I am talking with one of the neighborhood teenage girls about babysitting my 19 month old daughter one weekend night and possibly an afternoon here and there. How much should I expect to pay per hour? She seems hesitant to name a price, but I need a ballpark at least! Help me out if you can!
I pay my teenage babysitters $5.00 per hour. I will usually add a couple of dollars tip if they do a good job.
Jo
When I consider paying for a babysitter, I think of how much they could make if they were working a "real job"....like McDonalds, Jewel, Best Buy...etc....I want the babysitter to WANT to babysit for me - I want the babysitter NOT to make plans with friends and blow me off if I ask her to babysit on a Saturday night.
I have 3 kids, and I pay at least $10-$12 an hour. If I had one, I would probably pay $7-$8 an hour - that is what they could make out on the market, and then they'd have taxes taken out. I consider the ages of my kids easier now (they're 4,5 and 7) since there are no bottles, sippy cups, diapers, etc.....Since you're daughter is still in diapers, and needs to be watched carefully - I would consider that in deciding what you pay.
I just know, when I used to babysit, I would cancel plans with friends (even boyfrineds!)if the "good family" would call me, b/c I knew I'd make good money if I worked for them. I would also be very concious of their kids, their house and do a better than average job for them, since I knew they would take care of me.
So, I'd say $7 or $8 per hour is good to start, but I always bump up if the total comes to $26, I'll pay $30.....especially if they do a good job. I get VERY angry if I pay good, and the babysitter is sleeping when I get home at 9:30 pm....and the dinner dishes are still not thrown out (paper plates and McDonalds wrappers!) That actually happened to me once and did not pay this babysitter what I was planning on b/c I was so mad!!!!
Hope you find someone good. It is so hard to find good sitters and I CAN'T have good sitters canceling on me at the last minute....so pay matters!
T.
I live in West Chicago and usually pay a sitter $10 per hour for one child. My sitters are usually older (21-24) and in college. Which is why I pay them more.
I am a provider in Westmont and my rates for a 19 month old is $200/week. I'm pretty sure the rates are a bit lower, but close to this number. Is the person you're hoping to work with licensed? That will make a difference. I would encourage you to hire a licensed provider as they are required to follow a list of regs and are accountable to the state for their actions.
