Tranquility7 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 We've never needed a paid sitter before, and I bet our friend will tell us we don't need to pay her. But if we were to pay her, what would be a reasonable rate? It's a 6-9:30 timeframe, and just an 11-month old. I'm thinking if she says no thanks to cash, we could get her a gift card in the amt we would pay her, is that a good idea? (Probably to Cold Stone Creamery so she could take her sisters and/or nieces and nephews when they are in town.) Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $10/hr for 1 kid is the going rate here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 It'll really depend on where you live because babysitting rates vary hugely in different places. $30 is the lowest I'd pay in the US and I would go up to $50-$60 in certain cities for an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 About $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $10 an hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $15 an hour here. Sometimes more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $10/he in Midwest. And that's with all 3 of my kids. The older two can listen to stories, read to themselves and put themselves to bed without help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Around here, teens expect $10 for one kid, more for additional kids. College students and older are paid more. Around $15/hour. People that pay them less don't get the sitter to agree to come back, but most sitters are up front about what they charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $10 an hour If she doesn't want to be paid but you feel you must I'd give her $20 not a gift card. "Please, at least take $20" while handing her the money. If you want to pay her, no matter what, have the cash ready and hand it to her before talking about it. Just my two cents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I need your zip code to determine that. :) For us it depends on driving ability (so 17+ who can drive with kids in the car get more). $10/hr for kids, $15/hr for 17+, $20 for chauffeur service (local), $20/hr + gas for long drives, because when it comes to driving I want the best. This is in the Seattle area. Minimum wage is about $10 but that is not enough for rent and food for someone (with no vacation and no taxes, that is only $20k for an adult working full time the whole year--no way!). So I don't pay that little on principle. But you are talking about a friend, which in my opinion is different. I mean you're not talking friend of the family's daughter, but a friend of yours? If it's a friend and she insists you don't pay, but only because it's a friend, I'd do a $35 Amazon gift card with a card saying you know you didn't have to but you really value her time so let her buy herself something special to relax. Cash would be more awkward but that may just be a cultural thing for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $10/hr, unless I were in a large city, where I hear it would be $15. I agree about having the $20/$30 handy after when you offer. It's good precedent to pay in my opinion...they're more likely to offer again :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 We pay our 17 year old sitter $10/hr for the first kiddo, and a few more dollars per hour for the second, when she's sitting with both. Then I round up (iow, if she stays for 3.5 hours, I pay her for 4). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 We do $4 per hour for one kid with $2 for each additional sibling for high school babysitters, and up that to $7 per hour as the base rate for adult sitters. For my very favorite sitters we way overpay that, but that's our standard beginning spot. Time warp! I was getting $4-7/hour as a young teen in the early 1990s and $10-14 as a nanny in the later part of the 1990s. Here, all but the youngest teens charge $10+. I envy your prices. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 18 yo babysat for no pay just because and they still gave her $20 + a gift card to chipolte (not sure of the amount). She was there for at least 5 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Babysitters should make at least minimum wage. I would pay $40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 $50 sounds about right to me too. That's why I did not go out ever when my kids were that age. Too expensive! Although my dad would babysit for free sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Babysitters should make at least minimum wage. I would pay $40.[/quote This is how I've always viewed it, too. I aim for minimum wage at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'd give a minimum of $40. Preferably, a $50 bill. In my area, adult sitters take up to $25/hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yeah I'm baffled by people saying "just a baby" like that's not work. Apparently my babies were very mean to me. At 9 and 13 they are comparatively much less work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I am paid for those exact hours $40. I wouldn't do the gift card. I would insist on paying the cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Around here, in small town Midwest, probably $5-6/hr for just the baby in your home (in their home 4-5 dollars), older kids would be a little less, additional kids would run about $2 per hour. Funny thing is $2/hr per child is what I made babysitting in the late 80's in the same area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I haven't hired a sitter to stay with my kids alone, but I paid a mother's helper $12 to play with my three year old last year. I pay her $10 to pick my oldest dd up from the gym when Dh is out of town ( because little dd is asleep when she gets done). It's a 20 minutes round trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wow. Those prices sound high to me. Oh, I'm not saying they're wrong: I'm just completely out of the loop and didn't realize those were the going rates. Those prices make sense when I think about it, but I haven't thought about it since 1990 when I last had a babysitting job. (Got $4.50 an hour.