Babysitter Fees

Hi,

I'm curious what is the average/range of babysitters' fees per week or per hourly with 1 (or w/siblings) or 2 children (age 4-6 yrs old). It'll give me some ideas to prepare if I plan to babysit during the school year. This is going to include breakfast, lunch, snacks, hands-on crafts, toilet / paper towels, disinfection wipes, soaps, and some transportation to playground/park area, movie, or zoo trips.

Thanks!
Diana

 

In my area of ny the going rate is between $12-15/hr for 2 kids. I hope that helps.

 

Hello Leighann,

Thanks, my sitter cannot justified the price that she SHOULD be paying but since she can afford it. Its a matter of wanting to be very cheap with twins' who is going to Kindergarten not full-day or meet half day or the 5 hours. Thus, I knew I was being too cheap last year w/school year. But ONLY if she had stick with the original plan but she made me go pick up her kids 3 days a week at . And now, she talking about 'I don't pay taxes' out of it. I was like give me a break for not forgetting what we had discussed.

I learned a huge lesson!

 

I have two sitters/situations.

Sitter 1 comes to my house on Monday and Friday. She's a college student. She feeds them snacks and lunch, my food though, and she's welcome to anything she'd like to eat/drink as well. She mainly takes them to our association beach (walkable), outside to play, bike riding, or plays with them indoors (it's been hot here). She's an education major and strong swimmer, two big pluses in my book.

Sitter 2 is my neighbor and very good friend. She has daughters who play with my girls basically everyday anyways. She watches them Tu/W/Th. She offers every spring, and tells me which days she'd like. At first she insisted she didn't want pay, because she finds it easier to manage her girls' summertime with built-in playmates, but I insist on paying her. She feeds them snacks and lunch, and I will often send over veggies from my garden or zucchini muffins or salsa that I have made. She has a minivan and we put DH's car seats in her van for the summer. She takes them places: gymnastics class, zoo, library, etc. I will also watch her daughters when she needs it, and that is just a friend helping a friend (no pay).

I pay them both $10/hour.

 

In the light of my situation, my friend told the 'mother' that I charge $25 per child per day. It was then my friend came back and told me she only need 1/2 day because her 'twins' goes to preschool on Mon-Wed-Fri with needing me to drop them off at the Y at 12:30 PM every week. This makes it only $25 dollars for half day with 2 kids. I don't know her very well just met her last August.

In fact, we lived in the same subdivision but she lives on the other side (the school is in the middle between both subdivision). And the funny thing she has the same model home as ours. Her twins are only 4 days after my twins' birthday. We have the same IVF DR, gave birth at the same hospital, and on top of that I was still in the hospital when I had my twins' when another twins' were born and that was them!

Back to last year, she had realized she cannot get out of her teaching job at 3 pm to pick up her kids. She text message me asking me if I can pick up her kids it became permanently. Did she offer to pay extra for gas? No, Was I supposed to ask for it? In my opinion, I think it was her responsibility to say, Hey Diana......since you are picking my kids now I will pay you gas. Right or wrong? It is approximately 4 miles each way where gas was almost literally $5 for the last 6 months.

Mon-Wed-Fri, $25 for 2 kids 7:15 to 12:30 PM but then it when I have to pick up at 3 PM to 4 PM to watch
Tues/Thurs, $50 ($25 each full day) 7:15 to 4:00 PM
Total $175 a week

The other thing she was feeding her kids for breakfast before coming here at 7:15 AM. I certainly could tell she was looked so stress out when she drop them off and then her kids seem to be in a crappy mood. It was then I told her you know I prefer they come over here and eat breakfast with my kids to make it easier. I felt akward having them sitting on the couch watching what my twins' eat every day for breakfast. I just couldn't do that anymore. Did I ask for more money ? Nope!

I have done so much for her kids with weekly craft. We practice writing our names every day with UC/LC letters, address, and phone number. We do watch learning videos, I take them to the playground/park days, set up my bouncy in the back yard, read books, and etc. It is not putting a kid in front of the TV that is NOT me.

And it was a breaking point that I had to do some homework on what babysitter really cost because I was buying cereal, bread, milk, and some other snacks that was just taking so much of my sitters' money plus gas too! I was not really making anything! I still has to pay out of pocket for those paper towels, especially hand soap and toilet papers went out faster w/4 kiddies.

I asked some of my friends who was also a babysitter. I had no idea they were making so much more than ME by the hourly! It was between $8 to $10 an hour for 1 child. I freak out I knew I was cheap but I was being nice because I wanted the kids' become good friends after all they are all going to same school and kindergarten class. I am not sure if they will be in the same class?

I decided to send her an email telling her that I am changing my flat fees to hourly fee. I told her the first child is $7.25 and 2nd child and more it is $4.00 per child per hour which come to $11 for 2 children. We are not a full-day nor meet half day yet. If I was watching the twins' again it would be 6 hours per day either AM or PM slot with drop/pick up from school.

$7.25 1st child
$4.00 2nd and more
$11.25 per hour for 6 hours a day
$67.50 per day (2 children)
$337.50 per week

If you look at the actual break down it is only $5.50 per hour for each child! Is that too much ? Per email, she send back to me--

Dave and I have discussed it and your rate has gone up too much for us to afford to pay (truthfully per hour you'd be making more money than me, especially since you don't pay taxes!)

I know she fully took advantage of me but I did not need to explain why because I felt she would have figured out that it was normal to be paying $10 an hour for a babysitter? I don't think she see eye to eye, beside I think her husband was clueless as well too, and whoever think it was too much.

I meant, I double check the calculate of babysitting fees around here is $8 to $15 an hour. I belong with 'www.care.com' and saw so many people who is looking for sitters with that paying fees per hourly. I figured I can start below price so I don't get heated with agreement or not.

I am open for discussion!

 

I don't know where you live, but in my area, your fees would be considered very very low. (I live in a metropolitan area with a high cost of living.) I think the hourly rate around here is anywhere from $10-$25 for one child, depending on 1. sitter's experience, 2. sitter's educational level, 3. tasks she has to do in addition to babysitting (cooking, cleaning up, driving the kids, etc.) Plus, it is not unusual to pay the sitter's transportation fees separate from the hourly fees. If you are expected to transport the kids in a car or feed them, I think it is reasonable for the parents to pay for gas and food.

I think you have to talk about the costs up front. How much gas money you are charging for taking the kids to the zoo, movies, etc. You have to talk about food costs up front and what you are going to feed the kids. Yes, the parents should pay for these things, BUT if you are charging money for those items, you have a responsibility to the parents to make it clear how the money is being spent and get their prior approval.

 

It won't matter because I don't think she is going to bring her kids back to me. She just not wanting to pay any more than $175 a week. I won't allow anyone tries to take advantage of me anymore. Its a lesson I learned but hoping to find someone to watch during the school year.

It breaks my heart that the kids won't get the joy to hang out wit each other again. Because they may be in the same class and probably run into them with some of the after school activities. She knows how much sitters these days cost just thought she could get away with being cheap. I'm going to charge $7-10 an hour depends on children and how well I may know the person too. If they don't like it they can find someone else!

Thanks everyone for letting me vent!
Diana