Hourly rate for a night babysitter?

[ErinMC]

We're going out next Friday and using a babysitter for the first time. (We have always used the in-laws before.) We have an adult babysitter that comes highly recommended and is a friend, but we just realized tonight that we never asked her rate, and she never offered it. So I'll call her tomorrow and figure it out.

But out of curiosity, how much do you all pay for babysitters when/if you go out at night? I'm sure it varies based on teen vs adult sitters, area of the country, etc. We live in a college town in western Mass.

TIA!

[slknight]

We pay our adult sitter (DS's former daycare teacher) $10/hour. I suspect that's a little high, but we like her and trust her so much that it's worth it. We're in southern Maine, but she used to be in Chicago and that's what she charged there. We were going to have her come once a week, but realized that was going to add up quickly!

[chlobo]

We pay our adult sitter $10/hr as well. She's worth every penny.

[lfp2n]

We pay our sitter $10/hour- she's a 27 yr old graduate student in my lab- so she better be good! We have paid her that for a year though so I was wondering whether we should make an inflationary increase. She's never actually had to deal with DD though as she's always asleep when we go out, not that that makes any difference to the rate. Thats in a college town in central Virginia.


Lucy DD 3/03

[g-mama]

We pay our sitter $10 an hour (and also did when we just had one child). I don't know if that's high, but she's amazing. She's 25 years old and we trust her completely and our kids LOVE her, so she's worth every penny.

Kristen
Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03

[Marisa6826]

Well, I live in NJ and pay my sitter $10/hr. She's a recent college grad that I've known for years (I went to college with her older brother).

I also always either leave money for her to get food delivered, or make sure there's something in the fridge for her.

-m

[Oregonmother]

We pay our sitter $8/hr, which is pretty good around here. We also live in a college town and our sitter is 21. I work part time and she has been great with DS. I usually round up when I am figuring the time so I guess she gets a little more.

[mamaturk]

Our babysitter gets $10/hour. I don't think that's too bad... When I was younger I used to babysit for a women who payed me $18/hour!!! She was nuts and wanted me to babysit bad, so offered me a lot!! I never even had to touch the baby, she was always asleep before I even got there!! I felt just a little bad about taking so much $ from them....... well sorta.

[C99]

I would expect to pay $12/hour for an adult babysitter, at night or during the day. For a teen, around $7.

[ppshah]

I pay $8/hour for high school, $9/ hour for college and $10/hour for graduate students. We almost exclusively use the graduate students- they're older and more reliable.

[shishamo]

$8/hour for highschool students, $10/hour for college/adult sitters. (that's for 2 kids, I still have not left the baby yet, probably won't till later)

[jk3]

Teenagers in our area charge $10/hour. Adults charge $12-15 for one child and up to $20 for 2 or more.


Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[jk3]

Teenagers in our area charge $10/hour. Adults charge $12-15 for one child and up to $20 for 2 or more.


Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[MartiesMom2B]

I'm glad I live in an area where highschool babysitters are cheap. I pay mine $5.00/hour. That's what she asked for. I'd probably pay much higher for an adult babysitter though.

-Sonia

[MartiesMom2B]

I'm glad I live in an area where highschool babysitters are cheap. I pay mine $5.00/hour. That's what she asked for. I'd probably pay much higher for an adult babysitter though.

-Sonia

[steph2003]

Sonia -
I'm with ya there! My next door neighbor girl only charges me $5/hour but we throw in a little more so she'll be more inclined to come back :) plus leave some snacks...

I know $8-12/hour is the going rate for college/adult babysitters in my area which if I had to pay that we'd never get to go out!

I just found out my son's daycare does parent's night out once a quarter & they charge $30 for one child for 7-11pm which breaks down to $7.5/hour. Of course you have to drag them to the center/hope they sleep there & then drag them home to bed.

[steph2003]

Sonia -
I'm with ya there! My next door neighbor girl only charges me $5/hour but we throw in a little more so she'll be more inclined to come back :) plus leave some snacks...

I know $8-12/hour is the going rate for college/adult babysitters in my area which if I had to pay that we'd never get to go out!

I just found out my son's daycare does parent's night out once a quarter & they charge $30 for one child for 7-11pm which breaks down to $7.5/hour. Of course you have to drag them to the center/hope they sleep there & then drag them home to bed.

[Mikesa3]

All I can say is WOW! I use to make $1 a hour many many years ago.(25)LOL My dd got $6.50 a hour for 2 kids last year and we thought that was great.I'd babysit for $10 a hour.:-) I haven't used a babysitter in about 10 years so I had no idea.
Nancy-Mom to 6 great kids

[Mikesa3]

All I can say is WOW! I use to make $1 a hour many many years ago.(25)LOL My dd got $6.50 a hour for 2 kids last year and we thought that was great.I'd babysit for $10 a hour.:-) I haven't used a babysitter in about 10 years so I had no idea.
Nancy-Mom to 6 great kids

[trumansmom]

Since DS was born, no babysitter has charged more than $2 an hour! I feel too guilty to pay that little. We pay between $2.50 & $3.00, buy a pizza and snack food and an occasional small gift, and we are treated like royalty! Friends of our babysitter have called us since she went to college to offer to babysit for us whenever we need it. (Thankfully she comes home on weekends.)

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[kransden]

For an infant we pay an adult 10.00/hr. They are college daycare workers and know cpr etc. I pay my friend or a teenager 5.00/hr for my toddler now.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[MelissaTC]

Our babysitter is a HS student and she & her sister charge $6/hr. They used to be $5.

[JulieL]

My girlfriends have decided to swap babysitting for each other for free. I watch their kids one night they watch my son another night. It's a great system and it allows the kids to have play time too!

[StaceyKim]

$12/hr for a babysitter. I think the kids in the neighborhood charge $10/hr but I never use them for my babies.

[Elilly]

We have never had a paid babysitter. I don't know if that's good (we have family in town) or bad (we never go out). LOL! But I hear $7 for highschool sitters and $10 for college. Wow to think I made $3 for 3 kids under 5. I'm feeling very old!

[LucyG]

We pay our teenaged neighbor $5 an hour to babysit. We actually use two neighbors (ages 15 and 18). The younger one always cleans up the kitchen, picks up the toys, etc., so I often give her a little more than I do the older one. I was always taught to pick up messes that the kids and I had made when I was a babysitter, so I appreciate someone who makes that same effort in my own home.

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21 months and counting!

[C99]

Wow! City kids make about $5-7/hour.

[kijip]

The going rate in Seattle is $10 for older teens and more for adults. I hear about young teens working for $2-5/hour plus nice snacks but I have NO interest in leaving my baby with a 13 year old. Even though I baby-sat at 12...heck maybe because I babysat at 12! I might consider hiring a teen to help with a baby while I was home for a few bucks an hour...

I did trade a highschool girl 1 hour of tutoring per 1 hour of sitting but she was 17, highly responsible and I have known her since she was 6. I charge A LOT for tutoring but her family had no money to pay and it was a good way to help her out. Now I give her a reference for sitting jobs and I think she gets $10-12/hour. She is 18.

[jubilee]

Wow, I'm shocked at the prices!! I should start babysitting!! Although I'd never ordinarily use a young teenager to sit Logan, I do have my oldest son (13 next month) watch him on occassion. It's not even babysitting really, since I put Logan to sleep first and Jacob just has to keep the baby monitor with him. It has worked out wonderfully for us!! Also, I belong to a babysitting co-op that trades babysitting for free among moms from my church.