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I would pay $40 for that time frame. I agree with at least paying minimum wage, which in my state is $9.15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer_Mom Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I pay $9 an hour if kids are already put to bed and $10 an hour if they are up or if we ask the sitter to put them to bed. I usually use teens from our church and find that they are thrilled with the wage. I had an interesting incident last time I hired a sitter. She sat for us for the first time and her mother refused the amount when she came home with it. I had to insist to the mother that it is the amount we pay and that we feel caring for our kids deserves that rate. Her daughter had even cleaned our kitchen and started dinner so we had added a small tip which may have thrown the mom off. I was just shocked that she felt her daughter couldn't accept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddavies Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 $10 an hour, rounded up to the nearest hour, is the going rate around here for teenage babysitters. Because she's older, I'd probably pay $50 for the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I don't know the going rate in your area, but I would encourage you to pay her in cash. A gift card to an ice cream shop seems like an inappropriate payment for an adult. It seems odd to give someone a gift card so they can use it to take other people out for ice cream, but if you give her cash, she can decide how she wants to spend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 This is why I'm telling my daughters to learn to clean houses for a teenage job. *At least* $20/hr (and I haven't been able to find anyone to clean mine that cheap yet) and upwards from there. Whether they'll actually be that detailed and motivated by money...we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I was getting a minimum of $5/hour at the age of 12 in the 80s in a very small town in Texas. I have paid at least $10/hour since I've hired my first babysitter for my own dds. I rounded up and paid more for the sitters that did a good job and I wanted to come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 This was six years ago but I paid a 23 year old $12 an hour to watch two kids--aged 3 and 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 A friend is doing her a favor - said not to pay, so why should she pay her the same as if she hired someone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 A friend is doing her a favor - said not to pay, so why should she pay her the same as if she hired someone? Well, imo, if you are willing to pay, can afford to pay and would like to reciprocate in some fashion, you might as well reciprocate with paying her a full rate fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Well, imo, if you are willing to pay, can afford to pay and would like to reciprocate in some fashion, you might as well reciprocate with paying her a full rate fee. What if you are not (able to afford the full rate)? Then, should you not accept her offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 What if you are not (able to afford the full rate)? Then, should you not accept her offer? I don't think anyone is saying that. It seemed like tranquility wanted to pay the young woman in some way. If you can't afford to pay and someone offers to babysit for free, I think it's fine to accept, but I do think it is a nice gesture to show your appreciation in some way, even if it's just baking her some cookies to take home with her or some other small thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Time warp! I was getting $4-7/hour as a young teen in the early 1990s and $10-14 as a nanny in the later part of the 1990s. Here, all but the youngest teens charge $10+. I envy your prices. :) I'm so old that I remember being paid .75 cents an hour, and $1 an hour was a good rate! LOL. Of course, those were the days when it wasn't strange for kids as young as 5th and 6th grade to babysit. Although I think even in high school I only made $1 to $1.50 tops. Sheesh. I thought babysitting was expensive when my two were little, and I paid $5 - 7 an hour for the two of them, with maybe a small tip on top of that. But, we probably paid for a babysitter no more than 5 times between the 2 of them. I just couldn't stand to spend that kind of money. I figured at those rates, we could just take 'em out to dinner with us. We almost never went out on a date or anything unless my mom was up visiting, and I took them to office visits with me unless my DH could come home. The best deal was when their martial arts class would have a parents night out for about $15 a kid which included a pizza dinner and activities as well as a movie. I felt better paying that because