Sunday, December 13, 2009

how much do you pay a babysitter?

The neighborhood Christmas party is tonight and Charlie and I are planning to go, by ourselves.

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Because the last few years that we've gone to the neighborhood Christmas party, we haven't been able to have a conversation lasting longer than, "Hi! How are you doing? Yes I know they are getting big! Excuse me while I stop them before they pull fragile ornaments off the treEEEEEE!"

"KIDS! Step away from the all-glass-ornament Christmas tree!!"

My husband is so desperate to have a date night that he lined this whole thing up without any input from me. One of the high school girls from our church will be coming over to watch the children for two hours while we have some much-needed uninterrupted adult conversation (and ping pong Charlie excitedly informs me). The plan is that we'll order a couple pizzas and have a Christmas movie marathon playing the whole time we're gone.

We've left the children with a paid babysitter one other time. It was the night Charlie and I went to the wedding of his co-worker and we had two sitters. AND, we had our good friend, Virginia, who was recovering from a hip replacement come over to sit on the couch and make sure that our children were safe and at no risk of being abducted. (Because I have irrational fears.)

That night of approximately four hours away, wound up costing us over $100.00. Which I think might have been a bit way the hell too much.

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As for tonight, whenever we asked the girl how much she charges, she told us that she will accept whatever we feel is acceptable. I remember saying the same thing when I babysat in high school. Not sure why I was never able to summon the courage and say, "Three dollars. I charge THREE WHOLE DOLLARS an hour."

So my question to you, oh wise internet, is what is the going rate for a babysitter these days? How much should one to expect to pay a teenager that sits with four small children, for approximately two hours, while eating pizza and watching Frosty the Snowman (and Rudolph and Nestor the Long Ear Donkey [which just so happens to be my favorite movie of all time])?

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While the parents of said small children, have a merry time and are thankful that their chubby cherubs aren't disassembling their neighbor's delicate decorations?

92 comments:

  1. You should give her at least 50 dollars, because 5 dollars per child, per hour, that's 10 dollars per child, four children makes 40 dollars with a ten dollar tip. As a once San Diego babysitter that is completely fair.

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  2. Reilly:

    CHOKE. CHOKE.

    You are kidding RIGHT?

    Because if so, I'm thinking that sitting around and watching movies and eating pizza for two hours with four kids, is a lot better bargain than going to college and getting a DEGREE and trying to land a job in today's workforce.

    Holy SMOKES.

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  3. I think twenty dollars would be more than enough for the priviledge of staying with my grands. Not a penny more.
    MOM

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  4. I was going to suggest $20-30 dollars. It would be $10 an hour and then an extra $5-$10 if you come back to a reasonably clean house. $50 seems a little much to me.

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  5. We pay $10 an hr for our two here in OH. Good luck and have fun!
    A in OH

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  6. Hi! I am a college student and a babysitter when I'm not in school. Like your babysitter, I always say "feel free to pay me whatever you think is acceptable," however, I usually feel like $10/hr for 2 kids, $15/hr for 3 kids is acceptable (Also, I disagree with the previous commenter, as I have never had a family tip me for doing a job they were already paying me for). Since your kids will be entertained by the television and she will not need to feed, bathe or put them to bed, I think $15/hr would be a very fair amount.

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  7. I don't know, I always overpay babysitters. We only have one so far, but I usually give the babysitter about $4 an hour for him...but for two kids, I might do $5 or $6...for four, I don't know. I'm sorry! And we live in the middle of nowhere, so we might be able to get away with paying a little less... sorry I'm not much help! :)

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  8. I always struggle with this. I have 3 little ones 1,3,and 5 and I pay $10 an hour in the midwest. I have a friend with four similar ages and she pays $10 an hour.

    I think the $20 plus a little tip if the house is tidy was a good suggestion.

    Have fun!

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  9. I have never commented on your blog before, but I read it all the time. I have four small children ages 5, twins who are 4 and a 19 month old. I pay a baby sitter 1.50-2.00 per child per hour. Depends on if they are alseep or not. For a baby sitter that feed the kids and watched movies forr 2 hours I would pay $15. I pay a decent amount so they want to come back and watch my kids again.

