we haven't done much "dating." we've made it out the door without any children thanks to our wonderful parents who babysit occasionally. but other than, we don't really get out much. but this past weekend a baby sitter was hired & we went to the movies with my mom and some family friends. on the drive home, we started wondering, how much do we pay? you want to pay enough so that they will want to come back, but you don't want to break the bank... so, how much do you pay your baby sitter?xoxo, K
I’m also fortunate to have parents and in-laws that will babysit. But the few times I’ve hired a babysitter (and I’ve used teenagers and adults and I pay the same for either) I’ve paid minimum wage, plus 50 cents extra an hour per kid. Minimum wage is $7.50 where I live, so $7.50 plus three kids would be $9.00 an hour. I live in the midwest, but I think the going rate is higher in other locales. When I was a teen/young adult I remember getting paid something like 4 to 7 dollars an hour (depending on the family), and I remember feeling like I was totally being ripped off.
ReplyDeleteWhen we hired our babysitter, we agreed on $10/hour, when she's there only when my boy's asleep, and that we'd probably go up to $12/hour or so if she had to give him a bath or get him to bed. That said, we always round up, so she already ends up getting $12-15/hour. (That may sound high, but it seems typical where I live - Boston.)
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky. I live in Chile. I pay $8 an hour and my sitter thinks she's hit the jackpot! However, back in the States I have no idea what I'd pay. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI think I usually pay $2 per kid per hour. My kids are between the ages of 5 and 11. If I had younger kids, I may pay a little more because it would be more work. I usually round up. I've asked different babysitters how much they usually get, and what we pay is pretty average. (I live in the D.C. area) $12 an hour, yikes! I couldn't afford that :)
ReplyDeleteWhere I am in the suburbs of Houston, an experienced babysitter is $10-$12/hour. Since I have two toddlers I haven't started using teens yet.
ReplyDeleteYep, in Houston I'd say $10-12. I was making between $8 & $10 when I was into babysitting 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI pay $10 in the Seattle area and I think that is on the lower end. I only have one though and he is usually sleeping so I sometimes think 10 is a lot. Oh well, it is worth it for a date night.
ReplyDeleteI made $5 an hour 10 years ago. I think $8 - $10 is good. For more than one kid and if I had to do something like get dinner ready or get them clean and ready for bed, $10 or $12 would be okay.
ReplyDeleteI laugh a little when I think about how I pay babysitters. I really need to think of a better system. I don't carry cash, but when I used to babysit I always liked cash instead of checks. So I stop by the ATM on my way home. All of my babysitters get paid in increments of $20s. 1-3 hours: 20$, 3-6 hours: 40$, etc. 99% of the time my daughter is sleeping so my husband gets mad that I pay this much money, but oh well. Some day I will figure out a better system
ReplyDeleteWow, I am feeling incredibly cheap?! I only have 1 child so far, so I pay $5 an hour. When I have more I'll start with $5 and then add $1 per each kid. We're never gone for longer than 3 hours and the cute little girls in our neighborhood say that's what everyone pays?... I'm good with that, as long as they are!
ReplyDeleteI pay the same as horsley home. So our babysitters get $6/hr. They are all younger girls 12-14, and they act very happy with it. We don't live in a major city, but when we lived near Portland, Or we paid the same and the girls always acted like it was more than enough.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago we had a babysitter and I paid the $2 per hour per kid rate. She lived right around the corner and rode her bike to my house.
ReplyDeleteLast year I had a babysitter again and I factored in the fact that she had to drive to my house outside of town and that gas prices are not great for her either. I paid her $25 for two and a half hours.
we're cheap but I pay $2.50 per kid per hour for a 4 year old and 2 year old.
ReplyDeleteI would never skimp on paying a babysitter well (even though we definitely don't have "extra" money- our budget is tight). I figure I want to encourage the sitter to feel as though they're compensated for taking GOOD care of my son (I have one) and my home. I pay $8/hour in Utah for my one son (I would pay more if I could). I would pay differently if I lived somewhere else or if I was leaving more children, as I definitely think you should take that into consideration. I think many people in my area are generally too cheap- several girls I've asked say that they are paid $4-6/hour for more than one kid. That's crazy to me. (I was paid $7/hour when I was in 7th grade in TX- 16 years ago.)
