What to pay a baby sitter?

[CdnCarrie]

Sounds like you're the one who needs a babysitter.. boo hoo

What the heck is the point of saying something so stupid and childish?

 

[Jenny3]

DD17 makes $10-15/hr when she babysits; depends on the ages of the kids, times, etc. She'll make one amount from watching my sister's 3 kids (ages 6 and under) vs my sister-in-laws girls (ages 7 & 8 with the 8 y/o in a wheelchair). Once she gets her drivers license next month, she'll most likely make a bit more.

Not sure how this thread derailed, but like most decisions regarding children - I think it's entirely subjective. What works for your 10 y/o may not work for mine based on personality, maturity level, etc. Ridiculous to assume I'm stunting my child's development by limiting her independence / time alone based on what I know about my daughter's maturity and my comfort level. Absurd

 

[NeedaVacation03]

I am a youth minister and have 4 children. When they were younger I was lucky enough to have kids in my high school program who would babysit for $5 an hour for all 4. I always paid them more and give them gift cards etc for the fact that they offered such a low rate. 2 of my girls are in high school now and babysit. When they are asked their rate, they both say $5 per hour, not per kid. They babysit regularly and are always paid way more than the stated amount. They love the kids they watch and the parents trust them and pay them well due to that. I had teenagers charge me $10 an hour and they were not good sitters. But the ones who didnt have an amount in mind or a lower amount always did a great job and were rewarded for that. I think it needs to be a fair wage for a job well done.

 

[danielle79]

What the heck is the point of saying something so stupid and childish?

thanks!

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I think in many states it would be illegal to leave a 10 year old in charge...most require a child to be 12 before watching any other kids.

My dd is 111/2 and will "babysit" when another parent is home but working in the office, or for a very quick trip to the store, nothing over an hour, after dark, and even then it is normally when the little one (3) is still sleeping or at his nap etc. She is an unusually responsible kid, and has taken the American Red Cross babysitting class and a First Aid class, has a cell phone. Our rule for family babysitting is I pay the same price I would another sitter if it is for fun for Dh and I, (like when we eventually go to dinner) but if it is a family chore such as the kids didn't want to go to the store, or another kid's doctor appt I don't pay. (except sometimes I do just because)
We get another sitter for dinner's out etc and here we pay about 9 an hour plus rounding up for tip (and because we normally have to hit the atm on the way home) for 3 kids. Nothing extra, just hanging with the kids and then watching tv once they are asleep.

When I was 11 I starting watching my little sister every day after school and during the summer until 4 pm when my mother got home. (My parents both worked.)

At the age of 11 I also started babysitting for the neighbors. I made 50 cents per hour.

Didn't realize I was breaking the law...

 

[Lisa71]

We pay 10 dollars an hour and the babysitter has to be at least 16 and have taken a babysitting or first aid course. I used to teach one and the ages were 11-13. I babysat at 13 but that is too young I think. If there was a true emergency such as a fire or someone chocking that is too much responsibility for that age. There are also creeps out there that would target a home with a young sitter. I tip, make sure we have food, and no baths or cooking . I do that ahead. Just what I do but I feel good about it.

 

[Lisa71]

Btw I am 42 and used to get 1-2 dollars an hour per child so if anyone is paying that they are back in the 1980s!

 

[momof2gr8kids]

This is why we stay home and rent a movie and have a glass of wine once the kids are in bed!

A movie and a drink out afterwards will cost you $100 with a sitter!

On another note, I used to do daycare out of my home about 8 years ago for $30 a day per child. It makes me laugh to think of the people I would hear complaining about how much it cost for daycare yet think nothing of paying a teen with no experience $10 an hour to babysit while their kids were mainly sleeping.

 

[SamSam]

When I was 11 I starting watching my little sister every day after school and during the summer until 4 pm when my mother got home. (My parents both worked.)

At the age of 11 I also started babysitting for the neighbors. I made 50 cents per hour.

Didn't realize I was breaking the law...

LOL, I started babysitting when I was 11 and made 35 cents an hour, I also fixed dinner and did the dishes, and often stayed until 2am. That was in the 60's. I felt I was in 'high cotton' when I started charging 50 cents an hour.

