Babysitting rates

Hey, GRM, what does a babysitting gig go for these days? 1x 5-year-old, no health or behavioral problems, 6 hours a day, 3 days a week, cash on the barrelhead. DD#2 (age 18, HS graduate) is looking at possible summer employment, and I want her to ask what she's worth. Thanks!

$8-$10/hr is the going rate around here. If she has to drive the child places then gas money and charge per mile needs to be negotiated.

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Toyman01 wrote: $8-$10/hr is the going rate around here. If she has to drive the child places then gas money and charge per mile needs to be negotiated.

That seems about right.

This is a bit off-topic, but here's what we do for 1x 5 yr old & 1x 2 yr old: Flat rate of $7/hour, but then we put up a list of chores that need to be done around the house and we affix a "Bonus" amount to each -- they don't have to do them, but they get paid extra for each thing they do from the list. For example: $8 for dishes, $5 to vacuum, $10 to bathe the kids, etc. So, our baby sitters can walk away with a little extra on top of the basic rate. We've discussed it all with each of them ahead of time (we have about 3 babysitters that we keep in rotation), and they love it.

We tend to pay for an evening out. It's usually $30-40 for the 4 kids (10, 8,8, 2) and that's from 6:30ish - whenever. Kids are usually down by 8:30 as well. So, the sitter is free to watch tv, etc for the majority of the time.

I have a 18 year old who is on summer break from college watching my 4 and 7 year olds. $80 per day, 3 days a week. She starts at 7:30 am and we get home before 5:30 pm.

Thanks, all. I'm thinking she ought to ask $120-140 for an 18-hour week (3x 6-hour days). New minimum wage would be about $150. Typical times are 11:30-5:30 Tu-Th, so I'm thinking she'll need to feed the kid lunch and a snack later. It's in the family's house, but she'll probably end up taking him to the park, etc.

I think the woman's initial offer was $75/week. I told DD#2 she could make her own decision, but that's under $5/hr, and I wouldn't take the job for any less than $120/week.

I wish I didn't have to say it, but in today's world....

"Liability waiver and hold harmless agreement"

Probably not necessary for a casual once-in-a-while event but this sounds like a recurring contract - however informal.

If it is a regular gig, I would also consider reporting the wages, especially if the parents might claim child care expenses on their taxes.

Sorry things have become this way.

I use to always add %20 to what ever the rate was when I needed sitters. This means

1. That they will more than likely come on short notice if needed.

2. They will not mind staying later if we happened to run late

3. They tend to be nicer and more understanding with the kids (Every now and then even the best kid will have a meltdown)

4. From my side I felt my kids were worth it. I would not get the cheapest brain surgeon to work on me. So I surly don't want the cheapest baby sitter looking after my kids. It also I think it helped to make sure that my rules were followed and it empowered the baby sitter to maintain order. I would make it clear that I was paying extra as I expected a better baby sitter.