Hiring a new babysitter

We are in the process of interviewing a couple of girls to be our occasional babysitter for date nights. I sent a "want ad" to the local university's Education department asking if they could send it out to all of their students. A few of the girls are coming out over the next couple of days to meet and talk with me.

My question, having never hired a babysitter before, is what's the going rate for a babysitter? I asked them what they generally charge and they said they leave it up to the people they are babysitting for. I want to be able to offer something that isn't insulting and will drive them away but in the same respect, would like to keep it close to the minimum I can get away with. My twinkies will be in bed whenever she comes and she will just have to entertain my 6yo son who is a super easy to please little guy.

TIA!!!

Stacy

 

QUOTE(Stacy @ Sep 20 2007, 02:49 PM) [snapback]416474[/snapback]
My question, having never hired a babysitter before, is what's the going rate for a babysitter? I asked them what they generally charge and they said they leave it up to the people they are babysitting for. I want to be able to offer something that isn't insulting and will drive them away but in the same respect, would like to keep it close to the minimum I can get away with. My twinkies will be in bed whenever she comes and she will just have to entertain my 6yo son who is a super easy to please little guy.


We have 9 month old Twins. We pay 6.25 per hour or 50 dollars per day. It seems to do okay! I know lots of Singleton (friends of ours) to $20 bucks and call it good!

 

We haven't had anyone, but family watch our 3 kids, but a friend with 20 month old twins is having her teenage neighbor watch her kids for date nights and they will be paying her $7/hour.

 

we usually pay between 6 and 7 dollars an hour

 

We have used many babysitters. I pay differently according to their age and circumstances. Pay rates vary GREATLY due to geography (New York City vs. small town USA). One child vs. twins or more also garners more pay. I would ask friends or neighbors in YOUR area what they pay. That's usually the best guide. I have also found many teen sitters give the same pay rate answer when asked..."its up to you". But at the same time, if you don't pay enough, they may never sit for you again.

For college girls, I pay $8/hr. For the highschool girls in my neighborhood, I pay between $6-7/hr. I keep in mind minimum wage (close to $6/hr...i think $5.85 now?) So I feel its fair for occasional babysitting. I have many "go to girls" for weekend sitting and that pay level has been working well for us here in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

 

We don't live in NYC but we pay almost double what everyone here is saying. We have a regular, go-to sitter that gets $10/hr and all the others usually ask for $12/hr( even if all the kids are sleeping!). If we do an overnight, we pay $100 to $120 per sitter (we have 2 sitters when we are gone overnight) plus meals, drinks, etc. We do not use high school or younger kids, who would likely be much less expensive. We have 3 children; our 3 yr old is quite difficult and the twins are 15 months and developmentally delayed. It is hard enough for my husband and I to give them the attention and care they need on our own so we pay more for experienced, CPR and first aid trained sitters. We use a babysitting service that also runs background checks on all the girls they have. (I guess we are paranoid and extra-cautious?) Anyway, if you live in a rural area or a small town, I guess you could find someone great for $5 or $6 and I'm really jealous! Good luck finding someone great. I agree with PP's that you should ask your neighbors and friends what they pay for a good idea about the rate where you live.

Kelly

 

Wr are in southern California and I think the going rate for 2 children is between $7- $10 per hour.

 

Depends where you live. the age of person and his/her experience. how many kids. do they have cpr training, etc, etc.

The going rate in SF bay area is $10-20 per hour (big range, but lots of factors).

 

I only have had college aged girls watch my boys and I pay them $10 per hour. I know I live in South Dakota, which has an extremely low standard of living, but I want my babysitters to come back and to know they are truly appreciated. I am entrusting my childrens lives in their hands. Plus, the college is a good 15 minutes from my house and the high pay is to help with gas as well. And when I was a nanny in college, the family payed me $10.00 an hour and seriously it helped me get through the expenses of college.

 

We pay anywhere from $7-$10/hr.