how much is the going rate for babysitting i have a 14 yr. old who wants to start and wants to be pd. a fair wage. thanks!
i would say it depends on the age of the kid, and how many... $5 hr is the average around here too... but for a young baby i would ask a little more...
have your daughter take the R. cross baby sitting course, CPR, and a first aid course... she can ask more with better qualifications, and will likely have more people willing to leave their kids with her!
SA Mama's post makes me laugh. My daughter is almost 13 and is certified in infant and adult CPR and first aid, and has taken a red cross babysitting course and I think she's probably more responsible than some of the "driving" babysitters I've had for her over the years. I wouldn't want anybody driving my kid anywhere in an emergency. That's what 911 is for. The going rate around here is about $8-10. I have relatives in Quincy, and am familiar with the area. She probably could charge between $5 and $10. And I think 14 is a great age to be a babysitter. Once kids get a license they want a "real" job. I always lost my teen sitters when they could drive.
14 is plenty old enough to babysit. I was qualified in infant and child CPR and had taken babysitting courses through my local libarary by the time I was 11. I babysat for several families but one was a family that had a child with severe diabetes and I never had a problem. I was totally old enough to handle it. I had my parents' phone number with me in case of an emergency and I had detailed instructions that I followed to a T. I brought tons of stuff to play with the kids and my favorite adventure book to read to them every time I went. Gradually we finished the book.
Anyways, that being said, I pay my babysitters now $4 per hour per child. I have two kids, so it works out to $8 per hour. My understanding is that this is sort of on the high end for a teenage babysitter, but I believe in paying my babysitters well if they deserve it in order to ensure continued good relations with them and to ensure that they always put forth a good effort for my kids. Also, one of them comes from an impoverished family and I like being able to pay her well. I call her the most often. However, none of my babysitters ever sets a price. They do it because they are helping us and we are friends or friends of their parents. I pay them because they deserve it. They always protest that I shouldn't pay them, or shouldn't pay them that much, but I still do it. I know this isn't always the case though so your daughter should be up front with anyone looking to hire her for babysitting. Maybe she could set her price at $3/hr/kid. That's pretty normal and the parents can throw in a little extra something if they're happy with the job she did.
Around here it is $5 and hour for 2 kids.
My 13 yr old daughter babysits (she is certified, has CPR, etc) and has had good luck with just letting the parents decide how much to pay her. If she for some reason isn't happy with the amount, she just tells those parents that she is busy next time they call. Probably not the "nicest" thing to do, but it is her little "business" so I try to stay out of it to the extent that I can :)
Good luck!
To me it depends on the level of care. I personally would not let a 14 yo babysit my children because in the event of emergency, she would not be able to drive. I also quesiton the maturity of an adolescent. Will she be on the phone? Will she be easily irritated? Does she know infant/ child CPR? What is her judgement like?
I am sure your and other 14 yos are more mature than that, but I'd have questions.
We paid our nanny $8/hr for our two kids, but she knew CPR and drove them around. Our market is pretty low. In Austin, my SIL pays $14/hr for a college age babysitter.
In a pinch I'd maybe hire a 16yo, but that's just me.
I do wish her success!
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To me it depends on the level of care. I personally would not let a 14 yo babysit my children because in the event of emergency, she would not be able to drive. I also quesiton the maturity of an adolescent. Will she be on the phone? Will she be easily irritated? Does she know infant/ child CPR? What is her judgement like?
I am sure your and other 14 yos are more mature than that, but I'd have questions.
We paid our nanny $8/hr for our two kids, but she knew CPR and drove them around. Our market is pretty low. In Austin, my SIL pays $14/hr for a college age babysitter.
In a pinch I'd maybe hire a 16yo, but that's just me.
I do wish her success!
I've heard of some kids getting up to $10 an hour to babysit, which I think is ridiculous. However, I wouldn't expect to pay less than $5. It also depends on whether or not the child is certified and what she would be expected to do.
