How Does a Babysitter Differ From a Nanny?

Nanny care is the general term used for the childcare taken by a person. However, there are many persons who are involved in the childcare. Babysitters and nannies are some among them. Based on the function of childcare, babysitters and nannies are similar. However, a babysitter differs from a nanny in many aspects. Some of them are mentioned here.

• A babysitter is a person who takes care of the children on an irregular basis. She may be a
• family friend or a neighbor. Whereas a nanny is the person who is hired by a family to take care of the children.
• When the parents go out for a movie, or dinner, or for work, then they would hire a babysitter to look after their children till they return. But the nanny takes care of the children regardless of the presence of the parents in the home.
• A babysitter may take care of many children not only of one particular family. The nanny takes care of children of only one family.
• The tasks of a babysitter includes watching kids, keeping them entertained, preparing some meals for them and cleaning up after meals. But a nanny can be called as a mix of a babysitter, a cook and a driver. This means that they do many things such as cooking, providing all the needs of a child, and driving them to some places if required.
• The babysitters are paid less when compared to nannies. As the work for babysitters is less they receive less salary. The babysitter receives the salary on an hourly basis as the work hours vary. However, a nanny receives salary on yearly basis because the working hours for a nanny are unpredictable and do not follow a specific schedule.
• A babysitter may have a little childcare experience whereas a nanny has long-term experience for childcare. The babysitter may not have have particular qualification for childcare whereas a nanny must have a certified qualification.
• A babysitter can be a teenager who can be found by the parents by just word of mouth. But a nanny is hired through a referral agency or formal advertisements online or in papers.