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06-18-2007, 3:39 PM erickamcsenn Joined on 06-15-2007 Be nice - I'm new! Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother So basically if a couple wants to go out for the day or evening, you are giving up a days worth of pay just for a couple hours away. If you consider a typical 5 hour night ... dinner=$60.00, movie= $20.00, paying babysitter $12.00/hr for four children=$60.00. That is a TOTAL of $140.00, sounds a bit insane to me. I can't believe people, especially teenagers,expect to get paid that much for watching kids. It's not that difficult. When I was younger I use to love babysitting, if anything I looked forward to it b/c it gave me something to do, and I got paid while doing it. There are some adult jobs that don't even pay $12.00 an hour, so why would a child? I can't believe what this society is coming to, individuals are so money hungry!!        Report

06-18-2007, 4:49 PM amy! Joined on 06-15-2007 Getting to Know Us Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother I completely agree with you. I would never charge $12.00/hour unless there were like 8 kids! That's just way too much. One time, I got offered $10.00/hour from this family with one kid. That kid has special needs (and she is so cute.), but that, in my opinion, is still way too much. Some people may not think it is just because of what they normally get paid but since I normally get paid $3.50/hour, it seems like an awfully lot of money to me. But, I totally am on your side and agree that $12.00/hour is just too much to ask a teenager to sit for your kids.    Report

06-19-2007, 1:21 AM xtina Joined on 06-18-2007 Tennessee Be nice - I'm new! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother if you are perfectly fine paying that much for dinner and complain about a babysitter that costs the same.. maybe you have your priorities out of order. But i do think $12 is high.    Report

06-19-2007, 8:22 PM amy! Joined on 06-15-2007 Getting to Know Us Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother Well going out on a dinner date with your husband SHOULD cost a little more than a teenage babysitter dontcha think?    Report

06-19-2007, 8:50 PM Chosen7Stone Joined on 10-21-2005 Tallahassee, FL Super Sitter!! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother Ericka, I totally understand you're frustration.  Some babysitters do charge an arm and a leg, but mostly their rates are reasonable. I've been babysitting for 10 years, have my B.A. in Child Psychology, and come highly recommended with many certifications under my belt.  I charge $10/hour for one child and $1/hour for each additional child (and this is very cheap, by the way).  Hiring someone to care for your children is a luxury, not a life necessity, and that's why it comes with a pricetag. If your children are 4+ years old, I recommend going with a young babysitter.  If you hire someone who is 13-15, you're usually able to pay them minimum wage.  But, remember: you get what you pay for. *Love in Christ from Mary* 1 Peter 2:4-5 Vote my agency, Seminole Sitters, the "Best Overall Business" in Tallahassee for the 2007 Tally Awards at EverythingTallahassee.com!!!    Report

06-24-2007, 2:48 PM PB_and_J Joined on 06-24-2007 Ann Arbor, Michigan Along for the Ride Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother Well, depending on your childrens ages and whether they will be sleeping some of the time, I would think $12/hr is a little steep.  If your kids are school aged, and will be sleeping some, I would go as low as $9/hr.  If you want the luxury of going out for the evening, be prepared to pay for it when you have 4 kids.  Just as much as you want to go out, a sitter wants to put gas in their tank, pay their phone bill, etc.  So it's not that outrageous.  At least with a teenager you can pick them up (ie: They have no car payment, gas, insurance... Wait, a teenager has no bills at all!!!) and this would just be spending money for them.  Wheras a college student or adult needs to survive off the money you are giving them, and they most likely have a lot more experience.  Now, if you have lil ones (under 5yrs old), or babies especially, be very cautious with a teenager.  You have 4 kids, so if they are little, they require way more attention.  My advice is to leave a little late in the evening, so the kids will be asleep for 2/3 of the time, and that way you can have a teenager and pay them less ($8/hr or so).  And about your comment of being money hungry..... Just as you can't necessarily afford to pay $140 for an evening, a sitter can't afford to spend 5hrs of their time and not be reimbursed AT LEAST $7/hr.  This is minimum wage these days, and the cost of gas (let along living), is high.  Be aware that sitters need to pay their bills too.  I mean, as much as we enjoy kids, we need to be paid for our time!!    Report

06-24-2007, 3:15 PM emmyraestorey Joined on 06-25-2007 Be nice - I'm new! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother My rates are $5.00 per hour per child! I am sorry but some people need the money! Thanks, Emmyraestorey    Report

