Babysitting Rates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much are you paying your babysitter - 17 years old, language skills that are helpful for my family, own car, responsible?

You should pay her what she’s worth to you. Why would you cheap out for the care of your children?

Do the bargain hunting elsewhere, not on your children.

[Anonymous]

babysitters take full advantage of parents. full stop. They get their food paid for while they are babysitting plus their hourly wage plus usually every parent rounds up the time. And for at least some of the time (if it’s in the evening) all or some of the kids will be asleep.
It’s a great deal for the babysitter and a terrible one for the parents. Oh and if you tell them 3 hours and come back in 2 you still pay them for 3. and if you cancel last minute and also still expected to pay. Literally better conditions and pay that a teenager would get at any other job at that age.

we rarely went out unless we had family who could watch one night. Then our oldest turned 13 and is happy for whatever we give him to watch his brother for a couple of hours 😁.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teen under 18 is not going to get hired at any real part time job for $20/hr, so why would you pay this for babysitting? The most they could hope for at any other job would be $15, plus they get taxes taken out. $15 cash per hour a suitable wage for a teen

My 16 year old absolutely makes this food running at her restaurant job. And she prefers it to babysitting because babysitting is irregular and parents are so flaky! They think nothing of asking you to hold a date a month in advance and then canceling the day before. It’s shocking how often it happens. My teen would not babysit for less than $20, and also won’t babysit for someone who has canceled twice without paying.

Good for her. And I bet she is working her tail off too. But most teens don’t want to commit to consistent part time hours and they don’t really want to work hard. Which is why they default to babysitting. Let’s face it, babysitting is a pretty easy, cushy job. Especially comparable to real part time jobs that are available to teens. Hearing that these teens think they are entitled to $20+ and hr for babysitting is hysterical.

[Anonymous]

I pay $25/hour for 1 8 year old for college-age babysitters in close-in DC suburb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teen under 18 is not going to get hired at any real part time job for $20/hr, so why would you pay this for babysitting? The most they could hope for at any other job would be $15, plus they get taxes taken out. $15 cash per hour a suitable wage for a teen

Agree so hard with this but our neighborhood just slowly started bumping it up with COVID. One family started paying a couple bucks more, then another family, and because these sitters are gen z they think they’re entitled to it now. When I was babysitting the family set the rates and I could take it or leave it. Now if you try to set the rates lower than another family you’ll be ousted from the babysitting networks, they’ve got a cartel.

This is DCum and minimum wage in DC is $17, so no.

Agree, in the DC area, minimum wage is 16-17 in MD and DC. Also, why are people so angry at pay a few extra dollars to care for their kids? Like don't go out if you're so angry.

[Anonymous]

I am in an average COLA (but UMC neighborhood - where we find our babysitters) and would pay $15 for one child in this situation. If more than one child + you take advantage of sitter's language skills + sitter is able to drive the kids around - I would definitely bump up to $20, and then more than that by the time she is a freshman. Obviously I would expect all of those numbers to be higher in a higher COLA.

I usually ask the teen sitters what they charge - usually they just say "whatever you want" - but I encourage them to practice having that conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teen under 18 is not going to get hired at any real part time job for $20/hr, so why would you pay this for babysitting? The most they could hope for at any other job would be $15, plus they get taxes taken out. $15 cash per hour a suitable wage for a teen

My 16 year old absolutely makes this food running at her restaurant job. And she prefers it to babysitting because babysitting is irregular and parents are so flaky! They think nothing of asking you to hold a date a month in advance and then canceling the day before. It’s shocking how often it happens. My teen would not babysit for less than $20, and also won’t babysit for someone who has canceled twice without paying.

Good for her. And I bet she is working her tail off too. But most teens don’t want to commit to consistent part time hours and they don’t really want to work hard. Which is why they default to babysitting. Let’s face it, babysitting is a pretty easy, cushy job. Especially comparable to real part time jobs that are available to teens. Hearing that these teens think they are entitled to $20+ and hr for babysitting is hysterical.

