How Much to Pay Sitter?

You need to ask around your area...This is HIGHLY subjective to where you live. Talk to some moms, teachers, etc...or if you find someone ask them. In my small town we get kids for like $2 and hour, and my friend does daycare for $3 an hour. My husband's aunt does childcare in Minnesota and gets paid $20/hour (no kidding). Do not even bother with the answers you get on mamapedia unless it is from moms near where you live (and by near I mean in your specific town since even a suburb 20 minutes away can have completely different standards).

www.care.com has a calculator that suggests babysitter pay based on your zip code, number of children, and care provider's experience.

68516, 1 child, any - 10yrs+ = $7.50-$10.00 an hour

Like the previous poster said, a lot depends on your location.
I run a home daycare & get paid a daily rate...If you break it down, my hourly rate only comes to be about $3/hr.
But, I also use a "babysitter" for time away with my husband, friends, etc. Babysitting rates are much different. When I use my sitter, I pay her $8/hour OR $25...whichever is more. I don't want her to come out of her way to babysit & we end up being gone only an hour, because then she drove here & back and watched my kids for a measley $8.00.
Hope this helps!!

I have to agree in part with Sammi Jo about location, and I also think that you are going to get the quality of care you pay for. If you have a child with concerns, (as it sounds you might from your post, as you listed feeding issues and mild Autism, which some adults are comfortable with and some will not understand) I'd suggest the $10 an hour range for this service. You want someone caring, compassionate, responsible and intelligent, and who will keep coming back even if they have some challenging times. I say this having worked with some children who have 'mild' special needs... I've done a lot of reading on my end to understand where their sensitivities might be and what sorts of approaches would be therapeutic during times when the child is challenged or stressed. Sometimes, with some children, conventional discipline/reasoning isn't helpful. Finding someone who will work with your family's needs is a gem.

I also pay my high-school sitter $10 an hour. I myself charge $12 an hour for private care here in Portland.

Happy return to dating too!

Are there any colleges near you? When I was in college, I was a Special Education Major and did tons of babysitting for special needs kids - I really preferred to work with kids with needs, because I wanted to get experience with all types of kiddos. I hung up flyers on the Bulletin Board outside the special ed office, and even went to a few Special Needs schools near our college to drop off flyers. It worked out wonderfully for everyone, because I got so close with so many of the families, when I went to look for a job, they provided incredible references, and I got many "ins" with Special Needs Schools. I would consider calling the SpEd office at a local college and asking if there would be any names they could give you OR if you could post something there to have SpEd majors call you. (and after teaching for 11 years, I now have my own mildly autistic 7 year old son!)

At the center I work at and sometimes babysit for the kids (as do some of the other girls) it really varies what people pay. I had one girl from 630a-7p and got $75. which broken down is $6/hour. Some people said not enough. However she was at my house so I was able to still do laundry and dishes and we still went to see Despicable Me (with mom's permission!). Another girl we sit for pretty regularly usually pays between $8-10/hr. Usually for a Saturday or Sunday all day we get $60 but how long we have her varies (but usually around 8 hours so about $7.5/hr) . Most families with 2-3 kids pay $10/hr for evening sitting. For one child $6-8. Honestly it depends on the child and parents if I will still babysit when I get paid less what other people pay. If you would want to go out to dinner some night I would go with the $8/hr for an adult who is driving to you, with eduacation/experience, CPR. If it's a teen...not sure but I will check with my coworker tomorrow who's 15 year old does some babysitting. Also the $25 minimum sounds good to me!! I don't know how old your son is and his daycare arrangements but if he's at a center someone there he already knows and you trust may be interested. Hope some of this helps! ..if I don't send you a message in a few days w/some info from other ppl remind me!

in chicago suburbs we pay $6-$12 for 2 kids depending on age.
i'd say one kid (if a toddler) and a teenager 14-16 $6-7 an hr.
if they are working age they will want at least minimum wage.

I over pay mine for the same reason. I have three kids and for two hours i will pay 40.00. My kiddos can be on the wild side, so i take this into consideration. If it is something where sitter may stay over because we are going to be late late, i will give them 80 to 100. Its asking alot for one person to watch three kids at a time. I have only adapted to it, so three is not so bad.

In your case with one kid and depending on how long you are gone, go by minimum wage and then since you want to keep them, if they are worth it..add a few bucks on an hour. I know i get taken when i pay a sitter. We dont ask outside people to sit but maybe once or twice a year. So it is worth it. Hope this helps a little bit.

A lot of it depends on your area. A rural area would be less than an area like mine in the Dallas suburbs.

My daughter is 16 and regularly babysits for 3 families. She rarely gets less than $12/hr and she usually averages $15/hour.

You do get what you pay for and you bet she says yes when those 3 families ask her to babysit over a couple other families that ask on occasion. She knows they take care of her... she prides herself on making sure their children have fun and are well cared for.

When we were using sitters for our weekly date nights before our daughter became a sitter we guaranteed the sitter $40 no matter what (meaning if we cancelled for any reason because SHE saved the night for us) plus we added $10/hr. Our weekly date nights were anywhere from $60-$80 CASH, more if we stayed out later, etc.

This sounds like it really would be a Job for someone on a regular basis so I would at least pay them minimum wage of whatever your state's wage is. I know in UT, I believe it's $7.25 per hour. If it's more of a Nanny you are seaking, prices are going to be a LOT higher because they are usually more specialized-have CPR, this is a career for them, usually have had lots of exp w/children. It also depends on what you expect the individual to do w/your son during the time you are gone. I agree w/the other Mama-it is Very Subjective to where you live so I would start asking around your local area and you should get a better idea. All the best...

It really depends on experience, but could range anywhere from $6-$15/hour. A teenager for example is going to be on the lower end off the scale, where someone who has more experience like a college grad, past nanny, etc are going to make more. Check out Care4hire.com; you can find great babysitters in your area...free search by zip code to see who is available.