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  10. We pay an adult babysitters around $10-12/hour for our two kids, depending on which one we use. I would say for 4 kids, $10/hour for a teenager would be ample, plus a tip. So yeah, $20-$30 tops for the night.

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  11. Being 24, with a degree in education, my current rate for baby-sitting is $10/hr... BUT I also do not change that for the number of children. When I was a teenager however, I used to charge $5/hr (again, I never changed it for the number of children, but I also never had more than 3 at a time).

    I'd say that $20 would suffice, that's $10/hr even though she's a high school student, it is 2009 and there are 4 kids... so I think that's fair.

    I know my current client thought that $10/hr was LOW when I told her (after I panicked for hours thinking it was so high, afraid to offer it as an amount, lol), but I think that was because of my age she expected me to charge more.

    Anyway, so yeah, $20. Plus, you're feeding her pizza, so that's great. Also, I've never heard of a "tip" for a one-time baby-sitter.

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  12. I'd also like to throw in, your trips are 5 years old, and Henry isn't an infant... definitely don't overpay her.

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  13. We pay $10 an hour for the three kids including the baby who hates everyone and fusses, cries and snarls the whole time.

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  14. we do a flat rate of around £25 pounds for my 3. I don't know exactly the exchange rate but we're kind of £1=$1 at the moment aren't we?

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  15. Yeah... $50 is way too much, and this coming from a VERY well paid babysitter/nanny. If you're ordering pizzas and the kids will be watching movies, then your sitter won't need to worry about cooking and cleaning dishes and all that jazz, nor will she have to come up with ideas to entertain the kids.

    $20-$25 should be plenty.

    I typically make between $10-$15 per hour to babysit, and while the number of children does matter, I would never think of charging per child, as for a family with several children that can start to get outrageous.

    There have been times where the couple has come home from 4 or 5 hours out to a completely cleaned house with the dishwasher running and all three kids were bathed and tucked neatly into bed snoozing that I've been handed a check for $80 or a 100 dollar bill and graciously thanked perfusely. And there was the one time the father ended up in the ER until 4 in the morning and I made $250... because I came back the next morning and took their son to his basketball game...

    but I think a sitter would have to go way above and beyond the call of duty to make $25 an hour.

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  16. I agree with Reilly, $50 seems fair.

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  17. I agree with $50. Personally, I like to think of childcare as an investment rather than an expense, and as a result, I pay my babysitters very, very well -- and I am lucky to have a couple of VERY good, VERY loyal babysitters. There is nothing more valuable than time away from your children -- and peace of mind that they are in capable hands. Do you want this babysitter to return? Then pay her well. I really have to say that $10/hour is on the cheap side in this day and age, and considering where you live (San Diego is an expensive area, as is NJ where I live, and that affects costs of everything, including good babysitters). I have twins and I pay $15/hour (plus a tip -- I would pay $40 for 2 hours), even when they are sleeping. It's not so much the work that they are doing, as the safety and comfort of your children AND yourself. I never regret paying my babysitters when I come home and find my children alive and well and happy -- and when I have had some time away from them!!!! Enjoy the party!

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  18. If I were in your situation I would give $30. I have never heard of anyone tipping a babysitter.

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  19. I was going to suggest $20-$25 dollars. That's how much we would pay our 15 year old sitter to stay with our son for two hours. And since you aren't expecting her to get down on the ground playing with your darling kids, I think that amount is fair and reasonable.

    BTW - I got my "Be Amazing" bracelets in the mail the other day. Thanks!! It's a wonderful reminder to live life to the fullest and be amazing whenever I can!

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  20. You know your children best. Are they going to sit and watch the movie the whole time or will the sitter be up and playing with them, keeping one or more of them occupied with something else? I think the pay should take into account what type of evening she has ahead of her.

    I always paid our babysitter (we really only had one) very generously because I wanted her to always be available to us. Years ago (12?) I paid five dollars an hour for two kids and that was considered a lot.

    I have never tipped a sitter and our daughter, who babysits frequently, never gets a tip. Our neighbor with three children, ages, 4, 7 and 8 pays her $7 an hour and she's very happy with that. Our other neighbors paid her entirley too much and usually paid more like $12 for three kids, but they were younger. (We sure miss our British friends...)