06-24-2007, 5:12 PM babyd Joined on 07-08-2006 Your Go-To for Advice Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother Babysitting is a job just like a doctor, teacher, cashier, ect. Therefore, it is only fair that we get paid at least minimum wage. In addition, you are trusting someone to take care of the most precious people in your life, your kids. Also a great babysitter is very involved with the children,  and responsible. It's also difficult to take care of 3-4 children who ALL want to do DIFFERENT things or who like to fight with their siblings. $12/hr for four children is reasonable...minimum wage is $6 so times it by two because there are 4 children is fair. Like others have mentioned, as quality of life increases, others things do and many of us even teenagers need money...for gas, school, ect. I have been babysitting for four years now and almost every penny I have made has gone into my bank account and will be paying for college. Babysitting isn't about the money...it's about having fun and taking care of the kids but real life steps in. If going out reguraly does get too expensive or you believe, ridiculous, consider going out later when the kids would be up for a very short period of time (like an hour). You would pay the babysitter a day rate of say, $12/hr if you have four children, and then a sleeping rate of $8/hr. This would make the babysitter's pay (for five hours) $44 for the night instead of $60. Also as others have said, younger babysitters (13-15) are typically going to charge less due to less experience, need for $, ect. However, especially with children under 4, make sure the babysitter is comfortable and capable of handling the children. If you have less than 4 children another great idea is to buddy up with another family. I does this often; I have two families each with two children who often go out together. I normally get paid $8/hr with each family. When I babysit them all together each family pays me about $5.50/hr. This allows me to make $11/hr but saves each family more than $12 each for the night. I hope you have a better understanding of why babysitting rates are what they are.    Report

06-27-2007, 6:52 PM j0rdyn Joined on 06-28-2007 Be nice - I'm new! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother I am surprised to see how high babysitting rates are in a lot of areas. I only get paid $5 for caring for three children, and I'm perfectly fine with it.    Report

06-27-2007, 7:21 PM Chosen7Stone Joined on 10-21-2005 Tallahassee, FL Super Sitter!! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother  j0rdyn wrote: I am surprised to see how high babysitting rates are in a lot of areas. I only get paid $5 for caring for three children, and I'm perfectly fine with it. j0rdyn's observation brings up another important thing to note: babysitting rates vary depending upon where you live, how old the babysitter is, and how much experience/training he/she has had.  If you'd like to save some money, Ericka, see if you can find someone who's a little younger with maybe a little less experience/training, but whom you trust nonetheless as an individual with integrity and good judgment. *Love in Christ from Mary* 1 Peter 2:4-5 Vote my agency, Seminole Sitters, the "Best Overall Business" in Tallahassee for the 2007 Tally Awards at EverythingTallahassee.com!!!    Report

07-06-2007, 4:57 PM mbgoalie928 Joined on 04-26-2007 Be nice - I'm new! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother I think 12 is a little much--- but if its a teenager that has his/her license and four kids????? thats a lot of responsibility for the teenager so 10-12 dollars an hour sounds resonible for 4 kids. Put it this way. The teenager has to make dinner for the four kids, keep them busy, clean up from all FOUR, put the FOUR to bed, and make sure they fall asleep. Four kids is harder work then just 2 kids. I'm 12 and I get paid 6 an hour for 2 kids and 5 for 1. Everyone in my neighborhood thinks I'm a very cheap babysitter so I have many clients. My sister is 18 and charges 10 an hour...    Report

07-12-2007, 1:01 PM Mommy2Lots Joined on 11-15-2006 Houston,TX Super Sitter!! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother As a mom and a nanny, I can see it from both sides. This is what I think: One: These are your children and they deserve excellent care. If you are going to base your decision solely on the rate (not saying you are, but just in case), you might be getting shabby care and even putting your children at risk. Two: Babysitting is a hard job. It is very similar to being a parent, which is hard as well. No, parents don't get paid, but we chose to have the kids. Three: I feel your pain on the money thing, but if you have four children (I have 4 natural and 2 stepkids), everything is going to cost more. Trust me, I know. Four: My husband and I have never spent $60 on a restaurant meal, even with all the kids included. But, if you choose to do so, that is a choice you and your wallet will have to deal with. It sounds fun and if you have the money, I say why not? But, if you don't have the money, I say find a more affordable retaurant where you still enjoy the food. Quick Tip: If you want to lower the babysitting bill, try going out at the kids' bed time. You can put the kids to sleep and the sitter will just be there to make sure the kids are safe. Most sitters, including me, will not charge so much if there is no interacting with the kids involved. If you offer to take them home afterwards (if it's someone who doesn't drive) or have them leave afterwards, rather than staying all night, the rate will also be lower. I charge $60 for an overnight, but in a situation like the one I described, I'd probably only charge $20, because I'd likely just be watching tv or using the computer and just checking in on the kids while they were sleeping. Yes, one or two may wake up and need to be soothed, but that really isn't much work for $20, in my opinion. Parenting/Sitting Articles - If you view these, kindly return back to Babysitting Forums. ;-)    Report

07-12-2007, 1:09 PM Chosen7Stone Joined on 10-21-2005 Tallahassee, FL Super Sitter!! Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!   Mommy2Lots, you made an incredibly awesome post, especially the tip about going out while they're sleeping.  Awesome.  :) *Love in Christ from Mary* 1 Peter 2:4-5 Vote my agency, Seminole Sitters, the "Best Overall Business" in Tallahassee for the 2007 Tally Awards at EverythingTallahassee.com!!!    Report

07-20-2007, 9:21 PM Pride4sam Joined on 07-21-2007 Along for the Ride Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother You are paying way to much for your babysitter. Most charge between 7 and 8 dollars. Then you can raise if you want but you are paying to much.   FIND A NEW BABYSITTER!!!    Report

07-21-2007, 3:10 PM babyd Joined on 07-08-2006 Your Go-To for Advice Re: Babysitting rates these days are ridiculous! - disgusted mother $7-8/hr is a fair rate for 2-3 children but for four children the average rate is at least $10/hr.    Report