2010 Babysitting Rates

I see you got a lot of answers...so I will encourage you to look at my reply to a Dad's recent post about questions to ask babysitters. I laid out how we went about "interviewing" and then "breaking in" the sitters. I think that if you pay say $5 to start and then go up as the sitter does a good job that encourages the good ones to keep coming back. We pay our best sitter, $8 or slightly more per hour. She will serve pizza, cleans up completely, plays games with the kids and puts them to bed. If for any reason we expect more from her, we will up her rate for that occasion.

Personally, I would pay more for the care of an infant (diapers, feedings, needs more attention/care), holidays or if the sitter needed to fix meals or take the kids somewhere. I think each added responsibility should be compensated for...esp if you think you have a person who you can trust!

Our kids are 6 and 4 and we live outside of Chicago. She is college aged now, but we've used her for 4 years as needed. She isn't expected to cook or take the kids anywhere...it's just "sitting" while we go out for a date night.

I JUST encountered this myself as we used our first "non grandma" babysitter this month! It varies so much so it is a little tricky... A friend of the family who babysits told me 7 an hour for 1-3 kids if they are awake and 5 dollars and hour if all are asleep. Another girl I know charges 10 and hour no matter how many children and regardless if they are asleep or awake. So I would go with 7 an hour, or like a flat 30 dollars for a 4 hour date night, especially since your baby will be asleep. :) Hope you have a great time!

I pay $10 an hour for one child. I always pay a little more than others pay, because then if I need a sitter I know they'll work for me! I've actually had sitters in the past call me to see if I might need them before taking another job because they know I pay well. I look at it as they are your most precious things in the whole world so it's worth paying well for good sitters.

I know we paid $5 an hour when my son was 5 he is now 14 so it has to have gone up some. I would figure at least $7 or $8 an hour. The whole "they will be sleeping" thing is really a crock. You need a sitter whether they are awake or asleep so don't really take that into consideration. You yourself know that children may sleep for ten minutes and then be up. Regardless of whether awake or asleep you need someone there. Good luck finding teenagers to sit gets harder and harder.

we pay 10-12 per hour, depending on if they are asleep or awake.

I think alot of these responses are way to cheap.....really, why do people want to get away with paying as little as possible to the person who is caring for their most prized possessions? I nannied for a long time and earned $12-$15 an hour in the city and that was 5 years ago. ( I am located in Chicago). I understand it is less in the suburbs but should never be less than $10 an hour for highschool and above. Really, someone said $5/hour?? That's not even close to minimum wage! Kids are still alot of work no matter where you live, so take care of your babysitters! If you value them highly, they will do the best they can for you.

Depending on what Iam doing, I offer my niece a flat rate! (she is my babsitter and has taken a babysitting class)! She is 13 and I have 2 boys which are usually wild but seem to be good for her because earlier in the day she makes out a planner of what they are going to do that night, which helps her plan things for the night! My boys love board games and we have tons of them so they may play several of those etc. But it works out great for me! But if u can't do what I can do, the growing rate where I live which is in the west burbs of Chicago is usually $5 an hour for each kid...Good Luck!!

Hi K.,
I hope I can simplify an answer for you to a question that can have varying answers based on geographic's ,experience of the sitter ,and task to be done.
I have two children Six and Four, and have had the same Nanny for 1 1/2 years and utilize 2 college aged sitters when needed. The nanny gets 10.00 an hour or 500.00 per week. A babysitter for two at this age we pay $8.00 an hour and $10.00 the last hour (It is to instill the mindset to encourage clean up in the last hour, things of changed with babysitters since I babysat, it was expected to clean up, now some babysitters are lacking in that area) I do not know if you work or if you are using the sitters for errand / social time, because depending the prices can be adjusted (not down from above) based on assigned tasks. Good Luck, every mom needs some help!

I live not too far away from you, and I think the going rate in our area is about $12-15 per hour for 2 kids. My 3 year old is challenging, so I always go with the $15 per hour. I also have her put the baby to sleep, about 30 minutes before my 3 yo sleeps. I suppose I could get away with paying less, but I really like my sitter's independence, initiative, flexibility, and patience with my son, so I am willing to pony up to make sure that when I really need her, she'll make sure to be there for us. (I got my guidelines on SitterCity, where I found my sitter.)

I think you would be looking at $10-$15 an hour in your area, maybe a little cheaper if it was a younger sitter or a mom that brought their own child with.

It depends where you live and the age of your sitter. I would say $8 - $15 an hour. Pay is the same regardless of sleep/no sleep. :) Good luck.

i think about 8 an hour is right. Rather or not the baby is sleeping she is still watching them both. i know people who pay 7 for two kids and i know people who pay 10 for two kids an hour. start out at a prize you can afford to up after some time. Maybe if you have the same sitter for 6 months give a 50 or dollar raise. But you should check allllllll sitters out yourself then have them come over for a little while and just see how they interact together. good luck and i wish you the best in finding a great sitter!

Kimmie

I live in North Dallas and I babysit for a few families (college-aged). I get about $12-15 an hour, and sometimes up to $18-$20 and hour depending on the family. Some of the families I watch pay me for gas too, since I drive a bit to get there. I know the normal rate is about $10-15 an hour though, but I also have a great relationship w/ those families and always make sure the house is clean, dishes done, kids kept happy and safe ;-)

I would say to pay 10-12/hour.

I think a lot of it depends on where you are. I live in Seattle, a very pricey town to begin with, and our going rate for sitters is between $12-$15/hour, and that would be a college-aged (and older) sitter. I have two kids (3 y and 10 mos.) and even if they go to bed two hours later, the sitters are still compensated the same rate for the whole time.

If it was a high-schooler from the neighborhood, who was helping watch the kids so I can get something done, I would probably be paying about $10-$12/hour.

Also, I always ask (never assume) the sitter if she would be willing to do any other tasks if time permits. I paid our last sitter extra for cleaning the kitchen after the kids went to bed! I would much rather she be focused on my children and their well-beings instead of coming home to a clean house!

In CA, for a quality sitter you will pay about $15. an hour, maybe a little less if you hire a high school student. I am not sure what the rate is where you are, but most likely similar. Remember, even though your younger child will go to sleep, the sitter is still responsible for him, so they need to be getting payed for two children the entire time.

Good luck with finding a great sitter!

I live in Boston. I pay between 8-10 per hour for a 4 year old. I have also negotiated a "flat rate". $20 when I run grocery shopping. $30 for a movie... etc. I start by asking the babysitter... I find the teenagers are often willing to accept whatever you offer. Have fun getting out of the houser =)

We pay $5 an hour for our 2 children with $5 to start. I guess it depends on the children and the sitter, but our sitter says we pay very well. Example, if we were gone 3 ours she would get 3 x $5 plus $5 to start totaling $20. A teenager is going to cost less than a professional baby sitter.