How much do you pay your Babysitters?

[Grendalynn]

I looked and looked for a thread already on this subject and I couldn't find one, so I am putting the question out there again: How much do you pay your babysitter? And for how many kids and what are their ages?? We are luck enough to have a few key babysitters and I am not new at the whole babysitter thing, but i still get baffled and stressed out about what to pay them! Is it enough or am I over paying them??

I am all for paying our babysitter well, as I want them to come back, and want to come back, and not feel like they are getting jipped. Our boys are 8 1/2 (verry self sufficient), 4 (sometimes a handful) and 9 1/2 months. Our children are well behaved for the most part; they have good manners are not rambunctious, and are not terrors. Our DS4 is a typical 4 year old, a tiny bit full of hell but has a heart of gold; listens well and doesn't push the rules! Our 8 year old is very responcipal and super helpful with the baby. DS9mo is the most work, but takes naps and goes to be early....

Here is the math: I picked her up at 10:30 and left for work at 11 - I got home at 4 and had her home by 4:15 - I paid her $35. Just under $6 per hour.... for 3 kids... $2 per kid per hour. Am I over paying? Underpaying? Far off the norm or right on?? What do you pay your sitters?

 

[SnowWhite12]

I got $2 an hour per child 20 years ago when I babysat. To me, I would think $3.50-$4.50 an hour would be fair, and that is what I offered a girl. I got laughed at. She says she charges $10 an hour!!! I gasped, and thought, that's more than we are spending to go out. I have asked many people, and the going rate around here is $5 an hour per child.

 

[bluejaygirl]

I live in Maine and pay my babysitter $2.00 an hour per kid while I work. She has a small daycare. Another friend also has an in-home daycare and it comes to about the same- $2.00 an hour.

My teenaged niece used to babysit at night and she charged $4.50 ( $3.00 an hour for first kid, $1.50 for additional- the kids were probably 3 and 8 then)

I guess I would ask the babysitter how much they charge and work it out with them before hiring them...

 

[ntink]

I think it all depends on the average rate for where you live. I pay high school students $8 per hour and college students $10 per hour for my 2 DDs ages 5 and 9. When I have asked how much they make, they always leave it up to me to set an amount. I live in SE PA and these rates are consistent with what my friends pay their babysitters.

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

We live in southern NH. I pay 10/hour for 2 kids. I think personally 6 is a little low for 3...but things are more expensive down here...

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD12 got $7.00/hour for babysitting our neighbor's 9yo girl.

It was the afternoon, the girl slept almost the whole 3 hours, & the neighbor gave her $21.00.

That's the norm around here though...anywhere from $6.00-$10.00 hour.
I don't know any sitters who sit for less than $6.00/hour.

**To answer the OP, I think $35.00 for 6 hours worth of sitting 3 kids is low...at least in my area.

 

[bluejaygirl]

My gosh, I think I need to move and start babysitting!

 

[Grendalynn]

Ok, So my gut instict was right - I was/am under paying; she wouldn't have said yes or no wither way, so i will be sure to give her extra money tomorrow when I see her. There are many times where I over pay and give a flat rate of $40 when we are only gone a couple of hours at night for dinner. I rarely leave during the day or have a sitter during the day thats not a family member. Good to know - I will be sure to make a mental note! Thanks so much, I am still interested to know what the going rates are or what you pay... Thanks!

 

[nextidiot]

We use the free sitter:




Then, we just place some sippy cups of water, a few fruit snacks, and a bowl of chex mix or something.... Usually buys us an hour or two.

 

[dfarner]

Good, reliable babysitters that WANT to work are a rare commodity in our immediate area, so we pay pretty well. We pay our 16 y/o sitter $10-12/hr for two girls, 6 and 1. Our oldest is self sufficient pretty much, but obviously needs supervision. The baby is walking and getting into everything, so unless she's napping it's constant go, go, go. If the sitter is here during a mealtime and the kitchen is cleaned up well, or the girls needed a bath, etc...she'll usually get a tip, too.

