What to pay a sitter?
What in the world do you pay a babysitter?
Of all the parenting things that I am completely clueless about paying a babysitter somehow 
tops the list. It seems like when I was a kid the going rate was around $5 an hour. If you washed the dishes and bathed the kids you might be able to expect a little on the top. But now that I am the payer and not the payee I have no clue what to shell out. What is an acceptable per hour amount for an evening on the town without the kids? And if you are going to have a babysitter come for more than just date night what do you pay? Like if you were going to be in a wedding and needed someone from noon to midnight. Or if you were going away overnight. What do you pay then?
- Lindsey Johnson
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Comments
I pay mine $6 an hour. She only charges $5 so I always add a little extra. Others may charge more. I’ve known her for awhile, so that may be why I pay less than the standard amount. $7 to $8 sounds about right.
~Erica
I pay my sitter $10 an hour to watch both my kids. Now if we throw my niece in to the mix than we pay her $12 for all three. Of course, she is a bit older and a daycare teacher so she really has the experience. We would probably pay a younger sitter around $8.00/hr. I still remember (not that long ago…maybe 18 years ago) that I was paid $5.00 to babysit no matter how many kids were there!
Lindsey, I think the answer may depend on how many kids you have and how old they are. My recent babysitter charged $8 an hour for one kid. We were only gone four hours, so that was reasonable.
Multiple kids, long hours, and the experience of the sitter also come into play. Overnights might just break the bank!