    Her current job (one day a week for 8 hours each day) will pay a flat fee of $50 dollars a day, which is a little over $6 an hour for one 3-year-old. I think that is very generous too, and so does she.

    As you can see her pay is all over the scale because she doesn't set an hourly rate either.

    I'd say around $20-$25 for a relatively easy evening with your four children. Most teens really are happy with whatever cash they can bring in so I doubt she will be offended by whatever you offer.

    I'm eager to see how the evening turns out.

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  21. We like to take good care of our babysitters and want them to WANT to come back. That being said, in the midwest, $10 an hour is a lot (which is what we pay). We have a 3 y/o and a 7 month old. I pay a little less if she only has the 3 y/o but with more than one kid, I think at least $10 is fair. Will she be driving to your home? We tend to pay a little higher to sitters who can walk/drive themselves to our home.

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  22. All I know is that ten years ago, I used to babysit three kids for three bucks an hour. After reading your comments, I REALLY want to go back and ask that mom to pony up the rest of the cash she so clearly forgot to pay me. ;)

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  23. $50 is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!! i am not even reading on before i post this. my curiosity got the best of me, so i decided to read the comments.....in my head i was thinking $15-20 all along. i babysat, worked at a daycare, and babysat some more, and think that would be VERY fair. I know times have changed a little (i'm 28 now...so 5 years or so ago i was still babysitting) but minimum wage isn't that much different!!
    Regardless....have a wonderful date night tonight! (and try not to worry about the kiddos!!)

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  24. $50 for two hours?? Oh my god no. I was going to say $3 per child per hour. Then if you want to round it up... so be it :)

    Have a great time!

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  25. My husband is a high school teacher so we always have high school students babysit our kids. What we normally do, for three kids, is pay $10 and hour but no less the $30. If they take the time to come over, but are there less than 3 hours, then they should still be paid $30. Our babysitter has always come back so we must be doing something right!

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  26. I charge $5/hr per child to babysit. Which in your case would be $40. I have never been paid a tip for babysitting. I have always assumed it is expected to come back and find your house the way you left it. If you feed them dinner put the dishes in the sink or dishwasher. If toys were pulled out put them back where they were found. No need to pay extra just because things were put away.

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  27. I would pay her $30. I don't think you need to tip a babysitter, but I think that $15 an hour is appropriate for four children- it's stressful! When I care for five children in Connecticut, ranging from 11mos to 10 years, I earn $20 an hour.

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  28. We have three children. They are 14, 11 and 7. When they were younger, I would pay ten dollars an hour for the three, plus I would round up. Four children is a lot of kids, pizza and movies or not!, for a teen to manage solo. I think I would pay a total of 25-30 dollars for the two hour period.

    I would absolutely not pay less than ten dollars an hour, or 20 dollars total.

    BUT-- HAVE FUN!!!

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  29. I would give her $25. Not a penny more. The kids are five now. How hard is it to watch TV for her?

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  30. OMG. I just posted before I read the comments. I LAUGH at $50. If I could get $50 for watching four measly kids for 2 hours, I would be a MILLIONARE.

    I would watch Octomom's kids for 2 hours for 50 DOLLARS. What the heck? Are you guys insane or billionares? Watching kids is not that hard!

    I watched 5 extra kids for 2 hours last week FOR FREE. If you lived by me, you could drop them off at my house and I wouldn't even notice them.

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  31. We pay the infrequent high school babysitter of our almost 3 year old twins, $10 an hour rounded up to the next hour. When she was with me as a mommy's helper after school, and in eighth grade we paid her $5 an hour. The wedding we went to last week, was also the first time she actually had to do anything with them (they are usually already asleep when we leave the house). We picked her up at 5:30, had her home by 10:30, and they watched an Ice Age I, II & III marathon together. We think we will try to have a date at least once a month with this system, as it seems to work for all of us, although it sure does seem expensive!

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  32. I think $30 sounds fair. Not great, but fair. $40 would put you in the "pretty good" category and probably ensure the sitter's return.
    I've never heard of tipping unless it's extra pay around the holidays. If she turns out to be great you'll want her to come back so don't underpay and don't act like it's a nice little break for her to eat pizza and watch kid movies all night! Seriously, people! Babysitting is hard work!

