I have no clue how much to pay a babysitter! normally my parents babysit my son for me so i never pay! This coming sunday my 17 yr old very close first cousin is going to babysit my son. I will be gone all day.. she will be watching him from 10am to the latest 530pm... she will be giving him lunch and putting him down for a nap. and of course changing him pull-up how much do i pay her an hour?
Yes, go ahead and ask her what she charges. In the city the going rate is $10 for one $12 for two and $15 for 3 kids. Because she's realted to you she may opt for less. Teenagers usually get around $8, but she's on the older end of "teenage" babysitters.
Can you ask her what she usually gets paid by other people? That will give her a chance to let you know if she expects full pay or is doing it mostly as a family favor. (a spring Saturday is a big gift from a high school aged kid, though!)
We pay our teen babysitter about $9 or $10/hour, but if it was a full day I might ask her if she would take a lower hourly rate that day. For 7.5 hours, I'd probably offer $50. But I'm not related to her, and I have the idea that babysitting rates are really variable by area (they are in high demand here!)
I have an almost 3 year old and I pay 10 - 12 per hour. None of my sitters are teens though.... So maybe 8 or 9 is fair? $50 seems a little low to me, since minimum wage is like $7 now right? It depends on your relationship with your cousin too. Ask her or her mom what she usually gets paid, and pay that!
I would pay her at least $10/ hr. , especially since she will be there all day.
Like the others have said, it's always a good idea to ask her what she and others usually are paid.
Amy