at least I knew they were doing fun things. I don't think I would ever pay for a babysitter today. I just couldn't stomach those rates. Babysitting has gone up exponentially like college costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My kids are 12 & 13. I paid $10/hr when they were little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I'm so old that I remember being paid .75 cents an hour, and $1 an hour was a good rate! LOL. Of course, those were the days when it wasn't strange for kids as young as 5th and 6th grade to babysit. Although I think even in high school I only made $1 to $1.50 tops. I was paid $1/hour in the 80s for babysitting and rarely $1.25/$1.50/hr Often that was 3-6 kids, cooking supper, bathing, picking up the house, getting them all to bed, etc. We are foster parents......and obviously NOT for the money, as we get $17.24 per DAY for a child for 24 hours of care. I understand that children are very valuable but many of you are quoting wages HIGHER than what my husband with a teaching degree is getting for working with special needs kids full time. Babysitting rates that are about double the minimum wage seems very high for the typical family to be able to afford a sitter. Maybe that is why the physical therapist I was working with said that her and her dh were going out on their first date since their just turned 2 daughter was born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wow. Those prices sound high to me. Oh, I'm not saying they're wrong: I'm just completely out of the loop and didn't realize those were the going rates. Those prices make sense when I think about it, but I haven't thought about it since 1990 when I last had a babysitting job. (Got $4.50 an hour.) In 1990 I believe the minimum wage in my area was $4.25 an hour. So that rate seems pretty good. I do the same thing. I think something that happened 20 years ago was just a couple of years ago. When I was about 14 I was making over $3 an hour babysitting. (I'm 40.) I did live in a high cost area though and I imagine that was even probably considered a bargain for the people I babysat for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 We used a 22 year old babysitter for a few years (this was in 2007 - 2009), and we paid her $12 per hour, plus a tip (we'd have rounded up any extra half hours, etc). We had one child, who was 3 - 5 yrs old in that time. Sadly, our babysitter finished her degree and is working crazy hours as a nurse now, so we are out of luck. We've never found another, but if we did... We'd pay at least the same rates. Child care is valuable. I would pay her cash, and just try to get her to accept it. If she absolutely refuses, you can tell her that you wouldn't feel comfortable asking her to do it again, maybe. Or, as an alternative, send her a thank you note afterward with a check or a gift card. Rather than an ice cream shop, though, how about something like an Am Ex gift card that can be spent anywhere, on anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Lovely ladies, who are happy to pay girls like my dd what they are worth! (Sarah, Miss P and Mimi) Thank you. I know my dd, at least, takes the job of caring for someone else's babies very seriously. What's more precious than someone's baby ? (Yes, she is is demand :)) Would your DD want to head this way? She'd be in demand here, too! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I pay $10 for the first and $2 for every child after, so that's $14/hr for my three. There doesn't seem to be any distinction about age around here, the way I see it each age has it's own difficulties. Also, age of sitter doesn't really matter to me either (as long as they can drive). Some 16 year olds offer way more than some 25 year olds and visa versa, I just find one I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I understand that children are very valuable but many of you are quoting wages HIGHER than what my husband with a teaching degree is getting for working with special needs kids full time. Babysitting rates that are about double the minimum wage seems very high for the typical family to be able to afford a sitter. Maybe that is why the physical therapist I was working with said that her and her dh were going out on their first date since their just turned 2 daughter was born. I think a big part of it is that it's not a regular gig, and it's hard to find good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I think a big part of it is that it's not a regular gig, and it's hard to find good ones. I might have to take up babysitting as a gig myself. I am certified in CPR and first aid, have a degree in education including special education, 30+ years of experience, and I can drive :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I might have to take up babysitting as a gig myself. I am certified in CPR and first aid, have a degree in education including special education, 30+ years of experience, and I can drive :-) You're hired. :) Can you be here Fri? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My dd is not quite 16. We're in a small town in the midwest where pay is notoriously low, but she has never been offered less than $7.00/hour. Now that she has some experience, she charges a minimum of $10/hour unless it is unusual circumstances, like one child that will be asleep the whole time or maybe friends we're trying to help out. She is CPR and first aid certified and is great with kids. They all love her and beg for her, so if she babsits once, she is always asked again. If someone offers to babysit for free, they usually will not accept cash, she wouldn't, I wouldn't. However, a gift card would probably be accepted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 You're hired. :) Can you be here Fri? As long as the temps are above freezing and you send me an airline ticket from West Michigan :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I'd say $10-12/hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I was paid $1/hour in the 80s for babysitting and rarely $1.25/$1.50/hr Often that was 3-6 kids, cooking supper, bathing, picking up the house, getting them all to bed, etc. We are foster parents......and obviously NOT for the money, as we get $17.24 per DAY for a child for 24 hours of care. I understand that children are very valuable but many of you are quoting wages HIGHER than what my husband with a teaching degree is getting for working with special needs kids full time. Babysitting rates that are about double the minimum wage seems very high for the typical family to be able to afford a sitter. Maybe that is why the physical therapist I was working with said that her and her dh were going out on their first date since their just turned 2 daughter was born. Maybe it depends on where you live? I don't know anyone who could get a babysitter for $1 - $1.50 an hour in the '80s. My niece was babysitting back then and she always got at least $50 for an evening of babysitting, and there was no cooking, cleaning, or anything other than watching the kids -- and if they were small children, the parents would often have them in bed before she arrived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Maybe it depends on where you live? I don't know anyone who could get a babysitter for $1 - $1.50 an hour in the '80s. My niece was babysitting back then and she always got at least $50 for an evening of babysitting, and there was no cooking, cleaning, or anything other than watching the kids -- and if they were small children, the parents would often have them in bed before she arrived. I am sure it really depends. I was in a more rural area of West Michigan. Even in the early 90s I was watching NINE kids.....including a 5 month old and 11 month old twins (one of which was on a heart monitor) for $25 a DAY........and that was for a 24 hour day.........so for the 48 hour period I would get $50. It was 4 foster teens (one with the 5 month old) and then a 12 year old, 4 year old and the baby twins. I was WAYYYYY underpaid......but I did it and more than just a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wow. Those prices sound high to me. Oh, I'm not saying they're wrong: I'm just completely out of the loop and didn't realize those were the going rates. Those prices make sense when I think about it, but I haven't thought about it since 1990 when I last had a babysitting job. (Got $4.50 an hour.) Then you were paid above minimum wage, and most of the amounts being tossed out are roughly equivalent. You're just, y'know, getting old :laugh: A friend is doing her a favor - said not to pay, so why should she pay her the same as if she hired someone? Her friend did not say that; she is just guessing her friend might say that. People often don't insist on payment from friends or friends of the family because it can seem awkward, but I would certainly give her something even if she said no payment. I'd have cash at the ready, and, if she refused it strongly, I'd send her a gift card later. My exceptions would be for a close friend with whom I have a strong quid-pro-quo relationship; that is, someone I routinely exchange favors with, and who would be very comfortable asking me for one. I know the OP referred to her as a friend, but I would tend to think of a 22-yr-old in the category of a family friend, and someone who might hesitate to openly ask for payment and/or a favor. I was paid $1/hour in the 80s for babysitting and rarely $1.25/$1.50/hr Often that was 3-6 kids, cooking supper, bathing, picking up the house, getting them all to bed, etc. We are foster parents......and obviously NOT for the money, as we get $17.24 per DAY for a child for 24 hours of care. I understand that children are very valuable but many of you are quoting wages HIGHER than what my husband with a teaching degree is getting for working with special needs kids full time. Babysitting rates that are about double the minimum wage seems very high for the typical family to be able to afford a sitter. Maybe that is why the physical therapist I was working with said that her and her dh were going out on their first date since their just turned 2 daughter was born. Well, all part-time contract jobs generally pay more per hour than a salaried position. We used to have a landscaping job that paid more per hour than dh's management position, but that doesn't mean we were in a hurry to abandon ship and take up full-time landscaping, lol. It was part-time, it was on evenings or weekends, and it had zero benefits (your dh's hourly pay would look a whole lot better if you added in his benefits). Babysitting is like anything else: people will charge based on a combination of what the market will bear, how much they need the money, and how much they like the job. I don't think babysitters have any special responsibility to lower their wages so parents can have a night out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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