 

[disykat]

LOL, I started babysitting when I was 11 and made 35 cents an hour, I also fixed dinner and did the dishes, and often stayed until 2am. That was in the 60's. I felt I was in 'high cotton' when I started charging 50 cents an hour.

In the mid 70's I made 50 cents an hour, then graduated to 75 cents an hour about the same time I got my first part time job for $1.51 an hour. Yes, it was standard then to pay teenagers babysitting in your home HALF of the going minimum wage. At the time, I was paid by family, not by child. The only time I got paid more was if I was babysitting for two families together - although they did usually round up to the nearest dollar.

I was shocked when I first had kids to realize now most teenagers expected more than minimum wage for babysitting and they expected even more because I had two children.

 

[tms295psu]

I've only half read this thread, but there is no way I'd leave my 2 yr old with a 10 yr old !!! I'd struggle to leave the 4 yr old with a 10 yr old! Maybe I'm over protective!

 

[Swirly girls]

We live in the Midwest, and we always paid our sitters $4-$5 am hour per child
We have 3 daughters. I also did take into consideration the quality of care and how nest she was -- I expected her to clean up after herself, as well as my kids during her time in our home watching them.



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[marlynnp]

That is beside the point. If you all want to think so little of your children's capabilities and don't want to give them the chance to prove themselves go ahead. You have every right to hold your children back instead of encouraging them to become independent, confident, and competent.

I find that very sad for the children being sheltered, and not allowed to grow up and discover their own potential all because mom and dad desire them to stay little forever because they think they "grow up so fast". If you continue to stunt their development because you don't want them to grow up you may just find that they don't, and it may be a bit more on the annoying than cute side when they are 25, still living at home, and you find yourself saying things like "when are you ever going to grow up?"!!

This is rich coming from someone who expects her daughter to be nothing more than a housewife & mother.

 

[mward73]

Depends on who I have babysitting that night. If it's one of their teachers (~30, CPR certified, etc), I pay $15/hr (and I usually give her an extra $10 for gas because she comes 30-40 minutes to do it because she loves the boys and they love her). If it's the neighbor girls (11 & 12) who insist on babysitting together (I have 3 & 6 yr old boys) I give them $10/hr and they split it (or I split it for them). They would actually do it for free (and have offered many times) so they're thrilled with the $5/hr each.

We're in Northern VA (not far outside DC).

 

[aprilgail2]

So....what is a gift auction?

I think that is probably a chinese auction.

Bolding is mine....
NOT here in MD! The Law is VERY clear!! No one under the age of 13 (sibling or NOT) may be responsible for another child under the age of 8! Period! No if ands or buts about it! Now if they are 8, they may be left unattended without adult supervision, but it is very clear that you may NOT leave a 10 y.o. in charge of a 2 y.o. So your wiggle room comment doesn't fly here in MD! Get your facts straight!
Exactly!!

Wow glad that is not here, it would have put my daughter out of business last year. She started babysitting at 12- two of her steady customers had 3 year old boys then. She is 13 now and babysat last night from 8pm until 1am and made 75.00. Easy night for her, the boy went to sleep at 9am so basically she just had to be there! She has built up a pretty big bank account just with babysitting for her age- plus has a pretty large selection of make up LOL- glad I didn't have to finance that! She gets anywhere from 10-15 an hour depending on how late they are out. I guess they feel she deserves more being there until 1am.

This is rich coming from someone who expects her daughter to be nothing more than a housewife & mother.

 

[abcboys]

Here in the midwest $5/hour for 1 or 2 kids is probably the norm. There may be a few families that pay up to $10 but probably not many.

I encourage my kids to stay home alone around the age of 10, for short periods up to longer periods. My middle son (10 years) has stayed home by himself for 3 hours this summer while I was at work even if older brother was not home. He even stayed home alone in the evening (his choice) while DH and I went out, and the I took the 7 year old to the babysitter. They can all stay home as long as the 14 year old is home alone, but I do not leave the 7 year old with the 10 year old. I even encourage the 10 year old to walk places by himself, like the library, which is just 3 blocks away. I gave him a phone to carry and tried to make him feel grown up. My oldest started riding his bike to school around 4th grade. I tend to be more lenient and do encourage them to do things on their own around that age. I'm really not a worrier about "the big bad world" but I do try to teach them what to do.

