OP, I've seen kids just out of high school without the BA or experience you described who are asking for the same rate. It's ridiculous.

She is insane. Someone with a lot more experience can ask for that kind of money, but not a girl with little experience.

Ridiculous. I have 10 yrs of experience, 7 yrs local. Some Ece, experience with multiples and special needs children. PlusI am willing to cook family meals every night. My rate is $18 an hour. Many families are offering me $10-13 an hour.

That's crazy... From what I've seen on here $15-20 per hour seems to be the norm for DC. I'm a little further out and I charge $15/hour for twin 1-year-old boys and their 5-year-old sister who I have before and after school.

OP, the candidate you spoke to is delusional.

$17-20/hr in DC is a fine rate for your situation.

That's crazy OP. I think a lot of people of those sites are simply uniformed or just not too bright. I would say the parents offering $200/week for a 50 hour schedule, 3 kids, and housekeeping, are just as "aspirational". Keep offering your rate, it sounds fine.

That is completely ridiculous OP. Just ridiculous. You can find applicants for literally half that rate in the DC area. (I'm not saying you would want someone at the $14/hr level - but they are out there.)

I can't even find someone willing to pay 10 per hr which is my rate.

OP here. She said her normal rate is $30/hour, but would consider $28 as the lowest she could possibly go. When I said that was too high for us, especially given the fact that from 75% of her time she would only be watching one 2 year old who naps, she said there was no way she could do it for less.

I'm a nanny as well and don't think $28 is a reasonable offer. I have two 2 year olds and get $20.56/hr and that is after 2 annual raises. Maybe that was just her starting point for negotiations and thought she'd try to see how high she could get? She might think it doesn't hurt to ask and will take something lower but if she is firm on the $28 then she is definitely going to have a hard time finding a job esp. if one child is only in her care part time

Your salary offering is perfectly acceptable. That girl is going to have a very hard time finding a job if she thinks that she is going to get $28/hr. Also, be prepared for 90% of the nannies to come on here and say you should be paying that much. Everyone on here likes to way over exaggerate their cost. I'm one of the few realistic nannies on here who has some common sense.

We are looking for a new nanny, and I admit I've been kind of blown away by the er, aspirational rates I'm seeing potential candidates post and ask for on these sites. I spoke with an otherwise lovely young woman - age 26, with a Bachelor's degree and some very good experience who told me she simply could not consider watching my 2 year old full time and her 4 year old brother part time for less than $28/hour. We are in the DC area. She'd had some nannying experience and had done some work as a research assistant at a Montessori research project at a university, but seriously? $28 an hour at 26? We offer guaranteed pay, paid sick and vacation, overtime and the rest, plus $18/hour, which is in line with area standards based on our understanding. Where are these people getting these hourly rates from?