Babysitting

Hi,
$10 an hour is fair - but not PER KID!! I give my sitters $10 and hour for BOTH of my kids (ages 4 and 7), so our total would be half of what you paid! I think that $20 is way too much and there's plenty of sitters out there who will watch your kids for that. (I'm assuming you don't live in SF, which a sitter might be expecting more)

Good luck!
Nicole

That seems a bit on the high end, although it depends on the age and expereince of the sitter. Generally, a jr or sr in high school charge abotu $10-$12 per hour for one, and add $2.00 -$4.00 extra for the 2nd.

We just had Bunco on Friday night and one of the other moms paid $40 for the evening,(7pm - 11pm or so)and she has 2 kids, a boy age 9 and a daughter age 7, and her daughter is a handful. So I think $10 an hour for 2 kids is more than fair. Now if they are a certified Nanny or Nurse, someone who knows CPR and has been watching kids for over 20 years etc, then maybe, just maybe it would be worth it, but even then I am not sure, lol.

Your next post should be looking for reasonable price babbysitter in your area, hahaha!

Good Luck!
M. S in Pleasanton

I always pay my sitters $10/hour. I let them know up front. They are usually between 16-20 years old and my kids are 7.7.10.13 so they're pretty self sufficient. I do pay my 13 year old $8/hour if I'll only be gone for an hour or two and that's what others pay her to babysit. Even if I only have the younger two with the sitter, I pay the same. When the older ones are home it is easier in a lot of ways for the sitter since the two of them know all the rules.(and follow them) If your child(ren) are a handful, I'd pay at least $12-$15 hour just to keep your sitter happy. If they are easy then I'm sure you'll be able to find a sitter who is willing to work for $10/hour.

Yikes!

No this is not fair. Unless you are hiring a professional babysitting service - and I would only do that in an emergency.

I get to know all the kids in my neighborhood ages 14-18 and I pay them $5-6 an hour to babysit. I don't ask them what they charge, I tell them what I am willing to pay beforehand, and then it is up to them if they want the job or not.

$20 an hour is ridiculous - I would never have that person back.

WHOA! Are you kidding me? I hope you got your house cleaned for that price too. I have a girl down the street from my house who is 16yo and I pay 7hr for her to watch my super active 2.5yo son. They both adore each other. Its based on age and experience for me. I have a 2 month old that I don't leave alone with her until he is older and less work. Once she takes on both kids then I will raise it up to 8-9hr. I use to be a full time nanny back in the days and I was watching 3 children 8, 6, 4 yos. for 4 hours a week at 8hr. Of course that was 15 years ago. If you have young children that are a lot of work and you require a lot from your sitter and you want them to do household chores then i would say $10 maybe 12. But I would make sure you and the sitter are clear on what the cost is up front. I should go back to being a nanny if people are charing $20. Some of my friends have a set amount for so many hours instead of nickeling and diming each other.

SAHM, 2.5yo son and 2 month old son that doesn't sleep at night. UGH! I love being a full time mom and Im blessed I can stay home with my children and watch then grow. My husband is on a plane for work every week so I feel like a single mom.

If you found an adult type who drives to watch your kids for $10/hr, I think you're doing well. Mine charges $15 and even more if she has to travel a ways to get to you. With 8 kids, do you not have some old enough to babysit yet?

Well my daughter has been babysitting for 4 years she is now 17yrs old. I think with the responsiblities they have such as a cell phone bill and the cost of things it can get expensive. However our problem is she doesnt get paid enough sometime there are functions [I rather not disclose the type of organization as to not offend anyone] but for some of the meetings that happen she sometimes has to watch from 5 - 10 children for 2 hours [ages ranging from 1 1/2 to 12 yrs old] and at times parents that have 3 children only want to pay $5 dollars for those 2 hours. She has come home with as little as $15 dollars for watching approx 8 for 2 hours ridiculous. But her going rate is $4 dollars a child per hour; she understands the economy and what people can afford and that they just want a night out alone to enjoy one another [and for just 1 family she is paid correctly - if not more because she does such a good job]. But the bad thing about it is when she tries to incorporate her rate [and best believe the leadership of the organization has spoken to the families] that for the place we have meeting parents just won't comply and then money has to be taken from other means to pay her. So that may be why your babysitter charges so much [past experiences] and if he/she has to drive to and from your place you can forget it. So people have the tendency to take advantage on either side. Good luck and check around you may be able to find someone who is reasonable and responsible enough to take care of your little ones.

Yes, that's what I'm told is the rate. I have one and am asked to pay $10/hour. Seems reasonable, that if the kids are well-behaved, that you could get a little break for two. I don't make a lot of money working in food service, so that was the end of my nights out. Now, I am considering being a nanny, because it's better money when you factor everything out (like not needing work clothing, etc.). I think that rate is too high, because it's more than minimum wage, and maybe the babysitter does not claim it on taxes, so it might be untaxed too. Ridiculous. Seems to me that they should be very happy with $7.00/hour for work they can decline when they have other plans, to watch tv, read, etc. (you know the things you can't get away with at a regular job!).