 

[MScott1851]

I'm in Memphis, and the sitter service we use is $12 an hour. I'm sure I could find a teenager a little cheaper, but my DD just turned 3, and frankly, I wanted a mature adult 'grandmother' type watching her when she was a baby. She was a very colicky, temperamental baby who cried a lot and I wanted someone mature who had experienced that before and wouldn't A: freak out and call me after 20 minutes, B: shut her in her room and let her scream, or C: shake her or worse to 'shut her up.'

Now that she's potty trained and a happy, energetic toddler, a teenager would be fine. But I still want an older teen or college student. I babysat as a 13 year old for three kids under the age of five one summer, all day long each week. In retrospect, I can't believe my mother or the kids' mother allowed me. I was in their home, no vehicle, and while we had an uneventful summer, I shudder to think what I would have done if an emergency arose. Heck, it would make me nervous now.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

Here in the midwest $5/hour for 1 or 2 kids is probably the norm. There may be a few families that pay up to $10 but probably not many.

I encourage my kids to stay home alone around the age of 10, for short periods up to longer periods. My middle son (10 years) has stayed home by himself for 3 hours this summer while I was at work even if older brother was not home. He even stayed home alone in the evening (his choice) while DH and I went out, and the I took the 7 year old to the babysitter. They can all stay home as long as the 14 year old is home alone, but I do not leave the 7 year old with the 10 year old. I even encourage the 10 year old to walk places by himself, like the library, which is just 3 blocks away. I gave him a phone to carry and tried to make him feel grown up. My oldest started riding his bike to school around 4th grade. I tend to be more lenient and do encourage them to do things on their own around that age. I'm really not a worrier about "the big bad world" but I do try to teach them what to do.

Where in the Midwest are you finding those prices? We live in a suburb of Des Moines, which is pretty much the definition of the Midwest, and we've never had a sitter charge less than $10 per hour (and $12-$14 seems to be the norm). These are college-age women or slightly older (we cannot find any high school age sitters, as they are all far too busy on the weekends as far as we can tell).

I agree with your second point, about starting to ease kids into responsibility, and we are doing the same with our older daughter. But putting her in charge of her younger, special-needs brother, isn't likely to happen any time soon.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

My DD17 asks $7/hour for sitting. But the people she sat for last night gave her $15/hour, even after she told them $7! She's an amazing sitter, though--she wants to be a teacher, works in a preschool at her HS as well as teaching skiing and dance.

Put me in the group that would never leave a 10yo in charge of a 2yo for 2 hours. Sorry, that's not safe for anyone.

Funny but true story--when my oldest was 11, she took the Red Cross babysitting class, and begged me to let her watch her siblings (9, 3, and an infant at the time). She's always been very responsible and loves kids. Well, one morning, I was out of milk. The kids were watching TV, with the little guy in his Exersaucer, so I put DD in charge while I went to get milk. I was gone 15 minutes, tops--more like 10, I got there and back as quickly as I could. Well, in that short span of time, the little guy had a diaper blow-out of massive proportions--there was crap everywhere, and poor DD was practically in tears. Luckily, that was the worst that happened, and it was funny in retrospect (to me, anyway). But it shows that even a mature, responsible child can have the crap hit the fan (or the Exersaucer) at the worst time.

 

[pocomom]

My DD17 asks $7/hour for sitting. But the people she sat for last night gave her $15/hour, even after she told them $7! She's an amazing sitter, though--she wants to be a teacher, works in a preschool at her HS as well as teaching skiing and dance.

Put me in the group that would never leave a 10yo in charge of a 2yo for 2 hours. Sorry, that's not safe for anyone.

Funny but true story--when my oldest was 11, she took the Red Cross babysitting class, and begged me to let her watch her siblings (9, 3, and an infant at the time). She's always been very responsible and loves kids. Well, one morning, I was out of milk. The kids were watching TV, with the little guy in his Exersaucer, so I put DD in charge while I went to get milk. I was gone 15 minutes, tops--more like 10, I got there and back as quickly as I could. Well, in that short span of time, the little guy had a diaper blow-out of massive proportions--there was crap everywhere, and poor DD was practically in tears. Luckily, that was the worst that happened, and it was funny in retrospect (to me, anyway). But it shows that even a mature, responsible child can have the crap hit the fan (or the Exersaucer) at the worst time.

Poor kid!