Going Rate For Babysitters????

[belle&sebastiansmom]

What is the going rate for babysitters in your area?

My kids haven't been left with sitters and I hubby and I need a date!

I was shocked when I asked friends and neighbors what they pay. For high school students $10 - $15 per hour. More if the kids are young and require special attention (diaper changes), less if you feed the babysitter (don't totally understand this one), less if you have to take the babysitter home.

Times have changed. When I babysat I was happy with $10 for the entire night!

Seems like paying the babysitter will cost us more than our date night out!

 

[DMickey28]

Yikes ... I haven't asked around here yet but that seems to be about what I remember reading in prior threads on here. $10ish. Seems crazy to me ... I would babysit from 4pm to 1am and get about $50 back in 1998/1999 and that was good for me.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

$10 an hour. But I have 3 kids.

Comparing sitting wages to when we were sitting is like saying minimum wage was fine at $4.25 back when I worked at a grocery store.

I figure--for an experienced sitter whom I expect to provide their own transportation, this is a good rate. And I am competing with the local job market--though in this economy, that's more in my favor.

If it's the neighbor kid who just walks to my doorstep and she's new at the whole sitting thing--then paying $5-$7 is fair.

I had to hire a nanny about a month ago and I paid $10 an hour. Her job was to entertain my kids 8 hours a day while I spent the time in bed with bad morning sickness. And i do mean entertain. Couldn't just plop them down to a movie and keep them out of trouble. And she earned every penny. Thankfully the gig was only temporary as it gets expensive paying for a full-time sitter. She was 23 and it was a FT job for her. She then moved to CA for a nanny position out there.

 

[MomofKatie]

Asked my niece (15 and certified CPR, etc)- her going rate is $10/hour for 1 or 2 kids, and price goes way up for 3 or more kids. This is in suburban ATL.

When I was sitting, back in the late 70's/early 80's, I got $1/hour, regardless of how many kids or their ages. Had a steady weekly gig- at the house for 9-10 hrs each Saturday, got $8 per week. I felt rich!!

 

[DISNEY1975]

In Massachusetts, its $10 for a high school student. I wouldnt want a HS student to watch more than 3, but if you do, it would be $15.

I pro sitter gets $15.

If you have a set schedule, say every Saturday 7 - 12, you can pay a set rate..$30 - $40 a week.

 

[inkedupmomma]

it all depends where you live. $10.00 is the standard for one child, more if you have multiple children. $8.00 if the sitter is very young (think 13/14) then add per child to that.

 

[mjkacmom]

Most pay about $10 an hour. I used to pay younger teens (13/14 year olds) $8 to start out, and told my friends to pay dd13 only $6 (I only pay her $5 ). We always tip up at the end, and always drive them home (I don't expect her parents to schlep out to our house - I loved having neighborhood sitters for this reason - walk them home).

I used to get $1 an hour when I sat!

 

[LisaNJ25]

I watch a 5yo and 9yo 1 to 2 nights a week. I charge them $5.00 an hour but the mom sends food.

 

[mjkacmom]

I had to hire a nanny about a month ago and I paid $10 an hour. Her job was to entertain my kids 8 hours a day while I spent the time in bed with bad morning sickness. And i do mean entertain. Couldn't just plop them down to a movie and keep them out of trouble. And she earned every penny. Thankfully the gig was only temporary as it gets expensive paying for a full-time sitter. She was 23 and it was a FT job for her. She then moved to CA for a nanny position out there.

Wow, that's cheap! When I had my twins, I hired a nanny to watch them 2 days a week (I had to get out), and I thought I was getting off cheap at $10 an hour (she was 19, here illegally from Mexico, left her own baby with her sister to watch my kids, but cleaned as well).

 

[ilovejack02]

I watch a 5yo and 9yo 1 to 2 nights a week. I charge them $5.00 an hour but the mom sends food.

Time to up your price ..even if they send food!

I pay 7-8 an hour for a sitter, ive never been quoted a price.
My best friend has a nanny ( she is an adult) who charges 12.00 an hour for 1 child. It is her full time job and that seems to be the going rate for nannies around here.
My friends that have more than 1 child pay their babysitters 10 an hour or more depending on how many kiddos.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Time to up your price ..even if they send food!

I pay 7-8 an hour for a sitter, ive never been quoted a price.
My best friend has a nanny ( she is an adult) who charges 12.00 an hour for 1 child. It is her full time job and that seems to be the going rate for nannies around here.
My friends that have more than 1 child pay their babysitters 10 an hour or more depending on how many kiddos.

I know I know.. Last weekend I had them for 12 hours one day. I just feel bad charging more.. both parents do not make much money at all.

I also watch 2 kids mon-friday during the day and make less than that per hour.

 

[golfgal]

WOW I can't believe how much everyone pays for babysitters

DS17 is doing after school care for 2 kids, they pay him $6.50/hour, which we thought was a LOT for what he has to do, especially since he doesn't have to pay taxes on that as compared to a job in a store. When our kids were little it was $1/hour/kid so we paid $3/hour. Most admin/customer service people around her don't make $10-15/hour so paying a babysitter that would be out of the question for many people.

 

[LilyWDW]

When I used to babysit (11-12 years ago... dang I am getting old)... anyways, when I used to babysit I charged $10 per hour for 3 kids. However, I was fully first aid and CPR certified as I was also lifeguard trained. I did have one family that actually paid more due to one of their daughters being developmentally delayed (note: I didn't ask for more, they made the decision). I was also the only one to babysit for two separate families so my rate must not have been too much.

If I was getting that as a normal rate over 10 years ago, then $10 sounds like nothing these days.

 

[ORMom2Four]

DD17 is paid $10/hr to watch 2 kids (ages 4 & 6) off and on in the evenings.

 

[aprilgail2]

I paid 10.00 an hour for one kid....

 

[daisyduck123]

DD15 is paid $10.00/hour to watch our neighbor's 2yo.

 

[krcit]

My dd(14) just started watching 2 brothers for a couple of hours after school a few days a week. She gets anywhere from $8-10 an hour.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Wow, that's cheap! When I had my twins, I hired a nanny to watch them 2 days a week (I had to get out), and I thought I was getting off cheap at $10 an hour (she was 19, here illegally from Mexico, left her own baby with her sister to watch my kids, but cleaned as well).

I knew the family and she was helping me out. It was a temporary situation and for her quick cash for her move to California.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

WOW I can't believe how much everyone pays for babysitters

DS17 is doing after school care for 2 kids, they pay him $6.50/hour, which we thought was a LOT for what he has to do, especially since he doesn't have to pay taxes on that as compared to a job in a store. When our kids were little it was $1/hour/kid so we paid $3/hour. Most admin/customer service people around her don't make $10-15/hour so paying a babysitter that would be out of the question for many people.

Baby sitting in a group setting is different. If you were to break down the cost of childcare to an hourly rate of all the tuitions--it would be a lot.

I lower my per sitter cost if I have multiple sitters. It ends up costing me more though when you add them up.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We pay $12/hr in Charleston. Doesn't matter how many kids you have...it is thru an agency. They are very trustworthy...so worth it in my opinion!