Yup. That's pretty much all this post is about. How much do you pay your babysitters?
I'm just being completely nosey. Maybe it's none of my business. But I'm just curious if we're even in the ballpark. I don't want to be the family that the babysitters avoid because we're cheapskates. And I do love our sitters and want to know that we appreciate what they do.
So, I'll be honest with you. When we just needed a sitter for our 2 girls, we paid $5/hour to high schoolers and $6 to college girls. Now that we have 3 kids, we've upped it to $6-7/hour. Is that way below what we should pay? (And I'm talking midwest pay here - I've heard what some of you big city folks pay and nearly peed my pants.)
Also, before you judge us... you should know that our kids go to bed at 7:30. Usually we need a sitter around 6:00, so for the majority of the time, the kids are in bed.
So, help me out! Tell me what you pay! And if you want to tell me anonymously, I totally respect that.
Or, if you are a babysitter, what do you think is fair? (Because I know my "mommy-blog" has a huge following with the hip young crowd.)
13 comments:
We're total rookies here - have only paid a babysitter once. And we paid her $25 for about 2 hours. A little ridiculous, right? Like I said though, we're new at this and I had a really hard time leaving him so I probably wasn't thinking real clearly.
the only time i know for sure what to pay is with the one sitter that tells us what she charges. (i like that by the way, we know her expectations and she is not disappointed!) she is cpr certified and took a baby sitting class. she charges $4.50/hour for 1 kid and an extra $1 for each child above that. so for my bundle of 5 it would cost me $8.50/hour. it's expensive if you're gone very long, but pretty good for entering my chaos! and it's such a reassurance to know she has taken those classes!
-erica
Granted I live on the East Coast, but we pay $7/hr to watch our one LO, so I definitely think you are in the ballpark.
Thanks for being nosey, Katie. I have the same struggle. We rarely have to pay anyone and when we do, it's a 12 year old that I used to have in my daycare (ridiculous). She's super good, my kids LOVE her, she's taken the classes, etc BUT she won't tell me what she charges. I have paid her anywhere from $20 for a couple of hours to nothing, because she wouldn't let me, said I usually overpay her so she wouldn't let me pay her that time! LOVE that girl and NO-I won't share :)
hey katie!!
we usually pay around 7 for the 3 little ones, who also go to bed at seven. its tough, because they are in bed, but you still are trusting them with your kids and paying them for their time. sometimes we have paid closer to ten if it included dinner, etc. and sometimes a little less. i like not having an exact hourly rate because it gives some freedom depending on the situation.
A friend of mine has a system I love. When she calls for a sitter she tells them what she needs and what she can pay them before she asks if they want the job. That way they know what to expect and can decide if they want the job and my friend isn't left to wonder if they felt cheated.
We also live in the midwest and have three small kids. We would expect to pay $6-7/hr unless it was for 5hrs+ and then we would go the above route so we could still afford whatever it is we were out for.
We dont' have to pay for a babysitter very often either, actually....I don't even have a "go to" that isn't a friend rather than a teenager. So, all of that said, I have no advice, so, thanks for asking this question! I've been wanting to for awhile
Hey - I am also thankful you asked - I have learned alot form your comments. :) We don't get a sitter often (Other than grandma - and we love that she is free). With one kiddo I usually did anywhere from $3 to $5 per hour. I can't do that for each kid now that we have 4... Just can not do it. I usually do about $8/hr now - but haven't left the baby yet at all. Which, I know is kind of low, but we do what we can. Usually have really great understanding sitters.
Hey Katie,
I would say you are right on target. :) We pay $8/hr for our babysitters (when I have to have one other than my mom) and that includes the twins. I am very upfront with our sitters and tell them what I pay and then give them the option to bow out if they'd like. I haven't had that happen yet. I also usually suggest that they bring a friend with them because the kids go to bed so early (and because there are four of them). I don't pay the friend and that has never been a problem either. Thanks for asking the question! I always wonder if I'm on target and your comments make me think I am. :)
I'm no help -- our babysitters always work for free which I guess is the benefit of living so close to family :) But I'm interested to read your comments and find out so when the day comes, I'll be well informed! :)
What? You mean people aren't paying you just for a chance to be with those adorable kiddos of yours? Crazy!
We don't often have to pay for a sitter, but when I watch my friend Coleen's two kids, she pays me $8 an hour. I think it seems very generous!
I'm waiting for someone to say, "we get babysitters every night!" Funny - all our our friends and blogpeeps comment that they don't get sitters very often. I babysat for families in highschool that would hire me 3-4 times a week - no joke. They went out all the time! Crazy. But like everyone else, we don't get sitters a lot. We pay a pretty standard $5 an hour for both kids with the same considerations - kids are in bed early and they usually don't have to do much hard work. I've had a great college girl come and we pay her more towards $8 an hour.
I like this post a lot since we are new parents. We have one son and have a babysitter that we use when we need to. We must be overpaying since we pay her $10/hour. She's 17 yrs old and a nice girl from church who our son loves. When we have our second child, I don't plan on paying her anymore than we currently do.
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