Cost of a Babysitter

[Princess April]

*WOW* We usually use a family friend to baby sit... and she charges us thge price of taking our DD and herself out a dinner (nothing fancy, usually runs us about $20.00 for a few hours) but we are looking into getting someone else to "help us". She is a swimming teacher that our daughter took lessons with this summer. I haven't asked her about $ yet but from looking it up and reading on here I guess I'm looking at $10.00/hr. She is sweetheart and I think she would be worth every penny! (Let's hope her rates aren't like, $20.00/hr lol) I would love to have her be my mother's helper and at $10.00 I would totally use her!

 

[stitchlovestink]

clearly you have plenty of opinions here, but im gonna throw mine in there too.

i am a certified professional nanny so of course when i watch kids what i expect and what a 15 year old would expect are completely different. an adult watching your children and a child is 2 different levels. altho even when i was a teenager i would have never sat for $5 an hour. minimum wage isnt event that low.

i think what you should pay depends upon what you expect someone to do. if your kids will be in bed and you dont expect anything but this person to sit there pretty much, well of course that would be less than if you expected baths, dinner, homework help, activities, etc. a person should also be honest in the matter knowing if they have children who will stay in bed and cause no trouble or who will cause havoc while youre away. however, you have to remember you are paying for someones time not just their service. isnt your time valuable? well believe it or not so is a 15 year olds.

the cost of a babysitter is the value you put into your childrens safety and comfort. also the ability of being able to go out with out feeling nervous and worried. what is that value to you?
good luck!

bolding is mine...
EXACTLY!!!!
Many Many years ago when I used to babysit, I had a couple who would drive 1/2 hr up I95 to pick me up to babysit for their son. My mom finally asked one day, why would they drive so far. They had no family in this area at all. Well they stated that they 'knew when they went out that they did not have to worry about their baby's safety and they knew he was being well cared for. and that was worth more than anything else to them.' They paid me VERY WELL. And just as a side note, when I was around, Brian wanted me instead of his mom. But she didn't mind at all. She said it just proved the point that he was being well cared for and loved by me. My mom almost had a heart attack though, when baby #2 came along, they left him with me for about 5 hours when he was less than 2 weeks old! Sometimes, I would have the boys for 8 to 10 hours, not all the time but ocassionally. I loved them like they were my own though.

 

[disfan07]

Idk what I didn't make clear? Laws have obviously changed since you first started babysitting, as they have with me. i was 10 when I started babysitting. That is no longer legal. In many states you need to be 13 to be alone with children. Especially for an extended period of time.

In virginia the RECOMMENDED age is 13....but having a babysitter under 13 is not illegal

ETA: they offer babysitting classes in virginia starting at age 11 so its not unusal for them to be babysitting at 11 or 12

 

[maddmike]

We too are from Michigan and my 15 yr old babysits. She normally gets $10 an hour no matter if she is watching one or four kids.

 

[pearlieq]

I got paid $5-$6/hour for babysitting...back in 1995!

It's definitely up to $8-$10/hour here, depending on time of day, number of kids, and age of the sitter.

We have this one mom on the block who refuses to pay more than $5/hour and then she wonders why she can only get the creepy middle schooler from around the corner to sit for her. We've tried to explain, but she's just not getting it. Why would you cheap out on the person taking care of your kids?

 

[inkedupmomma]

Why would you cheap out on the person taking care of your kids?

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[inkedupmomma]

*WOW* We usually use a family friend to baby sit... and she charges us thge price of taking our DD and herself out a dinner (nothing fancy, usually runs us about $20.00 for a few hours) but we are looking into getting someone else to "help us". She is a swimming teacher that our daughter took lessons with this summer. I haven't asked her about $ yet but from looking it up and reading on here I guess I'm looking at $10.00/hr. She is sweetheart and I think she would be worth every penny! (Let's hope her rates aren't like, $20.00/hr lol) I would love to have her be my mother's helper and at $10.00 I would totally use her!

