Going rate for regular babysitter/mother's helper

amother

Beige

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 11:36 am

I think a steady job is different than an occasional night here or there. I usually pay anywhere between $10 and $15 an hour for babysitting at night, depending on whether the kids are awake or if the babysitter is old enough to drive over on her own.

A couple of years ago I was going through a rough pregnancy during the summer and I hired a mother's helper to entertain my toddler. She was a young teenager who had just graduated 8th grade and I was home the whole time. She came Monday through Thursday from 11 to 4 and we negotiated (with her mom involved too) $40 a day. All she had to do was keep my toddler occupied and let me rest. I even did the diaper changes. She was thrilled because it was a steady job that gave her plenty of time to sleep in and hang out with her friends afterwards and she was making far more than her friends working in day camps.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 11:45 am

I think I'm in the wrong country. I can't get more than 20 shekels an hour. That's $5.67 in US money.

Oh, and the parents don't pay per child. They expect to pay the same rate whether it's one child or 5, whether they need homework, tutoring, or dinner and baths.

People who walk dogs get paid better than the person you trust to take care of your precious children. I just don't understand it. Sad

chestnut

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 12:18 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

This makes sense

chestnut

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 12:20 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks for the responses. So it's a real job with hourly pay? So 8- 10 for a younger teen, 10-15 ( maybe even 20) for an older teen/ post highschool?
Can I do like camps or babysitters and pay a flat rate per week/ month? How would I do that?

There are backyard camps. Some babysitters/play groups are off in the summer.

amother

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 12:34 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

That would be $8/hr. So sounds like it is in the range.

My husband wants to pay $100/week. I want 4 hrs a day. 4 kids under 5. I don't know if that sounds like too much to ask of a 14/15 yr old, so I would leave her the option of my keeping the baby. I feel bad even offering so little. Do I ask around and see if it goes? Or is that just insulting?

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 2:27 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I hate to say this, but even for 4 days a week, I don't know if you will find someone for that price.

However you haven't mentioned where you live...maybe it's different there and there are more girls looking for such a job. Where I live, I don't think you can get a teenager for that price.

kenz

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 2:38 pm

A little off topic, but as a parent of teens who willingly babysit unless the kids are really out of control (yes, it has happened more than once) I truly don't understand the difference in payment to younger babysitters vs. older ones. The babysitter may be 13 instead of 17 but she is still watching the same kids and has the same responsibilities. You are still entrusting her with the life of your child/children. (I also have little ones and would not think of paying a younger babysitter less than an older one.)
I have a neighbor who periodically calls for a babysitter - when my 16 or 17 year old would go, she would get approximately $12 per hour, and when my 14 or 15 year old would go, it seemed like she was given whatever the neighbor had - sometimes $8, sometimes $9, but never close to what older DD got. The mom never asked, she just gave.
Guess who won't babysit there anymore?

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 2:58 pm

kenz wrote:

In the local daycamps, they seem to have the same tiered structure of paying more as the girls get older. 9th graders get x amount, 10th graders a bit more, etc...

I think it has to do with parents feeling a heightened sense of trust with an older girl, and they pay for that. When someone gets a high school senior or older as a babysitter, they are paying for that (and I know people who would not hire a younger babysitter to watch their kids, period.) It's a higher level of trust, like getting someone with more experience.

That being said, even 14-15 year olds get at least $10 an hour where I live, and if someone didn't pay at least the going rate, they would find themselves having a hard time getting babysitters.

SuperWify

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 3:35 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

That’s a joke for many little kids. I’m sorry but you can’t pay less then $10/hr with 3-4 babies.

amother

Beige

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 3:46 pm

kenz wrote:

I posted above with private info so I will stay Anon just for continuity.

I would never hire a young teenager to babysit my kids when I am out but I would as a mother's helper if I am home. There is a different level of responsibility as another poster mentioned. I would hire an older teenager to babysit for a short while with sleeping kids and pay a higher fee but I would pay even more for a college aged babysitter who comes on her own and can feed the kids dinner and get them to bed when we have to be gone longer.

Does that make sense?

And I totally agree about the out of control kids. I once babysat for a family and no one I mentioned it to could believe it. But the kids were asleep and it was an easy job so the next time the mom called me I agreed to babysit on a Sunday. Then I understood. Those kids were off the wall crazy and I had absolutely no control and couldn't wait for the parents to get back. And I never said yes to another job there and started ducking the mom's calls when she couldn't take the hint.

kenz

Mon, Jul 22 2019, 7:39 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

One of my kids came home from babysitting at a neighbor practically traumatized- the 11 year old son had spit in her face. She ducked calls from that neighbor for months until the hint was finally taken.
Re: money and age, of course you have every right not to hire a younger babysitter but once you do I feel she should be given the going rate. If you hire an older girl with the expectation of more responsibility then yes, she should get more because she is doing more. I don’t understand it when they are doing the exact same job, as was the case with my neighbor.
For the girl you hired to help you out while you were home, that makes perfect sense, because it has the expectation of less responsibility.