 

[dyna]

DD was only paying my other DD 2.00 an hour to baby sit gson while she worked BUT it was also a hardship case I wouldn't expect my DD to babysit for anyone else for that. This was for 3 full days a week an possibly half of another day.

Even tho DD had another baby and has lost her job she had last year when she goes back to work she still not going to be able to pay anymore than 2 - 2.50 an hour for my other DD to watch the babies.

I'm just blessed that I got a DD that can an will babysit cheaply otherwise I'd be doing it an it's a job I really don't want full time a day here an there I don't mind but full time NO WAY.

30 yrs ago I baby sat for my cousins kids that was like 7 and 9 was paid 75 a week 1 week and 100 the next every other week i had them 3 days the other weeks 2 days also did the laundry and dishes etc no major house cleaning but basic every day stuff along with watching the girls.

A couple of years later after I was married with 2 babies under the age of 2 I baby sat them again for the summer all day every day got like 150.00 a week and I should have been paying their mom to let me have them at my house cause they helped me so much would have not charged her had I not needed the money so bad at the time.

 

[dfarner]

We use the free sitter:




Then, we just place some sippy cups of water, a few fruit snacks, and a bowl of chex mix or something.... Usually buys us an hour or two.

You better watch out, you might end up on the news!

 

[calliemom]

We pay our babysitter $8/hour to play with our 8 year old daughter, meaning no t.v. or video games while we are out to dinner. Our thinking is that she deserves that much money for entertaining our daughter for 4 solid hours!

 

[ljhmom]

We pay our sitter $9/hour for 3 kids, if only 1-2 kids we pay her $6/hour, I have a friend whose sitter charges $10/hour for 1 child.

 

[momto2girls]

We pay $10 a hour for two girls, ages 4 and 7.

 

[cookleitz]

If you were taking your children to an in home sitter, they would typicaly have a maximum dollar amount per day. For example, the sitter I use is $4 an hour or a maximum of $28 per day. I tend to pay $4-$5 an hour for one child. My friend who has 3 kids pays $7-$8 an hour.

Hope this helps!

ccl

 

[Ally_DeVille]

I pay $15 an hour for my sitter, she is wonderful. However, I rarely go out as it really kills the budget.

The other night I went to the movies to see the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie, my ticket was free. 4 hours of babysitting $60, $25 to park my car, $15 snacks in the movie (also dinner). $100 gone so fast; the movie was good but not that good.


My friends complain that I never go out sans baby anymore, when I tell them how much the sitter costs they are surprised-- it's only a 2 hour movie-- but aren't factoring in time to get there, stand in line for tickets and food, parking costs, and chatting with them afterwards.

 

[Grendalynn]

Wow - i am not far and and didn't think I was afterall. But I am amazed at just how much sitters are going for in other places. $7-8 is about the average around here I have found today. $10 is amazing and anything over an above that is a big score!!! One girl that I knwo who babysits said that she doesn't charge a set rate. She would never tell a mom ro dad that it wasn't enough $$, and would def. take etra if it was given -but what she was/is paid would def. sway her thought of babysitting for them again.

I also think a lot depends on the conditons they babysit under - is there plenty of muchies/food for them, are the kids behaving well, what is the length of their duties.... If they drove there themselves, gas money factors into the job. Also if she takes them somewhere special, walks to the park, for ice cream yadda yadda yadda. I think that is also something to consider along with experience. Agree / disagree?

 

[tinkandpan]

I live outside NYC and I pay my sitters usually 12 -15 an hour depending on whether I have to go pick them up, if the kids are sleeping etc. I have a 2 yr old and a 5yr old. That's the going rate around here. It stinks as it gets really pricey to go out.

 

[klineyqueen]

I am lucky in a big way. My DMom watches my kids while I work. I want to pay and she refuses. We have it worked out that I give her 10 bucks a day...I talked her into it because she gives them lunch. she takes my DS to preschool 2 days...this year 3 days a week. I am a teacher so I am off in the summer.

This thread intersts me, incase I would ever need to hire a teen to watch them.