stepparent, partner, nanny, or au pair is not considered a babysitter.

Directions:

1. This survey is to be filled out by any parent or other caregiver who is actively involved with arranging and paying for babysitting
2. Answer all questions choosing the single best answer for each question unless otherwise instructed.
3. Circle the letter which best illustrates your answer.
4. As always, all responses are kept confidential.

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* 1. What type of multiples do you have?

Twins

Triplets

Quadruplets

Quintuplets

Multiple multiples

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* 2. Are your multiples....?

Identical

Fraternal

Unknown

Higher order/Mixed Zygosity

If you have more than one set of multiples, enter Zygosity for 2nd set of Multiples

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* 3. What is the Gender of your Multiples?

Boy Multiples

Girl Multiples

Mixed Gender (boy/girl) multiples

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* 4. What is the age of your multiples?

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* 5. How would you categorize the cost of living in your location?

Among most expensive cost of living locations

Above the national average, but not in the most expensive

Moderate

below national average

among the lowest cost of living locations

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* 6. How many times have you arranged for a babysitter in the past 12 months to care for your children for no more than 8 hours?

O (please go to question 18)

1-2

c.3-4

d.5-6

7 or more

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* 7. What was your most frequent need for babysitting?

for a leisure event of some kind without children

for one on one time with a child

to run errands, shop, etc.

to work as a volunteer

to work at a paid position

to provide care for another family member or friend

other

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* 8. How many children did the babysitter most often need to care for?

one

two

three

four

five or more

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* 9. Did the babysitter care for both your children and the children of another family as part of the job?

yes

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* 10. Who was your babysitter? Check all that apply

grandparent(s)

other relative (including older siblings)

friend(s)

hired babysitter(s) - age 15 or younger

hired babysitter(s) - age 16 - 18

hired babysitter(s) - age 19 - 30

hired babysitter - 30 -50

hired babysitter - over 50

special event group (such as youth group "Parents' Night Out" event)

daycare, church or some other professional setting

babysitting cooperative

other

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* 11. How did you most often find your babysitter?

contacted a relative or friend

through personal referrals

used a directory of some sort (neighborhood, church, school, etc.)

used an app such as UrbanSitter, SitterCity, Sitter, Sitting Around, Care.com, etc.

contacted a service or agency

contacted a health care provider for special medical considerations

other

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* 12. Did you pay for babysitting?

yes, paid cash

yes, bartered with goods or services

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* 13. If you paid for babysitting, did you agree on the payment ahead of time?

yes, based on an hourly rate that we agreed on

yes, based on the hourly rate set by the sitter, business, or agency

yes, based on one price or trade for the entire time that we agree on

not applicable

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* 14. If you paid hourly, what was the rate?

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* 15. Did you hire more than one sitter?

Yes

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* 16. Did a potential babysitter, either paid or unpaid, ever turn down a babysitting offer because they were nervous about caring for multiples?

yes

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* 17. How much do you estimate you have spent on babysitting in the past 12 months?

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* 18. If you have not had any babysitter in the past 12 months, what was the primary reason?

children are too young

children need special medical or personal care

children get too anxious

parent gets too anxious

children misbehave too much

too expensive

have not found a suitable babysitter

have not wanted to go out without the children

other

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* 1. What type of multiples do you have?

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* 2. Are your multiples....?

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* 3. What is the Gender of your Multiples?

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* 4. What is the age of your multiples?

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* 5. How would you categorize the cost of living in your location?

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* 6. How many times have you arranged for a babysitter in the past 12 months to care for your children for no more than 8 hours?

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* 7. What was your most frequent need for babysitting?

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* 8. How many children did the babysitter most often need to care for?

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* 9. Did the babysitter care for both your children and the children of another family as part of the job?

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* 10. Who was your babysitter? Check all that apply

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* 11. How did you most often find your babysitter?

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* 12. Did you pay for babysitting?

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* 13. If you paid for babysitting, did you agree on the payment ahead of time?

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* 14. If you paid hourly, what was the rate?

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* 15. Did you hire more than one sitter?

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* 16. Did a potential babysitter, either paid or unpaid, ever turn down a babysitting offer because they were nervous about caring for multiples?

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* 17. How much do you estimate you have spent on babysitting in the past 12 months?

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* 18. If you have not had any babysitter in the past 12 months, what was the primary reason?

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* 19. Please feel free to include any comments about babysitting: