Heidi Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 If all the kids will be in bed already and the sitter is here for 3.5 hours, 8pm to 1130pm? We never hire babysitters, usually just trade off with a friend, so we have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 This comes up every other month. The most important factor is where you live. I'd expect to pay $10/hour at a minimum and have a tip, even if the kids were in bed the whole time. The tip would simple be bigger depending on what the sitter had to do. You need to ask your neighbors, people at your church/religious community, people at your gym after Zumba class, people where you live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) I always have a hard time with this too. Ten dollars an hour seems pretty steep but we don't use a babysitter. A few years ago I had neighbors I was close to with teenagers and they would sometimes babysit for a few hours but they always just put a movie on for my boys, definitely not worth $10 per hour. I pay $9/hr (for 2 kids, it would be $5 for one child) for a Parents Night Out where the boys are fed dinner and participate in activities the entire time. I am curious to see the other responses, particularly since the old neighbors are moving back in and the teen expressed an interest in babysitting. Edited September 1, 2012 by SJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 For teens, my rule of thumb is $6/hr for one child, plus $2/hr extra for each additional child. For a single family, I might cap that at $10/hr (but if it involves multiple families, I would not cap it.) If I had kids under 3, I'd aim towards a bit higher, as they require a lot of work! For adult sitters, I'd pay $10/hr minimum, going up if I had more than 3 kids (or if it involved multiple kids). For jobs less than 4 hours, I'd likely pay at least 4 hrs wages minimum, especially if the sitter has to come more than 10 minutes from her home to mine. We live in a fairly low wage and low expense area. Lots of folks make minimum wage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 And a tip!? :001_huh: Man, I must be cheap since it would never occur to me to tip a babysitter! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 My kids earn $10-$15 an hour. But, we live in a really nice area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 For a teen who will just be sitting here playing on her iphone? She won't interact with my kids at all. They will be asleep. $10/hour? That stinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 For a teen who will just be sitting here playing on her iphone? She won't interact with my kids at all. They will be asleep. $10/hour? That stinks. It might be different in your area. Definitely ask around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Babysitting for 5 kids???? In my neck of the woods you would be lucky if it was only $20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I have 3 kids, live in a moderate to higher COL area, outer burbs of a large east coast city. In my area, 12-15/hr is typical for sitting for 3 kids. We intereviewed a few people through care.com and that was pretty typical, and when I searched care, that's what came up for my area, which confirmed my experience. I would probably pay at least 10/hr even if they are asleep already when the sitter comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Imissed that it was five kids! Yup. In my area that would definitely be a $15/hour job. At least. I know they will have been put in bed, but kids wake up. Especially at your kids' ages. They get scared without mom. You want someone good! Be willing to pay well for your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAIMOM Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 If all the kids will be in bed already and the sitter is here for 3.5 hours, 8pm to 1130pm? We never hire babysitters, usually just trade off with a friend, so we have no idea. My daughter had a family tell her they pay $ much an hour but only half that after the kids were in bed. I always went with the motto of asking what a teen charged...if they did not have a set price I would say we pay $__ an hour is that agreeable with you? It really depends on your kids. Have you trained them to stay in bed after they have been put there? If so they should not be a problem. If you know your kids will be a hassle then you will want to make it worth the sitters time or she will not come back. Do you have an adult friend that might want a little Christmas money to come sit with your kids? I have done that plenty of times. I have said "hey we need someone to sit at the house with our kids while we are out. It will be about 3 and half hours and I am willing to pay $25. They will already be in bed so feel free to bring a book or watch some tv." In my opinion it is crazy to pay an inexperienced teen the same amount I would pay a Nannie service or a program that feeds my kids and does activities with them. I take all of that into consideration...did I have to pick them up? Do I have to drop them off at home? Are they experienced? Will the kids be up and will the sitter be feeding them and cleaning the dishes? I have a set price and then offer more for different services....like we pay $6 and hour but we will need you to feed and put them to bed so we will pay $8 and hour. Or you could do like the family my daughter sat for....we pay $10 an hour when awake but $8 an hour when in bed... Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Why not just ask the prospective babysitter how much she charges? :confused: In our area, you'd have a tough time finding someone willing to watch 5 kids, whether or not they were all supposed to be in bed, but if you did, I can't imagine that you'd get away with paying less than $75 plus a tip for the 3.5 hours -- and that would be considered a bargain. (Personally, I think it's highway robbery, but it is what it is! :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 $10-15 per hour here for two children. Doesn't matter whether they're asleep. Plus I would want my sitter to take her responsibilities just as seriously when the kids are asleep. For more than two, I'm afraid I'd have to pay more. I've traded sitting in the past with a friend. She came to our place one week while dh and I went out and then I went to hers the next. Is that maybe an option for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 All of these babysitting threads make ME want to become a babysitter again. My dh who works in a prision with DIRECT PRISONER CONTACT makes less per hour take home than most of your sitters and he is in with violent criminals. For foster care, we get $14.35 a DAY for a foster child 0-12 years old. That is for 24 hours of care, their transportation, food, some clothing, activities, etc. I know we don't do foster care "for the money" but if we did, we would be better off babysitting for most of the families here for ONE HOUR for kids that are much more likely to be well behaved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 And don't forget, kids have "something is up" radar. Even if they are "always" in bed and asleep by 8, they very well may sense the "something is different tonight" energy and not settle in as expected. Particularly if you are showering, dressing, doing makeup, etc. My sibs and I were horrible to babysitters and ran some off, even though we were always well behaved for parents. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 $12 an hour for my 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhschool Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I used to pay $11 an hour, for 3 hours. I did it a few times over 2 summers. I would order a veggie pizza, see it delivered, and give them 2 bottles of water before leaving. The babysitter was great and played board games with DC the whole time. I think it's not so much how much work they have to do. It's also that they are in charge. If there is a fire, the babysitter is the one who will take your kids out of bed and save them. If someone tries to break in, the babysitter will call 911. They are the ones who will keep your babies safe. So I think it's worth paying them lots of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeetime Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I think it probably varies greatly from area to area - here I pay adults/college students $10/hour to babysit my 5 kids. If it's a young teen I pay $8/hour. Both of those rates are above minimum wage in our state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 My daughter had a family tell her they pay $ much an hour but only half that after the kids were in bed. I always went with the motto of asking what a teen charged...if they did not have a set price I would say we pay $__ an hour is that agreeable with you? Good luck Why not just ask the prospective babysitter how much she charges? :confused: Definitely ask prospective sitters what they charge. Experienced sitters are likely to have set rates, which you need to know before agreeing to hire them. I can't imagine the surprise if it's not discussed ahead of time and you planned on paying much less than what they usually earn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 We pay $20 per hour to the person who minds our 3 kids. But she's an adult nanny with experience and all the relevant documentation (first aid certs, insurance etc), she can drive them to things, help with school work, cook, clean their rooms (if you'd seen the state my kids get their rooms into you would understand why this young woman is an absolute angel!) - I'd probably only pay $10 per hour for a casual/student babysitter whose job is just to be there while the kids are asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 $6-7/hr is what they would get for that at our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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