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Would like to know how much to charge for babysitting for 2 hrs. a day? There's no driving involved & food etc. is already provided.

Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing.

We paid $40 for 2 kids (under 5) for 2 hours of babysitting. Some thought this way a tad high, but we really liked our babysitter and wanted to keep her

Yes, just for one 17 month old child......thank you for your response.

We pay our babysitter $10 an hour for 1 child.

We generally pay our babysitter $10 an hour for two kids. 1 and 3 years old.

if we go out on an evening or on weekend we pay at least $50 for anything less than 4 hours, anything 4 or more we pay at least $100 (one child). We don''''t go out often, but we never have a sitter say no I wouldn't pay anything less than minimum wage. If they''re great & do fun things like crafts or outings (things that take extra time and effort not just board games etc) with my child I always pay more!  
 
Edited by Happy Trails , 2018-05-10 19:59:40

Fishin Guy said "Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing. "

$5 an hour?? Wow your babysitter must love looking after your kids lol.  
 
It's whatever you feel is appropriate. We've never given our sitter less than $30 for a couple hours. She comes on short notice sometimes so it's nice to give her a little extra.  
 
Really it's whatever you are comfortable with. But $5 an hour is pretty stingy in my opinion. I think $10-15 an hour is reasonable.

And then some wonder why kids these days don’t want to start at the bottom or take a minimum wage paying job....  
 
Teen babysitters don’t need minimum wage imo. It’s tax free money for them.  
 
$5-$10/hour depending on what they need to do and how old the child is is reasonable.  
 
Don’t start kids (babysitters) up for failure by starting them out so early with unrealistic ideas of wage. $15/hr to babysit a child in someone’s else’s home, probably eat some of their snacks, most likely have child in bed early, get to go on their phone/watch tv etc is crazy and not proportionate for the job they did

Can’t edit on the app... set up for failure not start

When I took my babysitting corse (a while ago now) they recommended you only charge $5/h. Because people who make minimum wage or a small wage wouldn’t be able to afford a babysitter if you charged them what they made an hour. Maybe make more if it’s only a every once and a while job but for people who need a sitter regularly wouldn’t be able to agonies one.

Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing. " $5 an hour?? Wow your babysitter must love looking after your kids lol.     It's whatever you feel is appropriate. We've never given our sitter less than $30 for a couple hours. She comes on short notice sometimes so it's nice to give her a little extra.     Really it's whatever you are comfortable with. But $5 an hour is pretty stingy in my opinion. I think $10-15 an hour is reasonable. "

I never said I paid $5. an hour. I said it is what I would charge. That is why I asked if it was a regular thing. Not everyone is rolling in money to pay 15 bucks an hour to watch a kid. I hope you pay your daycare the same respect and pay them a fair wage like the babysitter cause they are doing much more than a sitter does. When I would go out for parties or concerts I paid the sitter more than 5 bucks as it was a special event. I wouldn't be able to pay much more if a regular thing as you end up paying out more than you are making if you need a sitter for overlapping shifts or something for work.

IMO, it’s not even really about whether you can afford to pay a lot or not. It’s about teaching the child (babysitter) the value of money and work ethic. $15/hr for a babysitting job is unrealistic compared to a “real” job and all the work they’d be expected to do for that wage.

The babysitter course is recommending $10 an hour right now. Personally I think it’s way to high but that’s just me. We pay ours that but needless to say we only get her once or twice a year because grandma is free.  
 
If you are getting someone daily for 2 hours then why not ask what they would charge and go from there?

$15 for two hours, if you wanted to make it worth it for your babysitter then $20.00

Amazing how people view this. What I'm reading is that people believe the task of looking after their children isn't worth paying for. Does that mean you don't value your children or the person who is doing the looking after? If you aren't willing to pay, then perhaps you shouldn't go out. Funny, people will spend all sorts of money on their night out, but don't want to pay the person looking after their child/children. It isn't up to you to "teach the child the value of money and work ethic". Perhaps your wage should be lowered so that you can also understand the value of money and work ethic? It is up to the person providing the service of babysitting/childcare to state what they feel is a fair wage. Once again, shaking my head at the comments.

Fishin Guy said "    Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing. " $5 an hour?? Wow your babysitter must love looking after your kids lol.     It's whatever you feel is appropriate. We've never given our sitter less than $30 for a couple hours. She comes on short notice sometimes so it's nice to give her a little extra.     Really it's whatever you are comfortable with. But $5 an hour is pretty stingy in my opinion. I think $10-15 an hour is reasonable. " I never said I paid $5. an hour. I said it is what I would charge. That is why I asked if it was a regular thing. Not everyone is rolling in money to pay 15 bucks an hour to watch a kid. I hope you pay your daycare the same respect and pay them a fair wage like the babysitter cause they are doing much more than a sitter does. When I would go out for parties or concerts I paid the sitter more than 5 bucks as it was a special event. I wouldn't be able to pay much more if a regular thing as you end up paying out more than you are making if you need a sitter for overlapping shifts or something for work. "

The OP asked how much for 2 hours. You replied $10 a day. $10 divide by 2 is $5/hr I believe.  
 
