How Much Do You Pay? - Norman,OK

Woah, I would pay maybe around $30... seriously, I got like $15 for that when I was in high school... which wasn't that terribly long ago. Are teens suddenly worth gold now?

Around here it's $10/hr for the first kid, $15/hr with 2 kids (I only have 2, so I don't know how much for 3!). If the 2 youngest are sleeping when the sitter arrives, you could probably get away with $15/hr for all 3. You don't want to go too cheap, or you may end up with a sitter who thinks it's okay to have friends over, talk on the phone the whole time, etc. I have found that at $15/hr, most older teenagers/college kids take it very seriously.

Sittercity has a rate calculator that for 3 kids in 73071 with a babysitter that is 18-24 years old with 0-1 years of experience would make $9.25/hour. But that may or may not be realistic - that seems kind of low to me (but my cost of living calculator is skewed cuz I live in Chicago now lol). Also, I lived in Mustang 10 years ago and for ONE 4 year old the going rate was $8/hour.

As far as paying them less cuz the kids are 'asleep' - I sorta have an issue with that (although LOTS of parents feel that way, so I may be in the minority). But I look at it this way..... do you get paid less at work when there is nothing to do? Nope.... your pay is because you are hired to work a certain job or shift and you still have to be 'at work'. You should think the same way about your sitter. She still has to be "on" and "attentive" in case one of them wakes up or (and there won't be) there's an emergency. The worst thing you want to EVER do is underpay your sitter.

Have fun!

I think $60 is spot on. You have a toddler and an infant. Even tho the younger 2 might sleep all or most of the time, you want to make sure that you pay enough so that the sitter pays attention to you kids, doesn't fall asleep, etc.

M.

We pay $15/hour for a babysitter for our two four year olds when we go out to dinner. Usually my girls are asleep for over half of the time, but the rate doesn't change. That $15/hour is for an adult... someone 24-30 years old with experience. We could hire a teenager for $10/hour but I'm not excited about having someone with very little life experience care for my kids... the one time I did I found our 15 year old sitter on the couch watching TV after my girls went to bed (totally fine by me) with her iPod headphones on and the volume turned all the way up. There was no way she would have been able to hear my girls if they yelled or needed something. She didn't even realize we had walked in the door and my husband had to shake her shoulder to get her to look up and see us.

The average rate here is about $10 an hour for a sitter for one child. (we have only one). I personally charge more (I've got lots of experience.) It's not about if their sleeping or awake, it's just about the hourly rate.

I pay $10 per hour for 20ish, no education/experience sitter. $15 for very experienced/educated sitter. Even if kids are asleep, doesn't change rate.

I have 5 kids at home... so when they are babysat, I pay $5 per hour per kid... with a minimum of $25. So $25 an hour if all the kids are home, but if only one kid is home and they babysit for 3 hours, they still get the $25. I have 4 high school students I usually choose from... but my oldest is nearly 10, so she doesn't need much supervision... and she is pretty good about letting me know how it went. She tells me if the babysitters are up to anything hinky, and they know it! It adds up if we are gone for a long time... but the babysitter earns it! LOL! I do allow for a friend to come, and will tack on an extra $2 an hour and they can split that... BUT the friend has to be approved by me. :)

Your younger two children are very young. If one wakes the other may also. If they wake and realize you are gone they could easily stay up way later than they normally would.

60 dollars is very fair and what I would charge for kids that come to me AND that's with a sibling discount. That's with me being in MY element in my home.

To go to your home you need to think about the national average and guidelines based on age and experience and the age and number of your kids. There's a calculator on care.com. Based on my years of experience and the number and ages of your children, I should be paid 12-15 per hour at your home. But I'll say that I would never leave the comfort of my home for that :)

I pay $4 per hour for one kid. Reading these other responses, I am very cheap. this explains why I can't keep sitters. $50 is a lot for me to pay someone for 5 hours.

I dont know that this is an option for you but you could always look into the Parents Night Out programs in you area. Our church does 2 a month every other Friday from 6-9. They charge $5 a child with a max of, I think, $15. This would at least give you time for a movie and/or a dinner. So maybe check some local churches or gyms (YMCA).

We pay $12 an hour for 2 kids in California.

$10 per hour for 1 child but I make it clear SHE must interact and play whatever my child wants. No texting, cell phones, or computer. No friends.
It is all about my child who tells me everything so she better have fun.

My husband and I just went out for an evening and gave our sitter $40 for a litle over 3 hours. We have 2 boys, ages 3 and 4. We got home by 9 so she did not even have to put them to bed. Easy peasy.

I think you also have to take into consideration how far the sitter is driving and the high price of gas. You want to make sure your sitter is taken care of so she comes back next time you need her!!

A lot of it depends on your area.

My 16 yr old daughter babysits regularly for 3 families on the street. She averages $12-$15 an hour. She does not set a rate.

2 families have 3 children, 1 in diapers and last week 1 mom had daughter over for 2 hrs and she got $50. Another family has 1 child, 4, and on their date nights, they routinely give her about $90 from 6pm-1am

Good for you on date night. We've rarely missed one in almost 25 yrs. It was a priority in our marriage. We guaranteed $40 for saving the night for us and then we added to that. Weekly date nights were $60-$80 cash.

No, teens are not made of gold.... people pay well when they find a good one so they will keep the good one. THe best teen sitters are hard to come by so you ante up to hang on to good ones in our area. CASH

I think that amount sounds fair. You essentially have 2 babies that need to be cared for. There's no guarantee they will sleep how they normally do, with you & your DH being gone.

Too much! In my area, for an adult driving in anyways. More around $10/hour. I do a lot of babysitting for families at the daycares I've worked at. Maybe if it's truly 2 hours, dinner only and you want to make sure they come back $30 - but $60 for 2 hours...hire me!!!