How much do you pay a babysitter per hour?

[jlt19]

I legitimately don't know as up until now, we've been blessed with parents watching our kids, but that is no longer an option for various reasons.

Situation:

A brother and sister (13/15) that are friends of our family will be watching DS (10) for 5-6 hours on Thursday evening until 11pm or so. He'll probably be content playing X-box or watching tv, so, there's no real entertaining needed. We live in a place where they can walk to get ice cream or a sno cone, so I planned on leaving money for that and to order dinner.

But as far as paying them, do I pay them each separately an hourly rate? Or just a set amount and let them figure it out? How much do you pay a teen sitter?

[af1212]

I have no idea what to do about the siblings babysitting as I have never done that.

We pay a babysitter between $15-20 per hour. We have not had a babysitter since precovid though.

[underwaterrhymes]

We pay $20/hour and round up. So if we’re gone 3.5 hours, we pay $80.

I wouldn’t pay more for siblings. I’d expect them to split it.

[mcsangel2]

Yeah, a 10 year old who's just going to play video games does not need two separate official babysitters. You pay for one and let them split it. I think $100 for the night would be good.

[isabel]

We pay our college-educated, professional nanny $25 an hour.

The teen sitter next door charges $10, but I pay her $13.

[VillainV]

Yeah, I’d do $15-20/hr and let them split it. For a ten-year old who’s just going to play Xbox, I’d maybe do $15/hr and round up.

[livinitup]

I bet this is going to be REGIONAL. I bet, I bet !!

I know this is shocking.

[sdlaura]

We have four kids, so we have had two babysitters who are sister/friends and paid both of them $20 an hour, because they're each watching a couple kids. But you don't need two babysitters for one 10-year-old, so if they choose to come together, I would still just pay them a single person hourly rate.

[cricketwife]

Since we have this post a lot, I’m going to ignore the question 😂 and answer differently. I think it’s important for teens to learn to advocate for themselves. Make them tell you what their hourly rate is.

What do you charge an hour?
Umm, I dunno. Whatever you think.
Please tell me what you are expecting or think your time is worth and we can discuss further is our expectations are mismatched.

Rinse and repeat.

[Queen Dick, Hibernating Bear]

Christ almighty how do I get in on this racket? Do I need to be fingerprinted? If not, sign me up.

[brooklyn]

Jun 27, 2022 18:45:57 GMT -5 Queen Dick, Hibernating Bear said:

Christ almighty how do I get in on this racket? Do I need to be fingerprinted? If not, sign me up.

My aunt who was a professor at a highly regarded college was absolutely horrified when she realized high school me made more per hour babysitting than she did teaching.

[gretchenindisguise]

L just quoted a family $12/hr. They turn 13 next month.

[mysteriouswife]

I paid my niece $20 to watch DS for 4 hours. She was happy at 15 with he money.

[basilosaurus]

Jun 27, 2022 18:30:42 GMT -5 cricketwife said:

Since we have this post a lot, I’m going to ignore the question 😂 and answer differently. I think it’s important for teens to learn to advocate for themselves. Make them tell you what their hourly rate is.

What do you charge an hour?
Umm, I dunno. Whatever you think.
Please tell me what you are expecting or think your time is worth and we can discuss further is our expectations are mismatched.

Rinse and repeat.

Except then you have parents influencing then.

My parents made me give back if I made more than $5/hr because that's what they paid my sitters. Thankfully the family just told me to keep the extra and it would be our secret. Years later (we stayed in touch) they said they were pretty horrified at my dad's insistence to be so underpaid.

Teens don't know going rate!

[mags]

I may start a new business in my retirement. As a teacher for 32 years, and a mother of 3, I think I would do OK!

[al dente]

Jun 27, 2022 20:25:23 GMT -5 mags said:

I may start a new business in my retirement. As a teacher for 32 years, and a mother of 3, I think I would do OK!

You really should lol.

I'd expect to pay $15-20/hr. I pay $15/hr to a 15yr old mother's helper. I have two kids, but I do all the heavy lifting while she's here of discipline and whatnot.

[isabel]

Jun 27, 2022 18:30:42 GMT -5 cricketwife said:

Since we have this post a lot, I’m going to ignore the question 😂 and answer differently. I think it’s important for teens to learn to advocate for themselves. Make them tell you what their hourly rate is.

What do you charge an hour?
Umm, I dunno. Whatever you think.
Please tell me what you are expecting or think your time is worth and we can discuss further is our expectations are mismatched.

Rinse and repeat.

I agree with this and was very pleasantly surprised when the girl next door stated a rate. It’s much too low, but I was still proud of her for putting it out there. When I have her watch the kids next, I’ll explain to her why I’m paying her more than she asked. Hopefully it will spark her to tell other families a more competitive rate.

[basilosaurus]

Jun 27, 2022 21:29:01 GMT -5 al dente said:

Jun 27, 2022 20:25:23 GMT -5 mags said:

I may start a new business in my retirement. As a teacher for 32 years, and a mother of 3, I think I would do OK!

You really should lol.

I'd expect to pay $15-20/hr. I pay $15/hr to a 15yr old mother's helper. I have two kids, but I do all the heavy lifting while she's here of discipline and whatnot.

Oh this brings up memories! The family I sat for most often hired me for a mother's helper day when she hosted some school curriculum mom's meeting coffee klatch (don't worry, looong before anti crt and mask days). Kids were ill-behaved generally, but when they knew mom was in the house? No way did they listen to me! I got paid handsomely for that day

I do remember having retired teachers watch us when my (single) dad had business trips. I have no doubt he paid well. One lived across the street from school, so she barely even had to drive us. You should go for it!

[CrazyLucky]

I have 2 kids, 9 and 12. We pay the 15 year old babysitter $15/hr. When we lived in NC, we has a family friend who was a teacher's aid and we paid her $20/hr. Which yes, is shamefully way more than teachers make in NC.

[newnamesameperson]

College babysitters here are around $15-20/hr.
Teen babysitters here are around $10-12/hr (I'd pay around $13).

[rooster222]

My high school dd babysits a few hours each week and occasional date nights. I think they give her $10/hr but will round up if it's $25 to $30. Weekend nights I think she gets more but not over $15.

When she has babysat with a friend, they have not been paid individually and honestly she usually does much better babysitting on her own. I'd let the siblings figure it out.

[jennistarr1]

this feels to me like a 10$ and hour job. Obviously you don't need two kids to watch your 1 so I don't think you have to pay more and I think 30$ for each plus ice cream money and pizza I would have been thrilled ....If you wanted to go up I would probably top out at 40 each

[Roc A Bee]

My gut said to pay $50 and let them split it.

[jlt19]

Jun 27, 2022 18:30:42 GMT -5 cricketwife said:

Since we have this post a lot, I’m going to ignore the question 😂 and answer differently. I think it’s important for teens to learn to advocate for themselves. Make them tell you what their hourly rate is.

What do you charge an hour?
Umm, I dunno. Whatever you think.
Please tell me what you are expecting or think your time is worth and we can discuss further is our expectations are mismatched.

Rinse and repeat.

I thought about this, but I haven't talked to them about it, lol. They're in California right now, but I have texted with the mom. I was going to ask her, but I had just recently asked how much to pay her two daughters (15 & 16) to stay at our house from 6pm-whenver they got up the next morning to watch/feed our dogs. We were going to a hotel 30 min away for a sports tournament with one of my kids, but then I was a close contact, so I stayed home. I felt kind of dumb asking her AGAIN how much to pay her kids!

and while I see them all the time, I don't have their numbers. Which I should definitely rectify before Thursday....