How much per hour should I pay the babysitter?

[D L and K's Mom]

My 15 year old babysits and makes $5.00 and hour. She babysits for 2 girls (5 and 7). The people she usually sits for give her a few extra dollars here and there. She loves the family and loves playing with the kids.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I got paid, usually, $1.00 an hour when I babysat...and everyone had three kids!!!

I can't believe what some of you are paying for a babysitter!

If I had to guess, I would have said around minimum wage. Boy, was I wrong!

 

[Chris2597]

DD has limited her jobs to 2 families and has just taken on another. All three families have lovely children. One family pays extremely well....the other original mom is a fly by night payer....one job she will pay very well, the next time mediocre, and then another time paltry....there is no rhyme nor reason for this....the other night dd was there unitl almost 3am and she barely made 6.00 an hour....she was suppose to finish before midnight...I told her she needs to set a fee for after midnight sitting. The new family that she is sitting for pays about average $6 for 2 children....the other families have 3.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

So what is the consensus here....Should a sitter, especially one that is sought after...directly state her price? if so, what would be a good way to say it....one that would be comfortable for a 17 yr old.

i know this will be different for everyone..I dont state my price directly..Most of the families i sit for i meet because their kids are in the class i work in at the day care center...I know the families and would feel weird asking for a price..if they insist, i tell them i usually make anyhwere from 8-15 dollars an hour

 

[daisyduck123]

$10.00 an hour around here.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This thread is so interesting....I told DD that she should state her hourly price. She says she would feel uncomfortable saying anything and would rather just refuse jobs to people that underpay...

So what is the consensus here....Should a sitter, especially one that is sought after...directly state her price? if so, what would be a good way to say it....one that would be comfortable for a 17 yr old.

The problem with not stating anything is that sometimes parents will think they are paying an ok amount and then the babysitter will be "busy" and not come back to sit because the parents are underpaying. I at least think that the sitter should give a range. They can tell the parents that it's up to them to pay what they are comfortable paying, but most parents with 2 kids about the age of their kids pay between X and X dollars and hour, with an extra dollar an hour after midnight. Something along those lines.

Yesterday my 15yo DS sat for someone he'd never sat for before. It's a guy he knows through our congregation, but the man has a foster son. I was a bit irritated because the man was supposed to pick our son up (lives about 20 minutes away and that arrangement was made clear to him, which he agreed to), but then he asked my DH if we could bring our son over. My son had told him that he charged $6/hour, which might be low for some parts of the country, but it's on the low side for here, even for just one child. But that's what my son told him, so he needed to honor it. The guy did pay more than that, though (more like $7/hr including driving time), so it worked out. But I'm not driving him next time!

 

[TiggerStac]

I have not been sitting for almost 5 years, but did a lot thru college. In a very nice area outside of Boston. I continued to sit for 2 of the families after I graduated for some extra $$, until I could no longer. I got 10-12/hr. Once I graduated college (and moved about 45 minutes away) they would also pay me for my time driving there and home again...gee they must have really liked me.

I was the one who called it quits, it was too much being in my 1st trimester. I can only imagine what this area pays now. Both of the families had 2 children.