How much do you pay your OWN child to babysit your younger children?

[DawnM]

Going babysitting rates here are $10/hour, which is why have only had a babysitter ONCE in the last 5 years!

 

But I now have a 13 year old.

 

Yesterday I had him babysit the 7 year old for almost 7 hours. This is the first time I have had him do this. He did a great job.

 

I only promised him $10, which he thought was great since he was in his own home and really was only responsible for feeding younger brother, making sure he was ok, playing with him some, and making sure he got out of the house in case of a fire! :lol:

 

What do you pay your child to babysit at home?

 

Dawn

[Tawlas]

I pay a flat rate, depending on time of day and what's required. My dd is 16, her little brothers are 4 and almost 2. Most often, she's in charge in the evenings. If she has to feed, bathe and put them to sleep and then hang out for a few hours, it's probably around $20. If she has to change her plans to accommodate mine, I might pay her more. If all she has to do is hang out after dh or I have put them to bed, it's more like $10 or so. I don't pay her for being responsible for them when she's already at home during the day and I'm just dashing into to town for an hour or less. She's part of the family, after all and we all help each other out for free :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

Unfortunately I don't have that option. I would probably pay the going babysitting rate since that would be what I'd have to do if I wanted a sitter.

[jelbe5]

I do not pay my soon to be 16 yod. My dh and I feel this is a way for her to contribute to our family. I will run errands and leave her in charge. Sometimes my dh and I go for dinner locally. Next week my dh and I will be going to a retirement party for a family member about 45 minutes away. I may offer to take my dd to the bookstore as a reward, but we don't pay. We also don't do allowance. We will buy things our kids ask for, within reason. They almost always ask for books, so we don't have a problem with that! :001_smile:

[Susan in TX]

I don't pay my children to babysit their younger siblings. It is considered part of their normal contribution to the family, like chores. My older teens go to public school and are very busy so occasional babysitting is the only family obligation they have.

 

Susan in TX

[eternalknot]

I was one of the older kids in a large family. I was paid room and board :)

 

We don't pay older kids to watch younger ones. My girlfriend gives her older child whatever cash she has on hand, usually $10-20 for a few hours of watching and feeding the younger two. If we're going out for Mom's Night she'll also order the oldest (and a friend) some pizza and rent a movie or something. She doesn't want to be locked into a flat rate, so sometimes she's overly generous and sometimes she's a bit more stingy LOL. It all seems to even out in the wash, and the older daughter is usually glad to just get something. She knows she has a good thing, no matter how little cash she gets, based on my family and others in our social group that are like mine!

[elfgivas]

for us, it is part of being family, so we do not pay them. we also don't pay for chores.

 

however, i have been known to occasionally surprise them by coming home with a special treat (ice cream is a popular choice). but not often enough that it becomes expected, kwim?

 

i do reward extra effort. so if while i am away, one of them spontaneously does dishes or laundry or cleans a room, then i say to them that they have saved me an hour's work, and is there something they would like to do with me for that hour or have me do for them or i might suggest we take that hour and go swimming or bike riding etc. etc.... it is a gift of time :001_smile:

 

why were you thinking of paying him? does it help him take it more seriously or ???

 

ann

[DawnM]

Ok, good....sounds like it varies quite a bit.

 

From $0 to $70......although I would NOT have gone if I had to pay $70 for 7 hours. I would have opted to take the kids with me or not go. PERIOD. That is why we have only had one babysitter in 5 YEARS!

 

He seemed happy with the $10, so I am not going to think twice about it.

 

As for allowance, we are still deciding on that too.....we used to just give allowance, but like what Suze Ormond says about them earning it. She suggests that some chores are just simply chores, but if the child wants money, he needs to do EXTRA work since that is more real life.

 

But that is for another thread.

 

Dawn

[Tenaj]

We joke around here that my daughter will babysit for Starbucks! Seriously, we can't afford to pay them much and we really don't have a formal agreement. If we go out for an evening, we try to bring a treat back but they have refused cash payment when offered. We've always worked together as a family to accomodate everyone's schedules/needs and my olders (as well as my youngers) are just a part of that system. What usually happens is that one of the olders will see that the schedule might work a bit better if they babysit one or two ( or three or four) for a while and they will volunteer.

 

Once a month or so the olders will come to me and tell me that they will babysit for dh and I to go out . . . I appreciate their willingness but don't feel obligated to compensate them for their time . . . though I guess if you get technical we do "pay them" by providing them with cash they need for various activities . . . it's just not a formal arrangement.

