ACOT Message Board

I have recently started using a teenager (my niece) for babysitting services. Even though I have asked her what is the going rate, she is too modest to tell me. I have asked around, but get such varying price ranges. So...... just out of curiosity, what do you pay your babysitters per hour?


Thank you for your input!

Kami

Well here the teenage girl from church charges $5-7 an hour. The college age kids charge $15, and some of the more seasoned teachers charge upward of $20 an hour.

Thank you! And wow about the $20 per hour! At that rate I can't afford to go out without the kids! LOL!!


Today I paid my niece $15 for 2 hours of babysitting, I have 3 kids (ages 8, and twin 4 year olds). She didn't have to cook them any meals, no diapers to change, etc... She just had to play with them. Oh and she drove herself over to my house so no running to pick her up and bring her back home. I like that!!

Around here it is similar to what Ana posted... about $8 for high school, $10-$15 for college kids, $20 per hour for adults with experience. Yes, VERY expensive to do dinner and a movie!!

But it was great when I was on the other side and nannied for years!

-Kami- wrote:Thank you! And wow about the $20 per hour! At that rate I can't afford to go out without the kids! LOL!!


Today I paid my niece $15 for 2 hours of babysitting, I have 3 kids (ages 8, and twin 4 year olds). She didn't have to cook them any meals, no diapers to change, etc... She just had to play with them. Oh and she drove herself over to my house so no running to pick her up and bring her back home. I like that!!

My DD is 16...she really only baby sits for a couple of people but it averages about $5 an hour...she usually only has 1 kid, sometimes 2. She does fix dinner though, although it's usually something simple like frozen pizza or chicken nuggets. A lot of times they round up, so if it's a partial hour it'll go to the next higher increment.

I remember getting $0.50 per hour!!! (in the dark ages)

Awesome, thanks ladies!!

I have no advice since I have a teenager that has to babysit her siblings now as trade for living at home. She is 18 now and can get a job, but hasn't really looked. But we are actually very generous to her and give her $40 her eand there and I am going to splurge on her after I go back to work...so sorry I am no help~

[quote="-Kami-"]Thank you! And wow about the $20 per hour! At that rate I can't afford to go out without the kids! LOL!!
[/quote

i know right? My husband got 4 free tickets to a pre-screening of the latest Harry Potter film. So my sister and her husband came with one of their kids. And we couldn't get our regular baby-sitter, so I got one of the $20 teachers to come by. When he realized that it cost us $80 bucks to see a free movie he was so mad. LOL

anazelia wrote:

-Kami- wrote:Thank you! And wow about the $20 per hour! At that rate I can't afford to go out without the kids! LOL!!
[/quote

i know right? My husband got 4 free tickets to a pre-screening of the latest Harry Potter film. So my sister and her husband came with one of their kids. And we couldn't get our regular baby-sitter, so I got one of the $20 teachers to come by. When he realized that it cost us $80 bucks to see a free movie he was so mad. LOL

My husband would have been extremely mad as well. He is so tight with our money! LOL!!

My daughter gets $10 and hour.

I pay my sitter $8 an hour for 4 kids, or $50 a day, whichever is cheaper, and that is the rate she chose. She is the best, and I was so sad when she left for college last week! My kids love her!

nun69 wrote:I have no advice since I have a teenager that has to babysit her siblings now as trade for living at home. She is 18 now and can get a job, but hasn't really looked. But we are actually very generous to her and give her $40 her eand there and I am going to splurge on her after I go back to work...so sorry I am no help~

I do that too....I tell them all we all have jobs to do to keep the house running, and watching sibs is part of that. But I also give her money here and there.

I see you already mentioned the details, cause I was going to say that it can depend on what you have the sitter doing. It can be $5 to $10 just for the sitting, based on the person's age, familiarity with the family and their availability.
Prices go up if there is a demand for their services, you need to add in feeding, bathing, cleaning the dishes, putting to bed, pets, daytime or nightime rates, etc. If you have multiple kids and they are as easy as plopping in front of a movie or two with some snacks, then you're looking at a lower price. Friday or Saturday night, serving dinner and then 3 rambunctious kids who pull her 3 ways to watch a movie, play a board game or braid barbie's hair... she gets a bigger pay day.

We pay $5 an hour regardless of the age of the person watching the girls. However, more than half the time they are here the girls are sleeping...

Dang - that's a lot of money.

Maybe I should babysit for extra money............(NOT!)

I am loving all of this input! I think paying my niece $15 for 2 hours was just about right. Still very expensive to consider going to a movie and dinner with hubby and being gone for 4 plus hours, but at least I now know I am not taking advantage of her services and paying her right. And she is my niece and I trust her, which means a lot as well.

i remember getting 25 for the whole weekend while uncle and aunt went clubbing.

Wow, I wouldn´t get anyone to babysit for less than $15 an hour here And that would be cheep

Susanne_79 wrote:Wow, I wouldn´t get anyone to babysit for less than $15 an hour here And that would be cheep

I'd send my daughter for the experience of visiting Denmark! Then again, you'd have to pay air fare and that would add to the expense lol.