How much do you pay a babysitter?

[MrsA]

Originally Posted by momto3kittiess

I am a babysitter to a 10month old, 2 yr old, and 8 yr old and the mom pays me $20 a day for 10 hours. It sucks.

I would suggest for four hours $25. I think thats appropriate. Just because she only has the change diapers and one feeding does not mean she is not going to have to work the rest of the time. My eyes are on these kids 24/7.

You want to almost over pay her...sometimes I feel like she thinks I am not worth anything more than $20 and thats the worst feeling.

Good luck

wow I thought I was being stiffed...I'm nannying a 12 month old now and I'm getting paid $175 a week, working 3 days a week from 7am-6pm (equals about $5/hour), that's feeding breakfast lunch and an afternoon snack, diaper changes, and playing with her. But I watch her from my own home and they actually want me to run my errands like grocery shopping etc. with her bc it keeps her entertained, so I don't have to do my shopping in the evenings and can spend that time with my hubby.


I agree with everyone else, you want to overpay a little, because if they're good you want to be able to count on them last minute, or often as your needs may be, and have them want to do it, and everyone takes more pride in their work and wants to do better when they're getting paid well to do it...and you esp. want that when it's someone taking care of your child. I would go at least $1-2 above whatever minimum wage is in your area.

[momto3kittiess]

Originally Posted by SavingInLakewood

Oh my! This person is taking advantage of you. Then again, I don't know her situation so I shouldn't be judging. If the mom only makes minimum wage, then maybe that's all she can afford.

Her and her husband both make good money. I just can never speak up for myself so its my fault.

I ALSO pay for their food.

[julieduck]

Originally Posted by momto3kittiess

Her and her husband both make good money. I just can never speak up for myself so its my fault.

I ALSO pay for their food.

I'm guessing she already knows this. The question is, do you really need this money? I would bluff her and say I had another offer of such and such amount and if she couldn't meet it then you would have to let her go. Call around to the daycare centers and look at babysitter ads where you live to get a good idea of the going rate. If you really need the money then actually post an ad and you will self-fulfill the opportunity I stated above. She really will have to meet your standard or be dropped for someone who is willing to pay.

That being said... My sitter MUST have current child CPR certification. When DD was little we paid $75 a day. We now pay $40 because she can entertain herself and needs little supervision. We are taking a grown-up trip in a few weeks for 4 days. We will be paying her $300. I definitely recommend overpaying sitters so you will always be on the top of their list.

[LUV2KLIP]

Originally Posted by momof2

Please help me determine how much to pay a 16 year old babysitter. The baby is 2 years old. The only thing the sitter will need to do is change diapers as needed and do one feeding. No other household chores needs to be done. She will need to be there sometime between 2 - 4 hours. No later than 9:00 p.m. She is more than welcome to do any homework, watch tv, or get on the internet as time permits.

Please let me know how much you pay?

Thanks in advance!

How much you pay the sitter should really depend on how experienced the sitter is also. That in combination of what your expectations are of the sitter's responsibilities. if your looking for "just" a sitter to be present with the child, then the pay rate would/should coordinate for such. How experienced is the sitter you have in mind? Do they have experience with children this age range? Do they have younger siblings they have helped care for and gained knowledge from such possibly? Are they babysitter certified? Do they have any CPR and/or 1st aid qualifications? Do they know how to take a temperature?
We have 7 kids. 6 still living at home. They range in age from 21 down to 19 months old. Some of them, the older ones, have a lot of experience in babysitting/childcare and babysit for others when needed. They are never paid less than $10/hour. We don't live in a "rich/wealthy" type local either. My kids are paid based on their experience. They have experience with infant as well as toddler & child care/babysitting. They are babysitter qualified and some are CPR certified also. When they are caring for a child, they are expected to have their full attention on the child..NOT the tv, internet or whatever else they can find to occupy their time. That child is their ONE AND ONLY responsibility during the time that they are babysitting. I wouldn't have it any other way and also would expect the same from an outside babysitter if I should have the need for one. Highly unlikely seeing as we have multiple teens here that are more than willing AND qualified to care for infants/children.
2 year olds are like sponges also. They are constantly learning. if they are "ignored" and left to their own thing, while a sitter is watching tv or surfing the net..what is the child learning? A good sitter will "entertain" or "pull" the child into an activity that is age appropriate and interests them.
You need to remember that when you place the care/responsibility of your child with someone else...You NEED to expect that they will tend to every need of the child for however long is needed. It's not as simple as...

