Comments on: How much do you pay for a babysitter?

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:00:07 +0000

I make less than that teaching kindergarten in a Long Island suburb (8 years tenured)! Lucky sitter!!!

By: Karen Weideman

Karen Weideman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:44:33 +0000

We had some similar issues as well. I would turn off my computer when I left and she would still turn it on. I had to put a password on my computer. We rarely get a babysitter. There is a lady at church that volunteers to keep them every few months so that we can have a date. The two older ones are in elementary school and the younger one is at preschool a few hours each week so sometimes we have a lunch date. It’s so much cheaper anyway.

By: kellys

kellys — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:52:25 +0000

I am so sorry that happened to you. That’s terrible. I too had an experience similar to that as well. I have fixed the issues and she babysits for me on occasion with only 2 of the kids usually as a last resort. Usually my kids are already asleep if she is babysitting as they go to bed early.

By: Tami

Tami — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:31:44 +0000

I pay $2.50 per child per hour. I have 4 kids but sometimes just need to leave 1 or 2 or 3. If it all 4 I pay $10/hour. I have issues with babysitters texting and using our internet. I don’t mind just checking emails but I have had a babysitter stay on Facebook the entire night. My 2 little ones played in the toilet and spilled toilet water all over the bathroom. Then they tried to clean it up with toilet paper. You can imagine the mess I came home too. The babysitter had been on FB all night and didn’t even know they had made the mess. My 2 year old was soaked and the baby sitter didn’t even know it. Needless to say, she never sat with my kids again. I do have high expectations from a babysitter.

By: kellys

kellys — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:01:20 +0000

4 kids under 5 … I would pay you at least $10 an hour with a minimum of $25 for each time. So if you only babysit for 1 hour, I’d still pay you $25. I have 3 kids under 5 and I pay $7.50 an hour with a minimum of $20. Hope that helps.

By: Biz

Biz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:41:58 +0000

how about if u babysit for 4 kids under 5! your 14 and you babysit for 5 hours!? wat would you charge?

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:00:35 +0000

I live in Chicago and it’s $125.00 per overnight minimum even though people will try and rob these kids with adding additional families and only paying one rate. With the price of gas and you having an adult spend the night, I don’t care what she does when the child is in bed. She should get cheated if she’s not at her house sleeping and she’s guarding your family and house.

By: jmv

jmv — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:03:09 +0000

I am graduating with my Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education in December; and I charge $10 an hour for babysitting one child. Before I was this close to completing my degree I was happy with $5 an hour. At my full-time job I only make $10 an hour: which is considered very well paid for a position in early childhood. Many places only pay min. wage; even for a lead position. High schoolers charging that much is outrageous! In high school; I watched 4 kids under the age of 5 for a family and only charged $7.

By: jenn

jenn — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:51:53 +0000

I live in Mobile, AL and I usually pay between $40-$50 for an “overnight” sit. That means 8PM to 7AM.

I can’t see paying any more than that. I bring my son to the sitter’s own home. He’s fed, he’s ready for bed and all she has to do is tuck him in and go about her life, business as usual.

I’ve heard from both ends of the spectrum: that $50 is peanuts and that it’s a lot. I don’t know what to believe. I know I can’t afford any more than that.

I agree with one of the moms here: Minimum wage for a real JOB is only $7.25/hour. Where do these teens get off charging $10/hour to eat chips and watch TV when some daycare workers don’t even get that? Could you imagine being a single mom making $8/hour and having to pay the sitter $10/hour?

What ever happened to good, old-fashioned neighborly sitting? I remember being 14 in 1990 and charging no more than $2/hour and being thrilled with that. I made little flyers and waited for the phonecalls. I also didn’t have an iPhone, laptop or jeans that cost $64 a pair.

I hate to sound like a grumpy old lady, but kids these days are spoiled and WE are spoiling them. I remember raking leaves in my grandma’s neighbor’s yard for FREE because she was old and needed help. These days, kids don’t want to leave the XBox if it means they’re getting any less than $25?!? That’s insanity! $25 is a steak dinner at a nice restaurant! This is not a few bucks for the mall and a smoothie.

WE the MOMS have to stop this. We need to start making our OWN kids go out there and be HELPFUL and learn the value of a charitable heart. Or at LEAST teach them not to profit wildly from another Mom’s disadvantage.

We have also got to stop PAYING $10/hour for someone to come over and use the internet while your child sleeps. WE set the market rate. WE have done this to OURSELVES and we did it by constantly overpaying because we feel guilty or afraid the young lady won’t come back.

She does not have to get up, put on a uniform and serve cheeseburgers all night. $5/hour is fine.

Just my $0.02

By: bets

bets — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:24:07 +0000

$50 an HOUR!?!?!
sign me up.. um just wondering how many kids?
ages? any health concerns…i feel like this is
a lot of money..to make an hour.