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    1. Uh no its not, its very easy. all the kids are potty trained. I'd charge at most 8 an hour. people who charge 15 an hour are freaking ridiculous. babysitting isn't a real job. its a thing to get extra money. so why charge more than minimum wage for it. You people are crazy.

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  33. I pay $8/hr for a 5yr, 7yr, and 10yr old (and have since they were 1,3,6) to my 14yr old sitter. I do pay a minimum of $20 though to make it worth their time. (so for 2hrs they get 20 and for 3 they get 24..so I just stay gone for 3 LOL)

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  34. Just one more point: it's not so much that babysitting is "hard work" per se (though it certainly can be depending on the kids....anyone who is a mom knows how frustrating and challenging taking care of small children can be!!!); what you are really paying for is a) your childrens' safety b) your own freedom and peace of mind and c) a guarantee that the sitter will want to return (if, in fact, s/he is a good babysitter). Trust me, I will try to pay the cheapest price in a lot of situations, but never when it comes to childcare. I think you get what you pay for, and in this case it's worth every penny!

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  35. I think since you're in CA and it's 4 small children - at least $10/hour?

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  36. Has this teenager ever baby-sat for you before? I'm guessing not. If you knew that she was really able to control the kids and get them to behave and eat without trashing the house, then I'd think $5/kid/hour would be enough.

    Yes, baby-sitting has been subject to inflation. It stinks. HOWEVER, as a former baby-sitter (and now as a mom), I know and believe that good service costs money. And NO tipping. This is not a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon.

    This is where it really does pay to have teenagers that your kids are familiar with, either through close friends, church, or family, that have a good rapport with the kids (and you), and who are experienced enough with YOUR kids and routines. I'm fortunate enough to have a (broke) teenage sister, so my kids have their aunt baby-sitting for them frequently. But when she's not available, they are very comfortable with other girls (most of them friends of my sister) who have either taught them at Sunday School or watched them during special events at church. And I know most of these girls' parents.

    It's time to start building up a relationship with some broke teenagers, do a little networking (asking other moms who they use for baby-sitting in the neighborhood or at the church), and hit up the ATM. After all, you want to be able to leave the kids occasionally so you can be a grown-up, right?

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  37. I live in the SF Bay Area. Going rate for 3 kids for an experienced teen sitter is about $15 per hour. Some people pay a bit less... like $12. And experienced adult sitters charge a bit more. We don't tip but we do round up. Four kids is a lot to watch even if they are watching tv the whole time... I know my kids get very excited when they have a sitter and want to play games with her. Also if it goes well you probably want her to want to come back again.

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  38. Oh my gosh, you lower 48ers are hilarious.

    DON'T PAY HER ANYTHING!! And if you feel compelled to pay, then pay her 25 bucks.

    Geez. When I was a teenager, I used to watch random kids EVERY SINGLE weekend, for free. What else is there to do. If my son were there, he'd do it for free, and he'd have the kids having fun and doing crafts and probably clean your kitchen while you were gone. That's how Eskimo's roll.

    (I do have to admit though, that once I had three kids here, 4, 4, and 6, plus the 8 yr old twins, and an 11 year old, and I paid the girl fifty bucks for FIVE HOURS. But I was desperate and she wasn't Eskimo, so I seriously felt bad not paying her. THEN, she came back the next day and said, "I noticed you had a lot of laundry, so I'm here to help you do it...ALL." )

    Move to AK, I'll watch your kids for free twice a week. And they'll come home reading chapter books.

    P.S. I have a degree in Ed. hahahha.

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  39. Finnskimo: Every time you leave me a comment, I swear, I feel more compelled to move to Alaska.

    Except the whole seal and beluga whale eating thing. I don't think I could handle that too well. So do you guys have a Wendy's in town?? That might seal the deal.

    No pun intended...

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  40. P.P.S. I just called my 19 year old sister, and it is now 1:30 p.m. in AK. She said that she was baking cookies with the following kids, who she watched FOR FREE ALL NIGHT LONG, so their parents could have a long night out: an 8 yr old, 7 yr old, 4 yr old and TWO 3 month olds.

