[mishd1]

Thanks so much for all of the replies!!
I'm now thinking we'll be asking the grandparents more! I'm also considering becoming a babysitter!!

[zxczxcasdasd]

Also SoCal. We pay $10/hour for one kid. But I've always thought you get what you pay for, so I am always very clear that I am paying that rate not for them to just be in the house with my kid or even just supervise, but to engage, play, be active, etc. I actually list "job duties: coloring, legos, catch, cars and trucks...etc., etc."...you get the idea. I always say no surfing the internet, no phone calls, no boyfriends, no non-innocent kiddie shows. Just a kiddie playland with their 100% attention and involvement.

[sak9645]

I have never used a teen to babysit. My "sitting" needs were for someone who could pick up my daughter at preschool or school, DRIVE her home or to activities, and stay with her until I came home from work. There were also occasional overnights, when I had to attend a conference. Because I needed to use sitters to help me handle my work requirements, I simply chose not to go out without my daughter at other times.

There was no way I would let my daughter ride in a car with a young driver, or stay overnight with a person barely old enough to stay alone overnight, herself. I also felt it important to hire someone who spoke good English (and could help with homework) and had a green card or U.S. citizenship; many people who babysit in my area do not meet those criteria.

In my area, a few years ago, the cheapest mature driving babysitter around was $12 an hour for one child, and it was very hard to find someone responsible. It is probably more costly and more difficult now. I was very lucky to find some amazing people to take care of my daughter, over the course of the years. With one exception, all of my sitters were mature, married women; the exception was long divorced, with an adult son. But I had to look long and hard to find them.

My daughter's first babysitter was an Indian woman who worked at Gymboree and also ran the business office for her husband's cleaning company. In her early 30s, she was young, ambitious, and energetic, but with all her jobs, our schedules eventually conflicted.

My second babysitter was a grandmotherly Indian woman who was a trained nanny and had worked for a psychiatrist's family for many years, until the kids grew too old for a nanny. She left because she moved to another state to be with her married son's family and nurture her grandchild.

My favorite babysitter was a Brazilian, who made my daughter part of her extended family, helped with homework, and taught her some Portuguese. My daughter still speaks very fondly of this woman, who was unfailingly upbeat and had really good judgment.

My least favorite babysitter was the divorced woman. It had nothing to do with her divorce. She was simply rather scatterbrained and untidy. But my daughter loved the fact that she had two dogs and several cats, and there was no question that she was loved and treated well.

The good news was that this woman introduced me to a backup sitter -- a very loving and nurturing Peruvian woman, who later became the sitter for a close friend's children, and provided wonderful support when my friend needed cancer treatment.

I am so lucky that my daughter got to know these terrific people from different parts of the world. I think that it has made her a more loving and accepting person. And I am so lucky that I was able to afford the kind of fees that driving babysitters charge. Yes, they make a good deal more than the minimum wage, but they were certainly worth it.

My daughter is now about to turn 13. She will be legal to babysit in our state at that point. But I really have mixed feelings about letting her do so, even if she takes a babysitting course at a local hospital. I have concerns about such a young teen's ability to take care of an infant, toddler, or preschooler, and I have concerns about a young teen's safety at the home of someone I don't know extremely well.

My daughter is extremely mature for her age, despite being rather petite. She tends to use very good judgment. Still, my feeling is that she should start out as a mother's helper, working in a home ONLY if the Mom is present and simply in need of someone to entertain the child while she works or does chores. Yet I know that many of her friends, already 13, do more traditional babysitting, including evening babysitting.

At this point, Becca is not keen to babysit, so it may not be an issue. She prefers caring for animals to caring for little kids. She'd be much happier washing a horse, picking out his hooves, and cleaning out his stall, or exercising and grooming the dogs at a local animal shelter.

But, alas, there aren't many non-babysitting jobs for young teens, even in animal care, and her desire for money of her own may overcome her lack of enthusiasm for dealing with terrible twos. So I probably will have to deal with the issue of what I'll let her do, in the near future.

Sharon

[sak9645]

I should also mentiion that, around here, most of the good babysitters do NOT do housework. They will prepare a simple meal for a child and wash any dishes used for that purpose. They will help a child put away his/her toys after play. But they will NOT do laundry, wash floors, clean bathrooms, or vacuum.

[asauer]

We pay $10/ hr for an adult babysitter, $8/ hr for teens.

[Chinook]

$10-18/ hour here in Boston - we usually pay $10-12 for 1 child.

[giovanni7460]

NJ $ 10.00 per hour

[shelbydog]

Northern VA - $10 for one child, $12 for 2. We do have a few younger sitters (middle school 7th/8th grade) that we pay $6 to $8 per hour to. The live right next to us, parents are always home and they are excellent

[dmarie88]

I am a 20 year old college student who babysits ALOT and has been babysitting for MANY years. In the Cincinnati Area I've been paid $10 an hour for 2 kids (ages 1 & 4) (whose mom was working from the home) and $50 for 2 kids for a 3-4 hour evening outing; however, I am from a rural area and I get paid WAY less than that for a lot more hours, including overnight babysitting. I have a ready BCI (I had to be fingerprinted to student teach), I am CPR certified with a lot of experience and references and I am majoring in Early Childhood Education so I definitely have credentials but the location of where I babysit has a lot to do with what I get paid. Anyone need a babysitter in Cincy?

[Carrie7310]

I pay $11/hour in Minnesota for 2 kids.

[mommytoEli]

ok....so i'm in a little city in tennessee. i have 5 kids- 9 mos, 2.5, 5, 13, and 14. i don't trust the 13 and 14 year old to babysit...so i need a sitter. i was thinking i'd have to pay about 3 dollars per hour per kid, so $15 per hour.....do you think i'll get any takers?? or will i have to up the anty?

[mommyofcam]

Wisconsin - $3.00/hr one child, $5.00/hr two kids. This is NOT for daycare, just babysitting on evenings and weekends.

Daycare is $90.00/week for one child or $165.00/week for two kids.

[guatparents2be]

Portland, OR.
Adult babysitting $12-13
Teen usually about $10

I would personally never pay under $10 even for a teenager. It is a big responsibility to care for someone else's child!