 

As I'm typing this, I realize that we may have an unique situation. My olders have always been willing to work with the family needs in this way and I've never given it a second thought! As an example, my 7 and 5 yods have a baseball game on an upcoming Saturday when there is a family reunion a few hours away. My oldest son is one of their coaches and has decided that he will stay home with them so they can play (the team is short on players that week). He will be here with them from sun-up to sun-down and it never even occurred to me that payment would need to be arranged. He's part of the family, they are part of the family, and the rest of us need to be somewhere else. In fact, I think he's looking forward to being in-charge for the day.

[GVD22]

I don't pay either but I will bake them something special as an extra thank you sometimes.

[clarkacademy]

Sure I pay my oldest. I feed her, I buy her clothes, I put a roof over her head, I pay cell bill provide internet etc etc. The longes she has ever watched them is maybe 2 hours. She helps around the house she has certain chores but she is not paid. My dad payes her to cut grass but tht is about it. We are a family we help each other and do what is best to make things run smoothly.

[The Girls' Mom]

Not a dime. I don't see it any differently than any other contribution a family member makes to the household. Of course mine don't get allowances either.

[specialmama]

My dd usually watches my son and it's considered part of family responsibility. However, we have paid her several times when we were about to get a sitter and decided to ask her, or if the sitter bailed. When I was out of town for a week she watched him for 2 hours a day while dh was out. For those hours, we did pay her $5 per hour. He is a handful and she is super with him. We want to pay sometimes because her time is valuable and we trust her. It also teaches good money skills. She knows not to expect payment every time.

[Pretty in Pink]

We pay our ds 5.00 per hour to watch his younger siblings. He is 12 (13 in September). He has been quite pleased with this amount.

[fairfarmhand]

nothing, most of the time.

 

She would rather stay home and babysit than drag through the store with the rest of us.

 

I do some special things for her like pay for extras for camp and things like that. Just so she knows I appreciate it.

[BatmansWife]

for us, it is part of being family, so we do not pay them. we also don't pay for chores.

 

Not a dime. I don't see it any differently than any other contribution a family member makes to the household. Of course mine don't get allowances either.

 

:iagree:

:iagree:

Same here.

[TheReader]

We just had our 13 yr old start babysitting, and so far only for short times out of the house (for ex, while we go grocery shopping).

 

The way we pay him is that he gets an extra $10 for his monthly allowance, which covers 6 hrs total of babysitting time during the month (1.25 hrs every Saturday to grocery shop). If we have him babysit more than that, we pay more.

[Tarreymere]

I don't pay children who are living at home to babysit their younger siblings. It is simply expected that they all will pitch in to help out and if a babysitter is needed then a baby sitter you shall be.

[Wheres Toto]

I pay my oldest $5/hour to babysit her younger siblings. That's if dh and I are actually going out somewhere for a reason. If I'm just running to the store quickly or something, she does it for free.

 

I chose to pay her because I've seen too many teenagers who really resent their younger siblings because they are always stuck watching them and don't get paid for it. It was hard enough on her to all of sudden have to share me after 10 years.

[AnotherLinda]

Nothing. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I don't, but my eldest gets more allowance than the other kids to make up for babysitting.

[Sukale]

If it is for 15 minutes so I can get milk at the store without getting the 3 yr old ready, nothing. But if I want to go to a movie with the hubby I will pay her $20. She will use this money to get a fancy drink at the mall or spend it in the book store. She likes spending her own money. If she didn't have that money those are things I would buy her anyway.

[SweetBean]

We help each other out as members of a family. The littles get dragged along to the big kid's activities, the big kids sometimes with baby sitting.

[hsmamainva]

It depends on why she's babysitting.

 

If we're going somewhere "routine" or "errand-based", she earns nothing. It's part of living in the family. So we don't pay her if we're going to the grocery store, Wal-Mart, Costco, the doctor or dentist's office, etc.

 

We DO pay her if we're going out socially -- out to dinner or a party or something where it's just my husband and I. Usually we'll pay her $20-$40, depending on how long we're gone.

[Georgiana Daniels]

We're supposed to pay? :001_huh:

 

As my parents told me--and so I tell my oldest--it's part of being a family. We all do things to help one another, and this is a great way for her to contribute.

 

Thankfully, our oldest has a great attitude about it!

 

BTW--I don't ever expect her to re-arrange her schedule to watch her sisters. If she has something going on, I respect that and don't ask her. If that were the case, I'd probably offer her something special if I were really in a bind.