    And she watched them all for free. AND they're coming over to hang with us for a bit, before we haul the whole bunch to church later on.

    I think I'm going to quit my high paying job in AK, move to California and babysit for a living!

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  41. Our rate here in AZ is $5/hr/kid which all of our sitters have not been too timid to declare. And yeah, you want to be good to them if they are good so they come back!

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  42. Wendy's?! haha, we have absolutely NO fast food here. Not even a pizza place, so when we have "pizza night" that entails momma to make dough at lunch time, and the kids to make their own pizza's after work, bake em in the oven and enjoy the fruits of our labors!

    You don't HAVE to eat seals and beluga...you could just stick with duck heads, caribou tongues and fermented fish... ;) Just kidding, my husband is "white" and he doesn't eat any of that stuff...and he's doing FINE here!

    (Seriously though, you wouldn't even TASTE the difference if you used caribou/moose/kuskox/sheep rather than beef in anything!)

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  43. Finnskimo - I'm definitely sold on the idea but when I ran it by Charlie, his exact words, "Jen - I'm on the same page with you on a lot of ideas. But pulling up the family and moving to Alaska? Sweetheart, that's one page I am DEFINITELY not on. No way. No how. Not now. Not EVER."

    I think he just needs a little more time to think about it...

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  44. Jen- if you move to Alaska, so will I. I swear to you Jen, if you pay that kid 50 DOLLARS, I will shit myself. At five years old, all a babysitter has to do is keep them from setting the house on fire and break up fights. There's four of them! They entertain themselves. I had my friend Laura's 4 year old triplets last week for 3 hours and they didn't even bother me. ONCE.

    I'm going to call her and tell her she owes me 75 DOLLARS.

    My neighbor is taking all four of my kids next weekend for a sleepover. FOR FREE. You need to start hanging out with people with a lot of kids and start trading off. What about all your triplet mom friends there?

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  45. we live in los angeles. we pay $14/hour for ONE three year old child.

    (we have a no-tv policy, though).

    for TWO kids (a three year old, and a five month old)- we pay $20/hour.

    I would say that b/c your kids are all relatively the same age and there may not be diapers involved, $15-$20/hour is fair in san diego for a highschool or college student.

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  46. Jen! Let me start by saying Finnskimo, YOU ROCK! Okay, now let's address the topic of discussion for today....$50 for watching children watch T.V. Are you kidding me??? I got the biggest kick out of suggestion that it was actually $10 per child PLUS A TIP????? Wait a minute, LOL, LOL, LOL, Okay,now I can talk again. A tip?? Since when do babysitters get tips?? Isn't "the tip" the $40?? What's next, making a car payment for them too?? Jen, I think $25-30 is MORE THAN ENOUGH for this gig. For $50 I would expect the bathrooms cleaned, and the laundry done too.

    Good Grief.

    XOXO AM

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  47. I agree with the commenters that have said you are also paying for peace of mind when you have a reliable sitter.

    To Michele S: Yes, watching four kids is easy...for us mothers. But remember, for a teenager, it is not always that easy. Even the most confident teenagers don't always have the skills we moms have to keep kids in line. My daughter is very good with kids but sometimes she comes home a little frazzled.
    Just had to put in a good word for the sitters of the world, since my daughter is saving for a shopping spree by babysitting all winter.

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  48. I was always thrilled to get $20 for an evening of babysitting, regardless of the number of kids.

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  49. I currently work on the east coast as a babysitter. I would charge $12 and hour. 4 kids at 3$/hour seems to be the going rate for kids older than 1.5.

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  50. When I brought my girls (both under 2 at the time) to a licensed day care for drop in hourly care back in California just last year her rate was normally $3.00 an hour, but since I had two she gave us a break & watched both for $5.00 an hour. Most things when it comes to child care whether it be a babysitter, daycare, preschool, private school etc. will give a discount when there are more kids in the family.

    Not everyone can afford $50.00 for 2 hours out... Does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to have an evening without my kids? Should I have to settle for someone who's less than reliable because I simply cannot afford more? I sure hope not! We are a military family and live thousands of miles from any close family so we can't ask them either.