And yes I use a licensed daycare so yes I pay them the same as everyone else, which is quite fair and respectful. I agree not everyone is rolling in money but when we decided to bring kids in to the world we took in to consideration the cost of having them. If we can afford to go out for a night out then we can afford to pay for someone to look after our kids. If we can't afford to pay the sitter then we stay home.

I used to babysit while in university and some families paid me $5/hr (for 2 children) and others paid me almost $15/hr for 2 children. Can somebody please tell me why you should charge more than $5/hr? Daycare providers don’t even get that and they are your constant day in and day out care!!  
I now have a child and want to go out to play golf one night a week but my hubby isn’t home right when I need to leave. I said I would pay $5/hr (1 child). Some people wanted $20 minimum. Really? What if my hubby is home in half an hour? You feel like you deserve $20? I get that playing golf is a “luxury” in my life but as a mom on mat leave I rarely spend money on myself. So now I have to pay money for golf and even more than that for babysitting so now our budget can’t afford me to go. Just seems crazy to me!  
We did find somebody who will take $5/hr - another mom. Who understands just wanting a night away while not breaking the bank.

Laughingraven, I’m a childcare provider and make less than $15/he for FOUR children and I’m providing all the food, toys, art supplies and doing it in MY home so it’s MY stuff that takes the beating and wear and tear. I know the value of money. And that’s why I think it’s ridiculous to pay your sitter more than your provider.  
 
There is a difference in nannies, providers and babysitters. Funny how the babysitters make the most money....

Childcare and I can tell you I would charge depending on the kind of outing it is. If it''s for work or school or job search I only charge 5$ an hour per child and provide receipts. If it''s to go to a movie or something I''d probably charge 10$ per hour and not by the number of children. I watch them in my own home that way we can go to the park or whatever and it''s easier for me.  
 
Edited by kaylagurl21, 2018-05-11 08:45:56

Our babysitter told us that she was told by her instructor to charge $10 an hour. She also told us that we could pay her whatever we thought was fair and that she didn’t expect that much. I appreciated that.  
 
I want her to be available when I do call because she would be our last option so I gave her the $10 an hour. Like I said we only get her once or twice a year.  
 
I run a home daycare as well. I get $30 for one child for 9 hours. So I really have a hard time paying a babysitter for 3 hours to watch my 8 year old when I have to care for someone else’s child for 9 hours to pay for that.

Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "    Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing. " $5 an hour?? Wow your babysitter must love looking after your kids lol.     It's whatever you feel is appropriate. We've never given our sitter less than $30 for a couple hours. She comes on short notice sometimes so it's nice to give her a little extra.     Really it's whatever you are comfortable with. But $5 an hour is pretty stingy in my opinion. I think $10-15 an hour is reasonable. " I never said I paid $5. an hour. I said it is what I would charge. That is why I asked if it was a regular thing. Not everyone is rolling in money to pay 15 bucks an hour to watch a kid. I hope you pay your daycare the same respect and pay them a fair wage like the babysitter cause they are doing much more than a sitter does. When I would go out for parties or concerts I paid the sitter more than 5 bucks as it was a special event. I wouldn't be able to pay much more if a regular thing as you end up paying out more than you are making if you need a sitter for overlapping shifts or something for work. " The OP asked how much for 2 hours. You replied $10 a day. $10 divide by 2 is $5/hr I believe.     And yes I use a licensed daycare so yes I pay them the same as everyone else, which is quite fair and respectful. I agree not everyone is rolling in money but when we decided to bring kids in to the world we took in to consideration the cost of having them. If we can afford to go out for a night out then we can afford to pay for someone to look after our kids. If we can't afford to pay the sitter then we stay home. "

Yes Ms. Daisy I am glad that you know what 10 divided by 2 is. The op asked what to charge. It sounds like daily childcare, not one off babysitting. I really doubt you pay your daycare the same as the babysitter. That is why in my post I said I paid more for going out the bar and whatever else. You seem to be confusing the two. My licensed daycare charged me $10 per day for 1/2 day care to a max 4 hrs (2 before school and 2 after school.) I paid my daycare 2.50 an hour so.....even at 5 bucks an hour I am paying double what was paid to a daycare.

sammy said "Laughingraven, I’m a childcare provider and make less than $15/he for FOUR children and I’m providing all the food, toys, art supplies and doing it in MY home so it’s MY stuff that takes the beating and wear and tear. I know the value of money. And that’s why I think it’s ridiculous to pay your sitter more than your provider.     There is a difference in nannies, providers and babysitters. Funny how the babysitters make the most money.... "

Sammy - my post was to bring attention to the fact that people don't want to pay for childcare (any of it) and I feel they should be willing to pay more. It is one of the most important jobs and is underpaid. There seems to be an attitude that the safety and care of a child isn't worth paying for and I believe it is. If your willing to pay good money for "things" why wouldn't you be willing to pay for good care for your child? My post wasn't about whether to pay a sitter more than a provider and you seemed to take offense. I think childcare should be paid much more considering you are caring for and nurturing a human being. That was all I was getting at. Have a great day!!