If I sit for a friend I do not charge my normal rate. So that makes sense that they only charge for dinner I think 10/hr for a mother's helper is very fair! If you feel she is doing more than that you can always increase! Or throw in a pedicure evry now and again

In virginia the RECOMMENDED age is 13....but having a babysitter under 13 is not illegal

ETA: they offer babysitting classes in virginia starting at age 11 so its not unusal for them to be babysitting at 11 or 12

As I said, in many states that is not the case. That is why I didn't get what you didn't get. Not every state.

 

[Took]

This is a timely thread for me as my 13 y.o. is just starting to babysit. She is being paid $5/hr for two young kids (8 and 5, I think). I don't think she's asked to do much besides watch the kids and play with them. She is thrilled. My impression is that in my area (which has a very low cost of living), $5/hr is not bad at all, especially for a young teen.

DD also pet sits for $5/visit (30-45 minutes per visit) but has more experience with pets than with kids, lol, as she is an only child (so no younger siblings) but has always had pets and volunteers at local pet store and the humane association.

Took

 

[mhsjax]

As a nanny, I always find it appalling how cheap people can be when it comes to sitters. Most rather hire an inexperienced middle/highschooler for $5.00/hr than someone who has many certifications and years of experience. Yet they don't bat an eye at the cost of Valet parking, the ridiculously priced dinner they are eating, etc...

Maybe it is just me, but it's weird. I never pay less than $10/hr for first child, and then $2.50-$5.00 per each additional child. I also expect that at the very minimum for when I sit. My children are the most important things in the world to me, and I want my sitter to feel appreciated and compensated for all the hard work and love they give to my children.

This is the way we feel< Why wouldn't you pay more than fast food places pay, Kids are way more important than a fast food burger. We pay $10.00 at the least but never less than $50.00 and we have 3 kids. True they do go to sleep while the baby sitter was there, but you are paying her to be there just in case the unthinkable happens. I just understand people being cheap when it comes to baby sitters.

 

[leighe]

We pay our sitter $20 an hour but then she is a very close friend of the family and we just see it as giving her her running around money. My DDs are 2 and 3 and she plays/reads constantly and even takes them to the park/pool/etc. My oldest can be hard to put to bed so I definitely feel like she earns her money! She'll be going away to college after this coming school year and I'm starting to panic!!!

 

[ilandrazdsw]

Whenever we have a sitter we end up paying $50 for watching our 2 kids. When we lived int he Bahamas $10 was the going rate for an older teen/early 20s sitter. Since moving we needed a sitter one night. She was 13 and was fabulous! The kids really liked her!!! She came with a great recommendation & is our pastor's daughter. She was also available on short notice. I would have paid her $8/hr for nearly 5 hours, but DH only had a $50, so she made out well.

 

[mom2val]

$10 an hour is going rate in DFW

 

[shortbun]

$10 an hour for 2 kids is the going rate here in my area of PA as well.

Last sitter I paid got $20 for a little less than 3 hours. That was 4 years ago and all she did was play video games with our 10yo. I would ask her and give her more than she asks for so she'll come back no matter what happens. I always overpaid, my girlfriends did the same. How old are your children? How long will you be gone? How old and experienced is the sitter? How important is the care of your children?

 

[tink576]

Wow, we are cheap!
We seldom get a sitter, but when we do, we pay her $4-5 an hour depending if she has all 3 kids or just the twins. DS9 is really self-sufficient but not old enough to be left alone much less in charge of his siblings.

Yea, I got paid that much for sitting 3 kids once, and I'm not sitting for that family again. Think about it. $4-5 is under minimum wage. And for three kids... I typically got between $7-10 for 1 child and a couple bucks more for additional children.

 

[DebMcDonald]

I think it really depends on the area you are in. My daughter is 15 and she earns on average $10 an hour. No one in the area I live in would even consider babysitting for $5 an hour. I'm also just outside of Boston.

 

[thebeesknees]

We live in CO and pay $10 an hour.

 

[inkedupmomma]

I think it is fair to say, the going rate and fair rate is $10/hr and that is from all different areas!

 

[stella27]

$7-8/hour for a teen-aged sitter and $10 for an adult. Texas.
Oh - and I have 3 children.