    I'm just so relieved there are worthy sitters out there willing to accept less especially in these economic times or we'd be completely lost!

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  51. we pay 15 an hour for our 3 year old twins.

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  52. In DC, we pay $15/hr for two kids, but the going rate in San Diego may be different.

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  53. We paid our babysitter $8.50/hr for our 2yr old. I wanted it to be over minimum wage but we also live in rural NC so the rates are not as high.

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  54. I would say between $20-30 is reasonable. I always give our infrequent babysitter $20 for 3 kids, 4 year old to play with for half an hour before bedtime (already before she gets there) and 1.5 year old twins who are already in bed. Seriously, she is being paid to be a living fire alarm. $50 is way too much in my opinion.

    Do you have some friends with kids that you can maybe trade a night of babysitting? We do this with our good friends where I spend a night watching their kids and then they spend a night watching ours. Totally free, totally great for both sides.

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  55. I would pay at least $25 for the two hours.

    For the babysitter, this is a job, and she is watching your children...I always feel like it is money well spent and a small price to pay for alone tiime.

    Although the children MIGHT eat peacefully and watch t.v...they also might be positively stimulated with the idea of the babysitter and want to play games and run around and be entertained.

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  56. I'm just chiming in here. I have 3 kids and we get babysitters whenever we can afford to pay them at least $30 for an evening out of about 4-5 hours. My youngest is 3. I say give her $20, that's totally fair since you are providing the entertainment and dinner!

    And, I always tipped my sitters when my kids were younger, if anyone pooped in their diaper, peed on the floor, or gave the sitter a hard time.

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  57. Jen, I can't help with the babysitting other than to say that where we live, my daughter babysits two kids from 7:30 until 12:30 (and the kids are asleep the whole time) and she makes $50.

    However.. can you PLEASE tell me where you found Nestor the Long Eared Donkey? Because that's my absolute FAVOURITE Christmas story (other than a Christmas Carol) and my kids have never seen it because I can't find it anywhere.

    Help?!?

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  58. minimum wage in pa is $8, I usally pay my sitters $7 per hour, the only person I know who pays much more is my friend with triplets plus 2 singletons, I think she pays $10/hr. I used to babysit for coworkers before I had kids, the most I ever got for an evening was $40 and that was way more than 2 hours

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  59. Wow! This seems to be a hot topic!

    We have four little ones...5 year old twins, a 3 year old and a 10 month old. We pay our sitter $14 an hour and I feel like that is a bargain. I joined sittercity.com and they have a program where you can input ages/amount of children/where you live and it gives you a range of appropriate pricing. Sure we could have found a "cheaper" sitter but this is one area where it really is an investment. And sitting watching movies shouldn't determine how much she gets paid. I think she'd prefer they didn't watch movies and she made more, I mean this is a job for her.

    And can you put a price tag on a night out with your husband??? It is totally worth getting out every once in a while!

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  60. We pay our sitter $10 an hour for two kids - ages 4 and 6. I would give your sitter $30.

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  61. I live in the DFW area.

    $7/hour for one child sleeping

    I haven't had to pay a babysitter now that #2 is here, but I hear the going rate is $10/hour for two awake.

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  62. I guess I'm over paying. We pay $15.00 per hour for one child. The babysitter is an adult/college student though.

    Have fun!

    Tracy B

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  63. I think the age of the sitter needs to be considered too. A local pre-teen, teenager is not going to get as much as my sitter who is a CPR trained, babysitter certified, college-aged girl with a long list of references. Big difference.

    What impressed me was when I left her my emergency instructions, complete with insurance card, etc. and she asked, "If an ambulance were to come, what hospital do you want your child sent?" I never even considered sharing that piece of information, but realized it was a very important thing for her to know. I love my sitter!

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  64. I think 50 is WAY too much! I have been babysitting for 9 years now and usually have between 1-6 kiddos per time. Usually I get paid $10. an hour including all the kiddos-no charging per child. I also do clean up toys, load/unload the dishwasher, play, and clean up a little too.
    ~Elyse

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  65. It depends...are all four children going to be AWAKE? If so, then yes, $40 or $50. If all will be asleep (or all but one), then $20 should do it.