[Kathleen in VA]

Not a ding dong thing.:) I don't charge them rent; they don't charge me to babysit.

[curlygirlzx2]

I have never paid my my older dd to watch her younger sister. I might have if she watched her on a regular basis but she only did it once in a while.

[MamaAkins]

In our house, "babysitting your siblings" is just part of being a member of our family and you do not earn money for it. However, if she does something above and beyond or turns down other plans to help us out by babysitting, then sometimes I will "surprise" her with a token of gratitude ($10-20, or a gift card for somewhere she enjoys) or a special treat.

[jen3kids]

I had a bit of a interesting situation here. my older ds was 12 and had taken the Red Cross babysitting course. His little brother was 8 and the two of them did not get along. I looked at babysitting as a way to get the two of them to do something together and have fun with each other.

 

Older ds and I came to an agreement that he would get paid $5/hour for babysitting the 8 year old. But, he would only get paid if he did a good job (younger ds' decision) and if he actually played with him. No watching tv, no disappearing into his room and letting younger brother fend for himself (which he was completely capable of)

 

It worked for us. The first time they played board games, the second time they had a lot of fun up until the last 15 minutes when older ds took a game too far (a common occurrence) and younger ds ended up in tears and older ds knew he wouldn't get paid. We had this arrangement for a year or so and it worked out really well.

 

Now, younger ds is nearly 10, so no one needs to babysit - they all hang out or do their own things when we go out.

[angela in ohio]

We let them live here rent free and we provide food and an education.

 

It's not really babysitting to me, anyway. When I leave them home, I expect everyone to be doing what they should be doing. There shouldn't be any extra work for the oldest.

[DawnM]

This is kind of what sparked this question. I used to leave youngest at home for short periods of time (grocery store for example) and sometimes I would come home to find out they had been fighting, etc....

 

 

Yesterday, when I told oldest he would get $10 for the day IF he really took the responsibility as a JOB *and* youngest said he was treated well and he didn't have any complaints.

 

It worked! Youngest said Oldest was very nice and helpful and seemed to have taken his job seriously.

 

I liked that he took this task as a job rather than just a chore and I like that he stepped up to the plate and took it seriously.

 

Dawn

 

I had a bit of a interesting situation here. my older ds was 12 and had taken the Red Cross babysitting course. His little brother was 8 and the two of them did not get along. I looked at babysitting as a way to get the two of them to do something together and have fun with each other.

 

Older ds and I came to an agreement that he would get paid $5/hour for babysitting the 8 year old. But, he would only get paid if he did a good job (younger ds' decision) and if he actually played with him. No watching tv, no disappearing into his room and letting younger brother fend for himself (which he was completely capable of)

 

It worked for us. The first time they played board games, the second time they had a lot of fun up until the last 15 minutes when older ds took a game too far (a common occurrence) and younger ds ended up in tears and older ds knew he wouldn't get paid. We had this arrangement for a year or so and it worked out really well.

 

Now, younger ds is nearly 10, so no one needs to babysit - they all hang out or do their own things when we go out.

[Anita in NC]

Nothing! However, when he wants something that seems reasonable I'll just go ahead and buy is for my 14 year old son.

 

He wanted a game for his computer and a bamboo tablet for his computer and I bought them for him.

 

If he does his share for the family - like babysitting - I'll make sure he gets the things he wants.

 

Works for us.

[2squared]

I liked that he took this task as a job rather than just a chore and I like that he stepped up to the plate and took it seriously.

 

Dawn

 

:iagree: My oldest is only 9yo, but she babysits while I mow the lawn. We live on acreage, so she babysits anywhere from 2 hours - 7 hours/week. I pay her a nominal amount, usually $2-$4 per complete cycle. She also looks after the baby for brief periods when I'm showering, running outside, napping, etc. She naturally seems to treat the lawnmowing babysitting as a job and the other babysitting as a chore.

[MamaT]

No one has to babysit now because everyone is old enough to take care of themselves. Back in the day when I had three children two and under, my older boys would have been miffed if I had tried to pay them. That was just part of being the olders in a big family. I made sure I didn't ask them to sit too much - I didn't want to take advantage of them. They always had everything they needed and more.

[Rosy]

I agree with you--I pay my kids to work because I want them to take their work seriously. Also, I don't give them money for things, so they have to earn money if they want something.

