? going rate for babysitters

[disney funseeker]

Does anyone use teenage babysitters?

I've never had a teenage babysitter for the kids before but might start using one of the neighbours who has agreed to help me. She is 16. My kids are 3 & 4 1/2.

curious about what the hourly pay is these days for babysitters 14-16 yrs old, 16-18 yrs old and 18 yrs + . Does the rate depend on the number of kids and the age of the babysitter?

Right now, I pay $50/day for both kids to go to an adult sitter.

 

[Jo-Anne]

For a teenage babysitter who does occassional sitting for us, we pay her $5.00/hour for both kids...our kids are 6&3. When she first offered to babysit for us, we asked her what the going rate was, as to this point, we had only had family and friends babysit for us. She was the one telling us that rate (that was about 2 years ago). I know some of my other friends pay higher than that. I laugh to think that I babysat for 0.25cents/hour!!

 

[maryliz]

My kids are 6 and 3 too, and I pay $5/hour as well. I think that's pretty reasonable, even if they have the chore of putting them to bed. I used to make $1/hour and that was when minimum wage at the local fast-food restaurants was paying $2.15/hour. It's also been my "limited experience" (we don't go out much!) that the younger ones are the better sitters. For one, they want the $$$ because they are too young to work in fast-food, so they are good. And secondly, they still like to have fun themselves so are more inclined to actually play with my kids. I've found as the kids got older, they were more interested in just letting them watch TV. We had one a while back, first time sitting for us, and I specifically told her "no friends in". I didn't really think that thought would have crossed her mind, but I said it anyway. We got home, and noticed a group of kids starting to go up our driveway ... they fled when we pulled in. My dd told me later how cute the sitters friends thought my ds was. I asked if she had friends in and was told, "no, just on the front porch". Needless to say, I never hired her again. I have a niece that is now old enough to babysit and I am ecstatic because I trust her, she has her babysitting course, and my kids adore her.

Mary Liz

 

[disney funseeker]

Thanks for the information.

I had an offer from a 12 yr.old. Her mother said that she is really good with kids and loves babysitting. Originally thought 12 was too young for my kids but never thought that they could actually be better because they'd be more enthusiastic and actually play with the kids too. Now, I'll have to reconsider her offer.

The 16 yr old is very nice too, so I'd have to give her a try especially since she lives only 2 houses away and could call her mom in a hurry if she ran into any trouble.

$5/hr sounds reasonable. Another neighbour pays $6/hr and was told that she pays a lot for her babysitter.