how much do you pay your baby sitter? since jeff & i have had our little kidlets,
we haven't done much "dating." we've made it out the door without any children thanks to our wonderful parents who babysit occasionally. but other than, we don't really get out much. but this past weekend a baby sitter was hired & we went to the movies with my mom and some family friends. on the drive home, we started wondering, how much do we pay? you want to pay enough so that they will want to come back, but you don't want to break the bank... so, how much do you pay your baby sitter?
Monday, September 10, 2007
so here's a question...
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21 comments:
hey kelly! we usually pay $5-6 an hour for one child and $1-2 per child after that. for a night out, it ends up being about $25.
that's why we never do it. :)
The going rate here in NY is at least $10/hr. Ouch. We could maybe get away paying a 12-year-old less, but not a nanny or a college kid. But, if we trust someone, we pay it.
I normally pay my sitter about $5.00 an hour. We just have one kiddo..and our date nights never seem to be longer than two hours, so it's not that bad:) We have just one sitter we've ever used - she's my best friend's 37 year old sister...she's awesome. Usually for birthdays and Christmas she gives us a free night of sitting instead of a gift.
We pay $10 an hour. I have 4 kids. Two of whom are disabled, so I feel I need to pay a bit more. Who wants to change a 9 year-old's diaper? I have to make it worth their while.
I just use Young Women. One in particular is my usual. I think because I pay her so well, she is willing to come any time. I almost always get her and if she can't, her sister can!
That is the toughest question and the sitter will never tell you what they charge. We pay $2 a kid. But end up rounding it up a bit.
My cousin babysits a lot and says that the 'going rate' around here is about $3 a kid up to 4 hours and then $5 a kid for each additional hour after that. But once she has babysat for someone for a long time and their kids are more used to her etc., they usually pay her more because she is able to get their kids to sleep and pick up the house a little. Needless to say, she rocks and is in high demand.
When my kids were little I'd find out what the neighbors were paying and pay double. I wanted them to come back! When I had a good one, I figured she was worth her weight in gold. When I used to babysit back in the 60's I got 25¢ an hour. I was worth at least 35¢!
My sister-in-law uses the $3 per kid per hour rule. For three kids Sean and I pay Oregon's minimum wage (rounded up). Don't forget to use young men as well young women. My kids love our friend Brenden who plays video games and rough houses with them.
Looks like I am the lucky winner of highest payer- $15 an hour. I do have 3 kids and the oldest has autism. I wish I could just have YW come (especially since I am in YW and know them all) but I need more than that usually. So we have babysitters that are in their 20s. Sadly half the time the kids are in bed and we're spending at least $50 per date. OUCH!!! I guess it shows how badly we want to get out of the house if we're willing to pay that kind of money!
On the rare ocasion that we leave the house without our children, we pay $4 per hour, which is $1 a kid. I think I must be the cheapest.
Luckily, our oldest is almost 12, and she has watched the kids for a few hours at a time. I love it!
I really appreciated this post, though I don't have helpful info. We have never hired a babysitter and have wanted to, but were clueless about the going rate. Now we just need to plan a date evening!
We pay between $7-10 per hour. My kids are a handful...but I usually have them all ready for bed, watching a movie and they go to bed by 8 p.m. So...it's not too bad. Some of our favorite babysitters are a pair of twins...they are willing to split the money. But I usually round up. Honestly, sometimes it just depends what bills are in Brad's wallet at the time. Occasionally I have paid $20 an hour, just because I don't have change! I have also paid in quarters. My favorite sitters are the ones who do it because they love kids rather than for the money. We spend WAY too much on sitters...but it's cheaper than marriage counseling!
I always try to pay better than what my friends do - that way the sitters will WANT to tend for me. The going rate in CA seemed to be about $10 an hour; here it's a lot less. I shoot for about $8-10 per hour. It's expensive, but SO, SO worth it.
In my ward we have an over abundance of YM and YW and very few young kids. I have a favorite babysitter who actually told me up-front what she charges. For 3 kids it's $4/hr. I always pay her $5/hr though because she's old enough that she has a regular job now and she's so good with my kiddos and gets them in bed on time. She's even re-arranged her work schedule so she could babysit for me. I love it.
LOved reading all your responses. I think alot of people wonder this qustion too. I pay $6.oo an hour- $3 per kid since I have 2. We do round-up too. Just need to find teens to babysit. I am actually going to try the babysitting swap with a friend, which is great and free too if all works out!
The kids in my neighborhood are in the 10th grade and they want $10-15 dollars an hour. We don't go out much, but we when we do it's $50-$60 just for the sitter... which is usually more than our movie and quick meal out!
I usually pay $5 an hour for my two kids. But, we live in Idaho. When we lived in CA, I paid $8 for a college kid to watch just one (second one hadn't been born yet) - $8 was the going rate for jobs for college kids in our college town.
I use a 14 year old, but I would pay more if we used someone older. And we are never gone for more than 3 hours and have yet to ask a babysitter to put the kids to bed, but I am contemplating it. I would probably pay a little more if she had to do more than just play with the kids and get them a snack.
I pay $8 an hour for my 2 kids, but rarely go out, just the adults-only events like the Christmas Party.
wow! i must be spoiled! we have just one kid and the only ones who have babysat so far have been grandma's and aunts! (and they don't charge me)
Those who have said they have relatives who live nearby who babysit don't have ANY IDEA how LUCKY they are! We have four kids and pay about $6 hour. I thought it was pretty good. I now realize we are probably ripping those poor teenage girls off. So sorry!
Out here in NY, we pay $10 for the YW in the ward and $15/hour for the Nannies. My new rule is if we can't get the YW, the we're not going out.
THe kids are always in bed and asleep before we leave anyway, so the sitter is getting paid for watching tv.
Ah to live somewhere else where it's more affordable to date your husband!
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