The Price of Babysitting

[Anonymous]

So one of the other topics on babysitting made me start thinking about this. Currently babysitters charge somewhere between $10 - $18/hr, depending on their experience, number of kids, your location, etc, etc. That's significantly above minimum wage, right? When did that happen, and is that the case for the rest of the country, or is that a DC/large metropolitan area thing? I'm talking about the highschool kid that comes over and watches TV while you and your spouse go to a movie kind of babysitting, not childcare. The kind of thing that used to be less than minumum wage, back in the dark ages when I did it.

I'm not trying to start a debate over the going rate, and why and all that. I'm just wondering about how common it is in other parts of the country, and when the amount that sitters make started to become higher than working at other jobs. It wasn't always like that, and I'm curious. It's a pretty easy job in the evenings, usually, and that used to be the reasoning for it being less than, say, mowing the lawn back then. Not that anyone (at least not in McLean, where I live) has 14 yr olds mowing their lawns anymore.

Just curious. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So one of the other topics on babysitting made me start thinking about this. Currently babysitters charge somewhere between $10 - $18/hr, depending on their experience, number of kids, your location, etc, etc. That's significantly above minimum wage, right? When did that happen, and is that the case for the rest of the country, or is that a DC/large metropolitan area thing? I'm talking about the highschool kid that comes over and watches TV while you and your spouse go to a movie kind of babysitting, not childcare. The kind of thing that used to be less than minumum wage, back in the dark ages when I did it.

I'm not trying to start a debate over the going rate, and why and all that. I'm just wondering about how common it is in other parts of the country, and when the amount that sitters make started to become higher than working at other jobs. It wasn't always like that, and I'm curious. It's a pretty easy job in the evenings, usually, and that used to be the reasoning for it being less than, say, mowing the lawn back then. Not that anyone (at least not in McLean, where I live) has 14 yr olds mowing their lawns anymore.

Just curious. Thanks.

Good heavens, 25 yrs ago I got 7.50 per hr for babysitting and $10.00 if it was after midnight, which wasn't often, because one of my parents always picked me up and they liked to be in bed no later than 12:30. Rates became higher because every other service job is paying higher amd because prices for everhing have increased.

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting question. I used to make $1.50 an hour to tutor (!!) two little girls with their home work every afternoon from 3:30-5:30. No, not a dollar fifty each - total! I was 13, they were 7 and 8, etc. I thought my saturday night gig making $3/hr AND the parents got me pizza AND they had a TV was about the coolest job ever. I'm 42 yrs old, so something has happened between then and now, when I pay my sat night babysitter to sit in my house while my children sleep $15/hr!

[Anonymous]

I think it's regional. I know that friends that live in other states, further away from major metropolitan cities, are SHOCKED when I tell them sitters cost $12-$20 an hour here (I'm on capitol hill).

I think that, as is the case with many other aspects of life in DC, people here have the money to afford it and it keeps prices up. People can afford to pay for "the best" and that keeps prices up. I think many people equate quality with the price a person charges, so babysitters can charge what they want and still have lots of work.

[Anonymous]

I think parents today value the services of babysitters more. I babysat babies and toddlers at age 12, and although I was a very good, reliable kid, I can look back and realize I was still just a kid. I am grateful that I never had to deal with any emergencies while babysitting at that age. As a parent, I would never have trusted my young children with a 12-year-old sitter. And if I want an adult, or at least a more mature teen, I'll have to pay wages that will attract someone of the quality I prefer.

[Anonymous]

I also got paid $4 hr to babysit 4 kids under the age of 6 from 6-10 every thursday night when I was 14-17 (16 yrs ago).

I now pay $12 an hr to a college student to babysit and try my best to have the kids ready for bed or sleeping before we leave. I live downtown and dont know any high school students. If I lived in the suburbs, I'd find a high school student and pay $8-10 hr.

[Anonymous]

I am 32, and when I babysat kids starting when I was 11!! That's not even legal these days.

I babysat from ages 11 to 14 (1990-1994) and I only charged $3.50 to $5 an hour.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I pay $10 an hour to our high school aged sitter. And we have a high school boy mow our lawn.

[Anonymous]

I think it has more to do with the lower supply of babysitters nowadays. Once kids hit high school, they are busy doing after-school activities, tons of homework, taking SAT prep and writing college applications, and being in the school performance or gone for travel soccer on weekends. Also parents here make so much money that they don't want their kid babysitting instead of doing homework, an internship, sport, etc. So there are far fewer babysitters available.

[Anonymous]

I live in Portland, Ore. now and paid $12/hour for one child. Of course most of this time they are getting paid to sit and watch TV, read or be on their computer as the kids are in bed within one to two hours after they arrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. I used to make $1.50 an hour to tutor (!!) two little girls with their home work every afternoon from 3:30-5:30. No, not a dollar fifty each - total! I was 13, they were 7 and 8, etc. I thought my saturday night gig making $3/hr AND the parents got me pizza AND they had a TV was about the coolest job ever. I'm 42 yrs old, so something has happened between then and now, when I pay my sat night babysitter to sit in my house while my children sleep $15/hr!

I could have written this post! Tennessee. Probably still much cheaper than here, but hopefully now commensurate with the times. No pizza, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm, I pay $10 an hour to our high school aged sitter. And we have a high school boy mow our lawn.

Really? Where do you live?

[Anonymous]

quote]

Good heavens, 25 yrs ago I got 7.50 per hr for babysitting and $10.00 if it was after midnight, which wasn't often, because one of my parents always picked me up and they liked to be in bed no later than 12:30. Rates became higher because every other service job is paying higher amd because prices for everhing have increased.




Where were you living? That seems really high, unless you were in a big city or really lucky!

[Anonymous]

I'm 31 and I made $2/hr babysitting two kids ages 2 and 6 months in Montana when I was in high school. That was pretty standard for the area. When I was in college, I made $10/hr babysitting one 5 mo in Chicago. When I was in graduate school in Madison, WI it seemed that college students that were CPR certified and had experience made anywhere from $10/hr and up. High school students charged around $5-8/hr depending on number of kids, etc.

I think it definitely depends on the area you live in, how much experience and the age of your babysitter. High schoolers generally make less than college students.

[Anonymous]

I'm 40 and 28 years ago was paid $1.00 per hour to watch 2 kids. I still remember when I sat for 4 3/4 hours and the Mom gave me $5.00 and said she'll deduct the 25 cents the next time -- and she did. I tend to "round up" for my sitters. Rates have really changed.