Call it hysterical if you want but teens are 100% being paid this. By very grateful parents. If you can find someone who will do it for less, good for you but this is what everyone pays my teen. She doesn’t even say that is what she charges - that is just what they pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teen under 18 is not going to get hired at any real part time job for $20/hr, so why would you pay this for babysitting? The most they could hope for at any other job would be $15, plus they get taxes taken out. $15 cash per hour a suitable wage for a teen

Agree so hard with this but our neighborhood just slowly started bumping it up with COVID. One family started paying a couple bucks more, then another family, and because these sitters are gen z they think they’re entitled to it now. When I was babysitting the family set the rates and I could take it or leave it. Now if you try to set the rates lower than another family you’ll be ousted from the babysitting networks, they’ve got a cartel.

This is DCum and minimum wage in DC is $17, so no.

Agree, in the DC area, minimum wage is 16-17 in MD and DC. Also, why are people so angry at pay a few extra dollars to care for their kids? Like don't go out if you're so angry.

Nah you don’t get to gaslight parents into thinking they have to pay close to the starting wage for many bachelor degrees in order to enjoy an evening out. You probably don’t even have kids that need babysitting anymore, you old hag.

[Anonymous]

13:18 sounds like a nasty individual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teen under 18 is not going to get hired at any real part time job for $20/hr, so why would you pay this for babysitting? The most they could hope for at any other job would be $15, plus they get taxes taken out. $15 cash per hour a suitable wage for a teen

Agree so hard with this but our neighborhood just slowly started bumping it up with COVID. One family started paying a couple bucks more, then another family, and because these sitters are gen z they think they’re entitled to it now. When I was babysitting the family set the rates and I could take it or leave it. Now if you try to set the rates lower than another family you’ll be ousted from the babysitting networks, they’ve got a cartel.

This is DCum and minimum wage in DC is $17, so no.

Agree, in the DC area, minimum wage is 16-17 in MD and DC. Also, why are people so angry at pay a few extra dollars to care for their kids? Like don't go out if you're so angry.

Nah you don’t get to gaslight parents into thinking they have to pay close to the starting wage for many bachelor degrees in order to enjoy an evening out. You probably don’t even have kids that need babysitting anymore, you old hag.

The families that pay my daughter sound nothing like you. They could not be more grateful to have her. If you can find a teen willing to take less, by all means hire them! Or vote with your wallet and stay home - that’s what I do when I don’t like the price of something.

[Anonymous]

We pay $15/hour for a teen neighbor (kids are 8 and 10 so easy) and $25/hour for an adult.

[Anonymous]

The problem is absolutely part of the area’s economics. Kids who have options to do something else with that time (aka don’t NEED the money) will demand more to use their time in that way. Yes it absolutely takes advantage of parents, but it isn’t the kids fault per se, just the supply and demand of the area. I also know $20 doesn’t go as far as it did in 2001 when I was last babysitting, and that was my rate then. I don’t like it; but it is what it is.

I agree that when I, with a specialized skill set am offered free lance jobs at $18/hr I am annoyed by 16yos wanting $25/hr for babysitting AND that I am secure if I really needed the extra income I could take my master’s of science self and charge families at least $30/hr for babysitting.There’s no right or wrong answer and teens don’t owe us cheap labor.

[Anonymous]

Also at any other job they wouldn’t be allowed on their phones. These teens are doing 10% babysitting and 90% social stuff on their phone. They are basically doing the very bare minimum And charging a premium for it.

Also, the persons language skills are not relevant at all? I can’t imagine them actually using this skill while babysitting.

$15/hr for a teen in high school. Maybe $18-20 for a college student.

[Anonymous]

Teen rate: $15/hr for 1 kid, $17 for 2, $20 for 3 for 3 hours or more. Fewer hours than that, I’d bump up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teen rate: $15/hr for 1 kid, $17 for 2, $20 for 3 for 3 hours or more. Fewer hours than that, I’d bump up.

Speak for yourself. Everyone sets their own rates, except the kids who say, “pay me whatever you want”. That attitude should tell you they don’t take their work seriously.