    Granted, this is assuming they will all be as active as you often describe them, not just sitting and watching TV.

    I think about the days when I babysat for $1 an hour, and sigh...

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  66. You want ridiculous? I (age 21) got paid $250 for supervising a 13yo girl and her 15yo sister in a secure apartment. I arrived at 5pm, ate dinner with them, watched TV, slept overnight, and dropped them at school the next morning at 7.30am.
    Usually I get paid $15/hour, no matter how many kids or their ages... from 14yo twin girls (family friends) to a 6mo & her 3yo sister.
    All I do is cook and watch TV with the twins, and I would play with the younger kids (and change nappies which I have no problems with) for free, because I love it.
    Taylor (Australia)

    PS. Perhaps I should mention that the first parent is a lawyer and the other parent is a doctor.

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  67. Awake or sleeping doesn't matter to us....you are paying for their time and your peace of mind.

    For our crew of 4, we usually pay around $10/hr. No tips....our tip is the complimentary ride home if they don't drive yet, lol

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  68. I babysit a lot and charge anywhere from 5-7 per hour depending on how well I know the parents and kids, how many children there are, any pets involved, and well how much I want to be there =)
    I usually do the dishes and laundry and include that in my fee (although laundry only when asked) but for 4 children I think 7 per hour is a fair rate and sounds reasonable.

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  69. We have never hired a babysitter (grandparents on occasion) but I have recently called upon my teenage son so DH and I could revive the old date night tradition. Last month was the first time we did this. We had a booking at a upmarket seafood eatery for my 34th b'day when my mum (recently widowed) told me she cancelled plans with friends to babysit for us. I told her we could make our date on an alternative night but she suggested that our son (15) was old enough and more than capable to babysit. I had never thought of this before as I still consider him my baby but I reasoned we would only be out for about 2 hrs, we were staying close and my husband and myself ( and our 2 oldest kids) have mobile (cell) phones. He did a great job and we ended up paying him $30 and ordered them 2 pizzas. We didnt set the price until we returned home as we told him the pay was performance based with a max amount of $35 (we were called twice to deal with a disagreement between my 15 yr old son and my 12 yr old daughter so he lost $5). I know this is not an option for you due to the age of your kids, ours are 15, 12, 6, 5, 3 but I think performance based may give them a little more incentive to do a great job. Whatever you decide to pay have a great night!
    Alison in Australia

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  70. I'm in Australia and charge at least $25 per hour with a higher rate for extra tots - although I'm 24, qualified, first aid certified and have experience and references up the wazoo. When I was in high school, I charged $15 per hour, no matter how many kids were in my care. On New Year's Eve, I charge $100 per hour! This year I've been booked since May, which seems crazy, but I'll take it - I do a good job and the parents know the little ones are safe and loved while they're with me.

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  71. As far as the notion of "tipping" a babysitter goes, I would always "round up" the amount of money to the next half hour or the hour. It is not likely that anyone arrives home exactly two hours after leaving home on the dot.

    I agree with lesliesenke. Hiring the right babysitter is a matter of peace of mind and it should be viewed as an investment.

    I hope you and Charlie will invest in a good sitter so that you can enjoy some date nights together. It is healthy for your relationship and it is healthy for the children to interact with a trustworthy teenager too.

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  72. We pay our nanny $18 an hour for nearly 5 year old twins. But our nanny has responsibility for driving the kids, feeding the kids, taking them to swimming lessons, helping with household chores etc...

    We pay our high school babysitter $10/ hour. Usually mine are fed and in their pajamas when she gets to our house and mine go to bed at 7-7:30 so they are in bed most of the time she is here. All she has to do is read to my boys, brush their teeth and make sure they go to the bathroom.

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  73. Well... Not that it can help you now BUT If you lived a bit closer to certain relatives in SC (like me) they/I would babysit for F.R.E.E.(you could even stay-out-all-night);-) Wouldn't that be fun?? Have a good night. Marg.

