Going rate for babysitting?

[megveg]

wow! anyone in mass need a babysitter? Ill sit for 5 bucks an hour to color and watch disney movies!

 

[RN01]

I also live in a small town in IL. I pay around $3/ hour for my 3 year old. That is the going rate around here. I just can't see paying a teenager $10/ hour when I only make $4 more than that working as a registered nurse.

 

[dmked]

Wow people pay a lot for babysitters! Around here the going rate is $2-3 hr for the first kid and $1 extra per hour each add'l kid. I haven't used a babysitter much since my parents always want to watch the kids (we don't really go out much without them though!) I don't know how anyone affords to go out with rates like $10/hr

 

[Tator Tot's Mom]

I work in Early Childhood Education- and when my staff watch children outside of work they get paid big $$$. We are in a wealthy area of WI and these ladies make about $10-$14 an hour during the week- well the parents think nothing of paying them $150-$200 a night when they go out for the evening. So they make great money from 6pm-midnight on weekends... and the parent are happy because these teachers already know, love and care for their children on a regular basis. Technically they aren't "supposed to" sit for the families from the center outside of work- but when I can only pay the $10 an hour and they are worth their weight in gold- I look the other way. It makes the parents and teachers extreamly happy.

 

[themilesfamily]

I'm in Iowa. We pay our teenage babysitter $5/hr for one child. We have the absolute BEST sitter and I am so thankful for her.

 

[disfan07]

I live in fairfax county, va and i am one of the "cheaper" babysitters around here.....i babysit for mostly teachers and families with only one working parent so i set up my charges according to that
For one kid, i usually charge $7/hr
For 2-4 kids, i charge $10/hr
ive babysat 5 adn 6 kids before and that was $13/hr
andi have infant/child cpr adn first aid certification, preschool camp experience adn 7 yrs experience babysitting and i am 18 yrs old

Right now, on a fairly regular basis i babysit for a family wit 4 kids (10months, 3, 6 and 9) and i only charge $10/hr but the kids are very very well behaved so i cant imagine charging more than $10/hr

 

[Aristomommy]

Thanks everyone. I will have a 13 yo and she will watching my 2 kids over lunch. I was thinking 6-7$ an hour. We live in Ohio. I just want to be fair
to her.

I live very close to you in Ohio. I pay our 13 year old sitter $6 an hour, but I round up often at the end of the day so it may be closer to $7. She babysits an evening out for $20 when the kids are in bed most of the time. I also have two other babysitters for occasional evenings: 17 year old that charges $8/hour and 18 year old for $10/hour. They babysit for other families as well and I asked them what they usually charge or get from other families.

The 13 year old is fairly new to babysitting and she started out as a mother's helper for $4/hour since I was home with her. It was helpful for me to get things done around the house and she could ask me questions if she needed help. My kids are 9 and 3, btw.

 

[vettechick99]

I live in a small town and pay our sitter about $6-7/hour for our one 14m old daughter. We use her a few times a month for Saturday evenings, which I think is prime time for a high schooler. If it was a weekday, we'd pay a little less.

 

[gasperdam]

In our area the going rate is $10/hr. I don't think it is unreasonable either,
considering the sitter in in charge of my children. I think it is well worth the $$$ for a very responsible, experienced,person, IMO.

Besides, as a mom to 4 kids, I can understand how much work it usually is. Young kids, especially, can really wear you out!

Quote:
Originally Posted by lpoeppelman
Our b-sitters range from 2-4.00 an hour depending on how many kids are at home. 4.00 is quite a lot in our area.

Oh... and these sitters clean the house, actually PLAY with the kids, and make dinner. I think we're a bit spoiled after reading PPs.

WOW! That's unbelievable!