 

With babysitting, I'm not quite there yet, but it would probably depend on what I was expecting her to do. If they're all just hanging out, reading, playing Wii, etc., I probably wouldn't pay much, if at all. If she's overseeing schoolwork or putting kids to bed, maybe $1-2/hr.?

[Kalypso]

I do not pay my soon to be 16 yod. My dh and I feel this is a way for her to contribute to our family. I will run errands and leave her in charge. Sometimes my dh and I go for dinner locally. Next week my dh and I will be going to a retirement party for a family member about 45 minutes away. I may offer to take my dd to the bookstore as a reward, but we don't pay. We also don't do allowance. We will buy things our kids ask for, within reason. They almost always ask for books, so we don't have a problem with that! :001_smile:

 

This how we usually do it, too, and so far, it works well.

[lovelaughs_times_three]

I pay my dd $2/hour. This is much cheaper than the going rate. I needed it to be enough that she didn't feel frustrated, and was happy to do it, but cheap enough that it didn't keep me from going out and enjoying finally having a daughter old enough to babysit!!! So, for a date out with my husband, we can be gone 5 hours and I only have to pay $10. This works. Any more and I wouldn't feel like I could pay it, so we'd just stay home (like we've been doing for years now before dd was old enough).

I really needed this to work and to not be something my oldest resented or complained about. So, the first several times I left my 2 youngest with her I told them that they would be in MUCH WORSE trouble for disobeying my oldest while I was gone than they ever were for disobeying me. I made a super-big deal about it. I told them, that if they thought she was unfair, that they still had to obey her, and take it up with me later.

Then, of course, I had to follow through - since you KNOW they tested me on that threat! :D I followed through, they got in BIG trouble, and now there is peace!

Now they are cool about me leaving from time to time and they don't have any trouble. (I also make it easier on my dd by telling them they don't have to worry about chores or homework while I'm gone. That way, they are not balking at her over that).

My oldest dd actually offers for us to go out from time to time. $2 may not be much, but she likes getting the money. And I like that she is happy about the work!

Oh----I only pay her when it is a "date" or time with friends. When I am out doing family business, errands, dr. visits, etc, I don't pay her anything. I see that as just part of being the team we call "family". :001_smile:

[Joyofsixreboot]

I pay nothing. We're a family.

[DawnM]

See, when things like this are said, it is basically saying that my family isn't a family. Just because we have done something differently doesn't mean we are any less a family.

 

Dawn

 

I pay nothing. We're a family.

[angela in ohio]

See, when things like this are said, it is basically saying that my family isn't a family. Just because we have done something differently doesn't mean we are any less a family.

 

Dawn

 

Read it with, "because I believe..." before it. That's all anyone is saying when they post in response to a question: what they do and their reasoning. It's not a comment on anyone else.

 

(Ironically, when you posted above, I thought for a second about how my dc could still take the job seriously, even though I didn't pay them. :D But I knew you were just talking about what works for your own ds)

Edited June 8, 2011 by angela in ohio

[Running the race]

Nothing! However, when he wants something that seems reasonable I'll just go ahead and buy is for my 14 year old son.

 

He wanted a game for his computer and a bamboo tablet for his computer and I bought them for him.

 

If he does his share for the family - like babysitting - I'll make sure he gets the things he wants.

 

Works for us.

 

This is pretty much what we do.

[DawnM]

Ok, that is better.

 

I paid him a whopping $1.40 per hour and it made a huge difference in how things played out and in his taking the responsibility thing more seriously.

 

I often wonder if it would be different if I had a girl as the one to watch the youngers, but I don't.....it is a boy.

 

Dawn

 

Read it with, "because I believe..." before it. That's all anyone is saying when they post in response to a question: what they do and their reasoning. It's not a comment on anyone else. :001_smile:

[Pink Fairy]

We don't pay either. It's just part of family life.

[Chris in VA]

Going babysitting rates here are $10/hour, which is why have only had a babysitter ONCE in the last 5 years!

 

But I now have a 13 year old.

 

Yesterday I had him babysit the 7 year old for almost 7 hours. This is the first time I have had him do this. He did a great job.

 

I only promised him $10, which he thought was great since he was in his own home and really was only responsible for feeding younger brother, making sure he was ok, playing with him some, and making sure he got out of the house in case of a fire! :lol:

 

What do you pay your child to babysit at home?

 

Dawn

 

Nothing. When he was homeschooling (high school), he considered chores and babysitting part of his "tuition." LOL Really, just part of being a family.

 

But I think you did fine in your situation.