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  74. Jen, I think this varies widely depending on what part of the country you're in. And the age of the babysitter. I'm in a suburb of Indianapolis, and around here apparently the going rate is around $5-$6 for a teen. We feel like that's too low for triplets, so we pay our regular sitter $10/hour. In San Diego I imagine the going rate is higher. But $25 an hour sounds outrageous to me. There's a professional nanny/babysitting service here that doesn't charge that much. Our full-time nanny doesn't get that much either! If the sitter isn't comfortable setting a rate you could ask her what she got paid at her last couple jobs. Or ask some of your neighbors what the going rate is in your area.

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  75. Obviously too late for this now, but what we've started doing is pairing up with friends who are similarly situated (i.e. in our case, have two kids, one in early elementary school and a younger sib) and switching off. They drop their kids off with us for an evening and then we drop our kids off. Whoever is sitting provides the food. We have kept it to just a couple of hours or so--enough time to go out to dinner--but the kids have a blast and the parents get date night, without the whole budget being blown on babysitting. Of course, if you found another family with four, you could end up with eight kids running around your house, but still. :)

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  76. In northern NJ it's $10/hr for one child, an extra $2.50 for each additional child. For someone to sit with an adult it's $20/hr unless you're willing to accept non-English speaking, then it's $15.

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  77. Where I live (Pittsburgh) we pay $10/hour for one kid plus another couple dollars per hour for each additional kid. I mean, they ARE keeping your kids alive while you're gone. I think that's reasonable.

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  78. OK, Seriously. How much did you pay???

    I forgot that this past summer, I had a teenager come over and watch my kids for nine hours, including cooking breakfast, lunch and snacks for them and cleaning up, and a lot of times doing laundry...and I paid her $10 a DAY to watch a 5 yr old, 6 yr old, 7 yr old, twin 10 yr olds and a 12 yr old.

    That's right fifty bucks a week to watch six kids all day.

    hahhahah hahaha....

    AND you know, you should have done what a lot of "us" did...get married early, have a baby at 19 or 20, then after you're divorced and re-married at 30 and have kids, your older kid could watch them for free!!! (hahaha)

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  79. i usually get paid about 10 dollars an hour. This one family that I babysit for gives me 12, though because they have 5 children including 2 sets of twins (one 8 yr old, two 6 yr olds, and two 1 yr olds). I am more than happy with 10 dollars an hour.

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  80. also, i do not get tipped. I watch the 1 yr olds and one of the 6 yr olds every wednesday because the other 2 have swimming. I wake the babies up from their nap and I still get anywhere from 10-12 $ an hour.

    If I babysit them on the weekends, I usually put all 5 to bed and feed them. I am only 16, but I feel that I get paid fairly well.

    $50 is too much in my opinion.

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  81. I'm in Australia so I don't know how it compares, but I was getting $15 an hour back in 1997.
    I did have the house completely clean and tidy, and do dishes and ironing once the kids were in bed though.
    From a babysitter's point of view, it's not so much that the kids are hard work, it's that you're "on duty", and it's a night not doing what you want. It's a night at work.

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  82. i dont know how much you ended up paying this girl but i'm right on track with everyone who said 20-25. ten dollars an hour to sit around and watch movies and eat pizza with some kids is great. people flip burgers and take orders and make change and deal with idiot adults for less than that...

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  83. p.s. it's not like she's teaching them german or something. it's a freaking christmas movie. and pizza. sheesh.

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  84. $10/HR and that's CHEAP! I have a 3yr old and 1yr old and I pay $10HR just for them to be watched while I go to my 5yr old's Kindergarten and volunteer. If it's all 3, it's $15+/HR (We've never had her keep them so we could go out)!

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  85. I babysit in South-west London sometimes and I usually ask for £7 (about $10) an hour regardless of the number of children or whether they are awake. I like to keep it simple.

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  86. I don't know what's with all the people that have never heard of tipping, but I've been babysitting close to 15 years now and I've had several different families tip me and I really appreciate it. I charge a minimum of $10/hr, more for more than 2 children.

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  89. As a babysitter myself..I would say 20 dollars is perfect. She is sitting and eating pizza.... 20 is fine. :)

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  90. I am watching a kid on Saturday and he is seven he is crazy energetic and does not like to listen I will be over night.. yes 9:00am to 12:00pm the next day I will be cooking and cleaning.. I am only being paid 20 dollars....I wish I was lucky enough for 50 dollars

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