The only thing the sitter will need to do is change diapers as needed and do one feeding.

What if the child started choking while eating? Does the sitter know how to handle such?
Does the sitter have a basic knowledge of nutritional feeding for children? A 2 year old would be happy to be given a bag of chips to eat....That doesn't mean it is what they should be fed though.



We have a neighbor who has a teenager and a young child age 7, but he has multiple health issues. That neighbor would rather pay one of my kids $10/hour than to have her own teenager care for/babysit the younger one. She also only pays her teen $5 per day, no matter if it is 1 or 8 hours of childcare. When my kids first started babysitting this child a few years back, they figured out he could learn to communicate using sign language. Only one of my kids knew sign language at the time. 2 others learned it and helped to teach that child to communicate with others through the use of sign language. They even helped the parents learn to sign. Those parents got their full worth what they paid for my children to babysit their child.

Your only going to get what you offer to pay for as far as a babysitter goes. Unqualified babysitter I wouldn't consider for the care of my child[ren]. Experienced/qualified..You can NOT place a high enough value on such a thing when it comes to your child IMO.

Personally, I would pay no less than $10/hour for one 2 y/o child AND the sitter would have to be experienced AND 1st aid as well as CPR qualified to be entrusted with the care of one of my own children.

[LUV2KLIP]

Originally Posted by julieduck

That being said... My sitter MUST have current child CPR certification. When DD was little we paid $75 a day. We now pay $40 because she can entertain herself and needs little supervision. We are taking a grown-up trip in a few weeks for 4 days. We will be paying her $300. I definitely recommend overpaying sitters so you will always be on the top of their list.

I LIKE your style!

[bebecharmant]

Originally Posted by momto3kittiess

I am a babysitter to a 10month old, 2 yr old, and 8 yr old and the mom pays me $20 a day for 10 hours. It sucks.

I would suggest for four hours $25. I think thats appropriate. Just because she only has the change diapers and one feeding does not mean she is not going to have to work the rest of the time. My eyes are on these kids 24/7.

You want to almost over pay her...sometimes I feel like she thinks I am not worth anything more than $20 and thats the worst feeling.

Good luck

OMG you need to raise your rates. She is taking advantage of your generocity. Does she know what it would cost her for daycare???

[bebecharmant]

Originally Posted by momto3kittiess

Her and her husband both make good money. I just can never speak up for myself so its my fault.

I ALSO pay for their food.

(LANGUAGE PLEASE) Do you want me to call her for you

[bebecharmant]

Originally Posted by momof2

Please help me determine how much to pay a 16 year old babysitter. The baby is 2 years old. The only thing the sitter will need to do is change diapers as needed and do one feeding. No other household chores needs to be done. She will need to be there sometime between 2 - 4 hours. No later than 9:00 p.m. She is more than welcome to do any homework, watch tv, or get on the internet as time permits.

Please let me know how much you pay?

Thanks in advance!

I pay $7-8 dollars an hour plus. If I am gone for 3 hours I just round up to $25. My dd is 8 so it is not as much work as a 2 y/o. May I suggest that you not allow internet, tv etc? This is a job and her full attention should be with your child. Good luck!

[voltrix2]

I take my kids to a flexible childcare by the hour called Recess! by Charley. They charge $9.50 an hour and have a ton of stuff - Movie Theater, Wii, Xbox - lots of flat screens to watch TV - rollercoaster - gym area - and much more.
The staff is CPR and background checks - State Licensed Limited to 5 hours a day and 12 hours a week. open 830-8pm M-Th and 830-11pm on Fri and Sat.
They watch both my 6 year old and 2year old, but can watch kids from 6 weeks to 12 years. The place is fabulous, clean and very friendly - And they have Scooby Snacks at the door to help the Kids leave because they never want to leave. - Every time we pass they want to stop. They sell bundles of hours so I buy those in order to get a deal on childcare - $7 per hour - like a 27% savings over the regular price.
Check them out

[sherri029]

My opinion is that if you have a good, qualified sitter then you should pay them well.

For a teen sitter in the afternoons, the going rate here is $7 per hour for the first child and $1 per hour more for each additional child.

As for the evening hours, it's a little less starting at $6 per hour for the first child and $1 per hour more for each additional child.

My DD sits and this is how she charges and is very happy with that. As well, she has never had any complaints about it being too much.