[court5505]

Does anyone know what the going rate is for a junior high/high school girl to babysit? My cousin is going to babysit for us for the first time next week. I asked her mom what she charged and she said she takes whatever she gets. I want to be fair to her.

[EmmaLeigh2882]

I used to get about $4-6 an hour ( depends on how many kids and the ages- more care, more money). This is going back a ways though...

[loveajax]

I have heard (depending where you live) that it can be as high as $8/hour, though in my neighborhood I think I could get a ninth grader for $5/hour (sadly, I have never used a non-family babysitter -- I am such a wimp. It's something I really need to do!).

[court5505]

Our DD is 18 months old and this is the first time we are using a sitter other than immediate family!

[kelceesmom]

Hi Court,
Here the going rate for a single child is $5-6 an hour. I used a non family member for the first time about a month ago. It wasn't so bad probably because it is the daughter of the woman who takes of my little one during the week.

[loveajax]

Court, that is so funny...DD is almost 18 mos too. You just inspired me to call DH to ask our niece (who has never babysat, but babysits all the time for other kids) to babysit Sat night! I'll let you know how it goes!!

[nycfsa]

How old is your child? Will the babysitter be there during the day or at night? Will she have to feed, bathe, and/or put the child to bed? I would probably pay about $7/hour, maybe a little less if she's only there a short time or if the child is napping the whole time. I find it easier just to come up with a round number, like $25 for the whole evening rather than worrying about an exact but odd amount.

Our regular babysitter watches my younger son 4 hours/week plus she watches both kids sometimes for an evening including dinner, bath and bed. She's 19 and we pay her $10/hour (whether it's one or two kids). We live in a high cost-of-living area, though (outside New York City). Also, she's in great demand so we pay her well so she'll make us a priority.

[mommy3]

We pay $7.50/hour for one child and $8.50 for two in CA. susan

[Oliver1]

We pay $10 per hour whether they watch one or both kids. We live in the suburbs of Mpls.

[HappyTwinsMom]

We usually pay $5-6/hour for our girls when we have to hire a sitter. Lately, though, we've been very fortunate in developing a co-op type situation with another couple in our church. She watches our girls in the mornings before they go to school - and one of the girls two afternoons after school, and we watch their two whenever they need us. They're currently taking ballroom dance classes so we've got their kids 1-2 evenings a week. So far, it's working great for us!

[2manyks]

my daughter gets $3 an hour. maybe she should ask for a raise! i pay the college students who babysit for me $10 hour

[ajrl]

My daughter is 12 she gets $5-6 per hour depending on who it is.

Also, for my foster kids where I have to have someone over 18 i pay about $10 per hour and i normally cap the dollar amount. If I am going out for 5 hours I say I'll give you $40... it's a tank of gas.

This way if we stay a bit longer i dont have the hourly charge. Hard enough to get hubby out on a date and then even harder when we have to pay the sitter as much as we have to spend on food and tickets to a show or something.

AJ

[ourdreamcametru]

We're in TN and pay $5.00 an hour. If we are gone for an extended time say over 4 hours we will usually throw in an extra $5.00.

[Kat-L]

I live in the DC metro area and the going rate is $10.00 an hour for one child. For two children, she charges $15.00 an hour. I usually round it up and add a small tip for gas. It helps to have a sitter who drives so you don't have to worry about taking her home at the end of the night.

[bajj]

OK, my boys are 5 and 2 and I have recently paid a teen twice to watch them...and it was the first time I did that! She charges $5/hr plus .50 per extran kid over age 3. So, I paid $5/hr.