How much should I pay a babysitter?

I would prefer a girl. We have not had a sitter in a while,but we have paid about $5(this was a couple of years ago) an hour if it was a college girl. We like older babysitters. I guess it would depend on their age,plus we always gave extra if it was going to be a late night.

When our bigger girls were smaller,my husband and I would have a night out once a week. We would wait and leave when it was about bedtime,then the sitter would just be there to get their baths and put them to bed...they would just be there while they slept.

Enjoy the Christmas party!
Molly

 

Well I've never babysat for money before {I just think taking care of the kids period is privalige itself, I probably have more fun than the kids do! ) but I'd say anywere from 3 to 5 dollars an hour, and maybe more if you're going to be gone a long time.
~Miss Abby
Proverbs 31:30 KJB

 

At least the minimum wage.

 

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

When I started babysitting about 7-8 years ago, $5/hr was standard.

 

Diane,

Do you not have family that you can trust? Also, I definetly wouldn't leave my children with someone I didn't know.

 

Don't know if this will help or not, but what we have done in the past is find someone in the youth group who seems mature, responsible, and friendly. Ask other parents in the church if they have used someone from the youth group. My babysitting during high school was mostly church members, then it expanded to their friends not in our church. When asked what I charged I said what they pay me was up to them. Sometimes I got more, sometimes I got less. But, I always got called back to sit for them.
In the past, when we have gone out from say 7 p.m. or so till about midnight, we have paid about $20-30.00 (2 kids) plus have a pizza delivered that was already paid for by CC or leave a check for the sitter to pay with. I think asking someone in the church will give you an idea as to who to ask as well as what the going rate is. Most of the sitters that we have gotten from our church youth groups, have petty much much said what I did, pay what you think I'm worth. Any that we have had in the past have come again to sit for us.

 

it really depends how long... when it's late at night I normally ask above and beyond normal as I do need to be compensated for lack of sleep. However I don't babysit often just because I can't stand unruly children and most of the time I'm being asked to baby sit pre-teens or my neighbors who are unsaved and do not believe in disipline want my help... and I have nightmares the whole night because respect is not in their little vocabularies LOL

Children are a blessing, but they need to be brought up properly

anyway... I'd say 5 bucks an hour unless the spirit leads you elsewhere... also, if your kid really enjoyed themselves let the teen know... I love to hear when a kid really likes me LOL

 

My two 13 yr olds babysit for the Christian family across the street (they take turns)and she pays $3 to $5 an hour. She has called me numerous times to tell me how much she appreciates having good, clean, modest Christian girls available to watch her precious babies (2 and 5 yrs)She rounds the pay to the nearest $5, and the girls are thrilled.

My girls play games and read stories, etc. The boys beg for them to come over : ))

Is there a good Christian teen boy at your church that you trust and Nick likes? A big brother type?

 

I always took what was given to me. Sometimes, I didn't go back if I felt like what I had been paid was not worth my time. That did not happen often, but once, I babysat from 6 pm to 1 am and was given $10. When I babysat for a family over the summer, they started me out at $160 a week. After I had worked faithfully for them for 4 summers, I was given $175 a week for four days a week. I'm not sure how much per hour that was.

Dianne...I would say pay about $5-6 an hour. Your babysitter has to be able to justify using his or her time to watch Nick. That may sound bad...but some of us college kids have to earn money, and we literally can't afford to babysit if it's not worth our time and gas money.

 

Diane, how I evaluate the matter is that I put myself in their situation. I figure up the time that will be required of me and the level of difficulty (does your child play quietly by hisself most of the time or require constant attention?) and then I calculate what I feel is an appropriate wage that would be acceptable to me for such a venture. I don't base it on what I feel is appropriate for myself to pay. Of course that depends on your level of income, but personally I think $3.00 an hour is ludicrous.
Also, realize that whoever is sitting for you is doing you a favor (especially if they have to make time in their schedules, and babysittting usually requires that) and will be more likely be available for future needs especially those spur of the moment situations if it is worth their while.

 

That doesn't sound bad at all. Especially when you consider what she'd have to pay if her child was dropped at a licensed childcare facility. Our neigbors next door have 4 kids the wife can't work because the cost of childcare for them would be over $600.00 monthly. Back in the days when only 10% of high school students could get employed while in school it was a different story. But today 65% are employed in some capacity even on a temporary basis. In other words,they could be doing other things. And for college students its different because we are usually broke all the time and regardless theres always some studying or something to do. As a person who has had tho find sitters in the past, I would simply ask "How much is it worth for you to have a sitter to make time for you to be werever it is you need to be"? I mean were not talking union wages or anything but in my experience you get what you pay for. Of course if your paying $20.00 an hour you're probably not going to get that much in return but on the flipside, stinginess won't produce satisfactory performance either.

 

I should have been clearer in one thing I said..."I always took what was given to me."
What I meant was..when they asked how much they owed me, I said "Whatever you think is best."
As I got older and had a job where I didn't necesarrily "have" to babysit, I became much more exclusive in my choice of babysitting. I stuck with my summer babysitting, and a weekly job where I picked a little girl up from my work,(I worked at a school) and took her home until her mom got home two or three hours later. I have cousins that I'll babysit too. Yes, I get paid for babysitting my cousins..but hey, my aunt and uncle can afford it. We have affectionately named their house "the castle" If I know that a family really can't afford it, I will babysit for free IF i like the kids. There was one family that, even though they paid me well, after I babysat for them a few times, I told my mom "I don't care if my plans are to sit at home and eat popcorn, if they call, I have plans."

 

My very responsible 13 yr old left at 4:30 Tuesday, walked across the street, babysat, came home at 10 minutes to 7pm with $10 and she did not think it was ludicrous.

I think her age has a lot to do with it, if she were 17 and had to drive her own vehicle to get there, it would be a different story.

Assuming that Diane could drive to get the person, and knowing that Nick is not a baby, he will be able to talk to Mom and Dad about how the evening went when they get home, I think sometimes (certainly not always) younger teens can have more play type fun than an older person. Since they are going to a party, it seems concievable that they could be gone from 6pm till 11pm, I would think around $20 would be o.k.(not super generous, but acceptable), I appear to be in the minority.

In the Seattle area, I think min wage is like $7.55 and THAT would be quite ridiculous for sitting around playing video games with a nine year old that can put himself to bed. IMHO

p.s. - my sis in law pays 1100.00 per mo. to have her two kids at a liscensed facility .

 

My neighbor would pay that as well for her two children. Two are in school. And the $600.00 a month was based on part time employment.

Compare that with what it costs you to pay a childcare facility to do the same and THAT is ridiculous.

Maybe so but as you said they were getting your responsible 13 year old. Regardless of age I pay good for good services and that probably is related to the fact that I waited tables for so many years. Don't get me started on stingy Christians, and I am in no way suggesting that Diane, you, or anyone else contributing to this thread is that. But I know lots of people who are Christians who are tightwads and would have to think long and hard about giving a friend 5 bucks to have a lifesaving operation. Our youth have lots of pressures in today's day and age. When I pay them above average for doing something for me it lets them know that I appreciate their efforts and that makes them feel good about themselves. I also don't usually have a problem when I need them to help me with something whatever it is (yard, babysitting, constructiion, etc...) And I don't always give them a load of money, sometimes its free movie tickets, dining coupons, etc.. but something, nontheless that they can enjoy. Conversely, I know some Christian people who will contract some youths in the congregation to do something for them, pay them nearly nothing, and them act like they are doing them a huge favor as such. I know this because when I've had a few babysit for me, or mow my yard etc... they've complained about their experiences.