ReplyDeleteIf my family babysits (I have a sister in college nearby), I always try to compensate by taking her out to dinner, buying her a border's gift certificate or movie tickets.. rather than money (which she wouldn't take).
I guess it could never hurt to ask what their rate is. That's probably a safe bet- and if it's low, tag on a couple of $$ so that they'll love to come back and do a great job.
One of our friends is our sitter. She's not your typical sitter age, but enjoys doing it on the side. Her rate for us is $10/hr. However I continue to sit for one family and am generally paid around $12-$15 an hour which seems to be the norm in Baltimore.
ReplyDeleteI live downtown indy, work from home, and have a babysitter here around 8-12 hours a week so I can get business done. I pay them $10 an hour, which I feel is completely worth it! BTW...I have 2 little girls 3 and 1 years old.
ReplyDeletei always ask girls how much they get payed and they never know. i wonder if they ever do the math. i pay $2 per kid per hour. unless we're not gone long then i pay more because i feel silly only handing them a few bucks. (in ut & id)
ReplyDeleteI pay 2-3 per hour per child, depending on the babysitter. And if I come home to a clean house and kids asleep it is always a bonus...like 5-8 dollars more. So for us, with 4 kids, that is 8 dollars an hour plus an 8 dollar bonus. And with the older kids helping it seems like pretty easy money.
ReplyDeleteok, I'm feeling really cheap. For me it depends on the age of the babysitter. My 12 year old sitter gets paid differently than my 16 year old sitter. I usually pay the 12 year old 1$ per hour per child ( I have 4 children) and then what ever the total is I add another 5-10$. The thing is I usually get sitters for the evenings and the kids are usually asleep so they are really just sitting there since my kids go to bed so early. I must say though that when I was babysitting as a kid my mother drilled it into me to leave the home better than the way I found it. After getting the kids to bed I would zip around and pick up, maybe wash the dishes, sweep the floors etc. I haven't really encountered babysitters that do this in this day and age and if I did, you better believe they would be getting a huge raise and I would higher them more often.
ReplyDeleteI think it totally depends on where you live, the age of your babysitter and the going rate in your neighborhood, and the rate you are willing to pay her so you will be at her top of the list! Also how many kids you have....so many factors! Growing up (I lived in many different states) I was paid anything from 4 dollars an hour to 22. In Utah....a babysitter I loved that was older 9 an hour, if it is just the 13 year old across the street that comes over for a couple hours 5 an hour. Which is more than the other ladies she sits for pay her so...who knows!
ReplyDeleteVanessa from inevergrewup.net
we have 3 littles ones . . . 2, 3, and 4 and we pay our sitters $10-$12/hr. And a lot of times my husband will throw in a few extra dollars because we don't get out much . . . and we know how much work 3 little ones are! we are in new orleans . . . and i think that we might be a little on the higher side but with 3 children, we like to keep our sitters happy so they want to sit for us!
ReplyDeleteI'm a babysitter-nanny. As for babbysitting goes, I am paid no less then $12-$15 an hour.
ReplyDeleteAnd lets say for instance, I am looking after one family, and another family wants to piggy back, that family is respoisble for paying me in full as well.
Just remeber, that your leaving your child(en)who are utterly precious to you in the hands of a caregiver who will more then likely fall in love with your children and as well care deeply for them.
That right there is worth a million dollars.
I have a college girl that babysits for me 3 -4 times a week and I pay her a 75-100 dollars a week and she thinks that is perfect. I live in Idaho. When I have younger girls 13-14 year olds I do 1.50 per child per hour so it ends up being 3 dollars an hour. They think it is great but they are at my house for about 6-8 hours. My children are 2 and 1
ReplyDeleteI'm also a nanny. In California, I got paid $10.50 an hour for a one year old (which was definitely not a living wage.) In Baltimore, $10 an hour for a one year old. I'm moving to Philly and will be making $14 an hour for a 7 month old... I guess it all depends on the family, but I think at least $10 for one kid... obviously the more kids, the more money.
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