My sister has three small children(all boys) and usually a family member babysits. She wanted to get a babysitter and I recommend my friends niece. I have know her since she was born, we use to babysit her. I kept asking how much does she get paid. No one would give me an answer and said pay her what ever your sister wants.
Well, my sister picked her up yesterday and brought her to the house to play with the kids a little bit before my sister put them to bed. She wanted them to see her incase they should wake up. Before my sister left to go out she asked her how much do you get paid, she said $10 an hour.
$10 an hour to sit on the couch and watch t.v. The kids slept and she didn't have to do a thing. When I babysat I use to get $2 an hour and I had to play and put the kids to bed. Does anyone else think that's a lot for a 15 year to make? I want that job.
Jax430
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Re: Cost of Babysitting?
I actually think that $10 an hour is pretty normal for babysitting on LI these days. When I stopped babysitting, around age 18, I was earning $7.50 an hour, and that was in 1997. I know people who earn more than that these days. I agree that it seems like a bit much though, especially if the kids are asleep!
julz33
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I used to make $6-7 an hour when I used to babysit, that was in the early 1990s.
DebsNY
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I was babystting one baby about 2 years ago and got $8/hr. So $10/hr for 3 kids is reasonable.
Danielle&Scott
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But the kids were all sleeping. My sister put them to bed before she left. They were a wake when she go there b/c it was the first time she babysat.
I guess Scott and I will be babysitting more...lol. It would cost a small fortune to go out to dinner for a few hours.
nferrandi
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Unfortunately, sleeping or not, that is the going rate. I used to get $10 an hour from a family when I was in high school and that was 10 years ago.
Shorty McBride
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my sister sometimes sits for a family with a 4or5 year old, and a 1 yr old.
The family pays her at least $50 everytime - even if it's just for 3 or 4 hours and the kids are asleep.
The last time she had to sit for them, it was mid-day, and she had to entertain them and feed them lunch - they gave her $100 for about 6 hours!!!
Danielle&Scott
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I think I found my summer job..lol
DebsNY
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Posted by Danielle&Scott
But the kids were all sleeping. My sister put them to bed before she left. They were a wake when she go there b/c it was the first time she babysat.
I guess Scott and I will be babysitting more...lol. It would cost a small fortune to go out to dinner for a few hours.
Yep, even sleeping. When I babysat the little girl, I would get there at like 6, play with her for about an hour, and then put her to bed by 730. Majority of the night she was sleeping, and I still got the same rate of $8/hr... though I had only asked for 7. I was about 19 or 20 though, and had experience with babies (she didn't trust anyone else) so maybe that had something to do with it...
mrswask
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Granted, they were sleeping and it was an 'easy' time for the babysitter - but they could have just as easily woken up and been terrors! All of us who have babysat know that some nights were easy, while others were nightmarish. I don't think the rate should be adjusted because of how 'easy' your night was.
lvdolphins
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$10 sounds about right. When I babysat waay back, I made between $5-$6 an hour. I keep telling my DH im going to open up my own 'babysitting' service! The $$ would be great!
Monkeybride
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I made like $8 an hour 10 years ago so I would say that $10 an hour isn't so bad.
Hazeleyes33
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I would say $10 is the going rate. We are lucky and have only paid one sitter. That was in 1999 or 2000 and she charged $6/hour. She was a girl from Amanda's daycare so we knew her. I have paid my sil once when I called her a day before to watch Tyler when he was sick and I had to work. She didn't care how much I paid her and I think I gave her $60 for the day which was probably not enough. We usually get free babysitting from my sister, sil or exhange with friends as it is TOO expensive to get a sitter AND go out! I also remember getting paid $2-3/hour babysitting years ago. I got paid TO THE PENNY literally also as the families could not afford it then also!
August2004
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I don't think 10 dollars an hour is bad at all. I was making more than that when I was in college babysitting and that was four years ago, but I think I was overpaid as well.
February05
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i think $10/hr is pretty reasonable for 3 kids. sleeping or not, its still the same thing. like if you work in retail and theres only 1 customer the whole day, you still get paid the same hourly rate as a day when theres 200 customers, ya know? when i babysat after college in the city for this little girl, they used to give me $10/hr, plus pay for the time it took me to travel there, and they would pay for everything while i was there... they'd give me their credit card so that we could have a 'girls day out' and treat ourselves, and theyd buy me stuff all the time and for every holiday you could think of... like groundhogs day even i was totally spoiled! (but the parents were an actress & producer, so i dont think most people would just give out their credit cards and tell you to go wild)
Bunnymonkey
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Re: Cost of Babysitting?
Thats what I charge in NYC - and I'm a bargain! Apparently, the going rate on the Upper East Side is $15 per hour, but clearly the clientele is different up there...
Yes, the sitter does get to veg out and watch TV, but it's about her TIME. Time is money after all...
With 3 little boys I would have charged more than $10.
Babysitting is a great way to earn extra $$!!
skew
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Posted by nferrandi
Unfortunately, sleeping or not, that is the going rate. I used to get $10 an hour from a family when I was in high school and that was 10 years ago.
same here. back in the day, wew were TOLD what we were to be paid ($7-10). unfortunately, the tables have now turned and the kids are the ones quoting their fee.
JimmysBride
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I think it's a hell of alot for a 15 yr old to charge. My neighbor does in-home day care, is licensed, registered, and trained and she charges $9/hr. What qualifications does a 15 yr old have?? Gimme a break. Just because day care costs that much shouldn't mean that a kid gets to charge that much.
Danielle&Scott
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Posted by JimmysBride
I think it's a hell of alot for a 15 yr old to charge. My neighbor does in-home day care, is licensed, registered, and trained and she charges $9/hr. What qualifications does a 15 yr old have?? Gimme a break. Just because day care costs that much shouldn't mean that a kid gets to charge that much.
I thought I was the one that was crazy, someone finally agrees. When I first started teaching, I taught preschool and got $12 an hour before taxes. I had a four year degree and was finishing my masters. I was in charge of teaching 18 4 year olds. Boy, was I under paid.
nvrdull
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We have 2 kids and I pay my babysitter $8 an hour. She is 16 and that seems to be normal for Long Island....
