Hi moms. I have a 15 year old daughter who has been babysitting for over a year now. She charges $5 an hour for one child, but doesn't know how much she should charge for multiple children. For example if she watches 2, or 3 at the same time. If you could please give us some insight, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!
I think that so much depends upon the specific circumstances...how old are the children...what is expected etc. I Would think that $7.50 an hour would be a good place to start. I can still remember my girls being THRILLED with fifty cents an hour when they went to baby sit...back in the 70's and 80's...wow times have changed...havent they??? lol
WOW! My neighbor, 14, charges $10 an hour to come to my house and watch my 2 year old son while I'm there doing other things. I must be overpaying according to what everyone else here is saying. However, I had another girl, 14, come and help out after I had my daughter and her mother said she gets between $6-10 an hour depending on what you can afford.
Well I have to say it isn't something I'd given a lot of thought to myself but I would think that it would also depend upon the temperament of the children and what she has to do...I mean giving bathes, etc. requires more work than just playing with them...but if a baby is just sleeping the whole time would she feel comfortable just taking such easy money? I know I didn't at that age and would typically try to give money back to the parents if that was the case (it was more important for me to get more calls back than to make the almighty buck once or twice).
I would certainly find out the demeanor of the kids upfront...as a parent I don't feel bad about giving a sitter more money if I suspect my kids are going to be hellions that night b/c they are with friend, however, mine don't always act that way when they aren't around friends they haven't seen in a long time so I would hope if she babysat my kids in another circumstance it wouldn't cost the same as before. Did that make sense?
I DO however, beleive that babysitters who are watching multiple kids should at least be making the minimum wage. After all, it's only fair...if you had to go anywhere else, that's what you'd be charged. Just a thought. I know we can't afford to go out a lot because of what sitters charge but that's only because we don't have a lot of disposable income. I think it's important for her to be upfront and honest with the parents...it's difficult negotiating the prices but if there is a good enough understanding then no one will have hurt feelings.
Wow!
I can't believe she gets that much an hour for one kid! You must live in a area with a much higher cost of living. I'm from small town Kansas. Babysitting is an important job but I'd always thought of it as a starter job. I got paid $1.50 an hour to watch 4 kids when I was a teenager (about 15 yrs ago). I'd say have her set her rate and if the parents think it's too much, then they can say no or see if she's open to negotiating. I have been very lucky to find a daycare provider that will take drop ins and charges only $1.50 an hour, during the day. I have yet to use a teenager to babysit yet but it would come in handy some evenings.
Or another way to look at it is what do day care providers charge per week in your area? Break it down by how much it would cost per hour to take the kids to a day care provider. Babysitting in the parents' home means your daughter has to put out no expenses except the gas to get there. If the kids are especially ornery and nobody else wants to babysit then she can probably negotiate a higher price.
Hope it goes well. Babysitting is an excellent first job for girls.
Hi Carla,
My 14 year old daughter gets $10 an hour for the 2 families that each have 3 kids.
Lori K
Carla,
You know, you just really got me thinking!! We have three regular sitters that we just pay $5/hour to for both our kids. All three agreed that the pay was fine. But I see your point.
I know things have changed a bit since I sat on kids, but I never thought to add more for more kids!! (how embarassing)
Anyhow, I think a reasonable price would be $5/hour plus $2.50 more for each remaining kid. (I need to have a talk with my husband)
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm sure our sitters will thank you for it.
I'm starting to think you helped me more than I helped you... ls
