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I think that $15 an hour is more than fair..especially for a 16-year-old kid. It sounds like she will just be sitting around most of the night, so I couldn't justify paying $25-30 an hour lol....
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Ridiculous - I'll babysit for you for $10 under the table and I feel it'd still be too much to ask since the kids are sleeping. Heck $14 yrs ago - my pay as an x-ray tech in a physician's office was $20 an hour - and I had to pay for continuing education, my licenses and registration and was in charge of 2 other techs.
I babysat when my kids were in grade school - 30 yrs ago - going rate $1 an hour - ask a relative or friend to help you out.
When my kids were younger, going back about 10 years ago, there was a teenage girl who lived two doors down from us. We paid her $10 per hour (or any fraction thereof) per kid, plus any expenses relating to bringing food in. The clock started when we opened the front door to let her in and ended when we arrived back home. Whether the kids were awake or asleep had no bearing on what she was paid. She had our permission to eat and drink anything we had in the house, as much as she wanted. (We don't keep booze in the house, so no worries there.) And once she put the kids to bed, she could watch TV to her heart's content.
She was very conscientious. Always came right on time. She loved our kids, and our kids loved her. We never worried at all when they were in her care. I always made sure to pay her on the spot, in full, in cash, right when we got home. If we were going to arrive very close to when the hour would end, we would purposely stall for about 10 minutes before going home, just to bump her up into another hour of pay. Why? Because she was worth every penny we paid her, and a whole lot more.
Always remember, you get what you pay for. The safety and happiness of your children is not the place to try to cut corners.
It just shocks me to see high school/college girls offering their baby sitting services online for $25-$35 an hour. Social media is nice...but it's ruined a lot of things price wise. People seem to be finding all sorts of ways to make money online or advertising online which has caused many service jobs to go up a lot...fine if you're wealthy and can afford to pay a lot but it's made things harder for many who simply just need childcare.
I get the people shouldn't want to cut corners on child care but some simply can't afford to pay a babysitter $30 an hour. I guess this is why some people aren't having and we're seeing more mental health issues because people can't get away from their kids lol.
Hi All,
My wife and I are hiring our first babysitter ever. What do you think is a good pay rate for a babysitter? She will be here for 4 hours and she will just have to put 1 kid down to bed (3YO) after 1 hour, the other will already be asleep (10Months). For the remaining 3 hours she will be able to just sit around watching TV or whatever (hopefully).
The babysitter is 16 and I am in Chicago. Thoughts? I was thinking $15-20 an hour.
You hope she will sit and watch TV. But that is not what you are paying her for. You are paying her for what to do if your child tries to climb out of their sleeping are, falls, screams in pain, and she ensures you are promptly notified and medical attention is called. She is there if your 3 year old has a nightmare that scares the child to a shaking crying mess and she can put the child's mind at ease. She is there in case there is a fire or some other emergency that can save lives and you from property damage. She is there for the things you hope she will not need to do. Just like the car insurance on your car that you hope you never need to use. If you want a baby sitter that watches TV and ignores all of external factors, I would tell you $15 - 20 is too much. But if you want a sitter that can handle all those unimaginable situation, and the imaginable ones, it might be light in 2024.
Sorry, but I truly hate it when a parent says they are paying a sitter to watch TV. I hope and pray that is all she needs to do. If so, pay her well and count your blessings. But you are paying for the things you hope that she does not have to do.
You hope she will sit and watch TV. But that is not what you are paying her for. You are paying her for what to do if your child tries to climb out of their sleeping are, falls, screams in pain, and she ensures you are promptly notified and medical attention is called. She is there if your 3 year old has a nightmare that scares the child to a shaking crying mess and she can put the child's mind at ease. She is there in case there is a fire or some other emergency that can save lives and you from property damage. She is there for the things you hope she will not need to do. Just like the car insurance on your car that you hope you never need to use. If you want a baby sitter that watches TV and ignores all of external factors, I would tell you $15 - 20 is too much. But if you want a sitter that can handle all those unimaginable situation, and the imaginable ones, it might be light in 2024.
Sorry, but I truly hate it when a parent says they are paying a sitter to watch TV. I hope and pray that is all she needs to do. If so, pay her well and count your blessings. But you are paying for the things you hope that she does not have to do.
Not sure I follow...are saying they might have to deal with a medical emergency or fire? The odds of that happening are low. Babysitters are making more money than CNAs and caregivers of elderly in many situations...like people who are changing adult diapers and giving them baths...let that sink in
Not sure I follow...are saying they might have to deal with a medical emergency or fire? The odds of that happening are low. Babysitters are making more money than CNAs and caregivers of elderly in many situations...like people who are changing adult diapers and giving them baths...let that sink in
The odds of that happening might be low. However, the odds of those things happening aren't zero, otherwise you could just put the kids to bed, head on out for the night, and not have to pay a babysitter at all.
Not sure I follow...are saying they might have to deal with a medical emergency or fire? The odds of that happening are low. Babysitters are making more money than CNAs and caregivers of elderly in many situations...like people who are changing adult diapers and giving them baths...let that sink in
Additionally, you're not looking at certain things. Sure that CNA is making less money, but they're getting a consistent full-time schedule. Their employer is paying half of their payroll taxes. Their employer is potentially subsidizing their health insurance, paying a match on a 401k plan, offering PTO. All kinds of things that you're not doing for your babysitter but are a form of compensation.
Not sure I follow...are saying they might have to deal with a medical emergency or fire? The odds of that happening are low. Babysitters are making more money than CNAs and caregivers of elderly in many situations...like people who are changing adult diapers and giving them baths...let that sink in
I think a more valid argument is that CNAs and full-time caregivers should be paid more.
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