LaughingRaven said "Amazing how people view this. What I'm reading is that people believe the task of looking after their children isn't worth paying for. Does that mean you don't value your children or the person who is doing the looking after? If you aren't willing to pay, then perhaps you shouldn't go out. Funny, people will spend all sorts of money on their night out, but don't want to pay the person looking after their child/children. It isn't up to you to "teach the child the value of money and work ethic". Perhaps your wage should be lowered so that you can also understand the value of money and work ethic? It is up to the person providing the service of babysitting/childcare to state what they feel is a fair wage. Once again, shaking my head at the comments. "

[b]'Does that mean you don't value your children or the person who is doing the looking after?'[/b]  
 
This statement is simply ridiculous. A classic, sweeping generalization that if you don't pay, you don't care? Really now.  
 
Shaking my head at this sentence that guilts, generalizes and equates monetary value to the care of precious kids.  
 
I agree with some other that paying equal to minimum wage to a casual babysitter is excessive and sets an unrealistic standard for many parents who just want to enjoy an evening out.  
 
I'm pretty sure parents, whether paying $ or $$$$ equally value their children. Haha!

Laughingraven, I guess I do get a bit offended. Don’t mean to come across as b**chy because I’m really not but it just makes me wonder why when we talk about paying more for childcare, it’s the babysitters that get the pay increase first over childcare providers. I completely agree that ANY form of childcare is underpaid and sometimes undervalued so let’s start with the “professionals” and not the babysitters? Like I said, it’s setting these babysitters up for a rude awakening when they do get a real job.  
 
But on the other hand, I do also understand that a babysitter is a rare fee compared to daycare so it doesn’t feel like a big deal when you pay them a higher wage because it’s not an every day thing.

Fishin Guy said "    Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "    Ms.Daisy said "    Fishin Guy said "Just for one kid? I would say 10 bucks a day if it was a regular thing. " $5 an hour?? Wow your babysitter must love looking after your kids lol.     It's whatever you feel is appropriate. We've never given our sitter less than $30 for a couple hours. She comes on short notice sometimes so it's nice to give her a little extra.     Really it's whatever you are comfortable with. But $5 an hour is pretty stingy in my opinion. I think $10-15 an hour is reasonable. " I never said I paid $5. an hour. I said it is what I would charge. That is why I asked if it was a regular thing. Not everyone is rolling in money to pay 15 bucks an hour to watch a kid. I hope you pay your daycare the same respect and pay them a fair wage like the babysitter cause they are doing much more than a sitter does. When I would go out for parties or concerts I paid the sitter more than 5 bucks as it was a special event. I wouldn't be able to pay much more if a regular thing as you end up paying out more than you are making if you need a sitter for overlapping shifts or something for work. " The OP asked how much for 2 hours. You replied $10 a day. $10 divide by 2 is $5/hr I believe.     And yes I use a licensed daycare so yes I pay them the same as everyone else, which is quite fair and respectful. I agree not everyone is rolling in money but when we decided to bring kids in to the world we took in to consideration the cost of having them. If we can afford to go out for a night out then we can afford to pay for someone to look after our kids. If we can't afford to pay the sitter then we stay home. " Yes Ms. Daisy I am glad that you know what 10 divided by 2 is. The op asked what to charge. It sounds like daily childcare, not one off babysitting. I really doubt you pay your daycare the same as the babysitter. That is why in my post I said I paid more for going out the bar and whatever else. You seem to be confusing the two. My licensed daycare charged me $10 per day for 1/2 day care to a max 4 hrs (2 before school and 2 after school.) I paid my daycare 2.50 an hour so.....even at 5 bucks an hour I am paying double what was paid to a daycare. "

See there you go again Fishin Guy, you are not paying $10 a day you just said you pay $10 for half a day. By the way it sounds like you got a great child care provider.

Pretty much all child care workers are underpaid, in my opinion. To compare babysitting and daycare worker wages is not equivalent.  
 
If someone is paying for their child to go to a daycare every day, 9 hours/day, the day care worker has a (relatively) steady source of income and likely has other children also supplementing that wage. For a babysitter, they are more like an independent contractor- you pay more per hour to recognize the fact that they are working infrequently and at your convenience. Just like when I'm providing quotes for contract work, I have a lower daily rate for contracts that are long term, versus a pretty high rate for those that just last a few hours.  
 
I am one of those babysitting instructors who tell fledgling babysitters that the going rate right now is about $10/hr, and higher for babysitters with more qualifications and skills...because that's what it is. You will always be able to find people who charge less, but I guarantee you that the in-demand babysitters are not asking for $3/hour. New babysitters who are still gaining confidence and skills will likely charge less, but that comes with obvious drawbacks - especially if you have multiple or challenging children.  
 
You're hiring someone to travel to your house, feed your kids, maintain their first aid skills, be engaged with your children, and often pay out of pocket for supplies (board games, crafts, etc that they bring with them). I can't imagine not recognizing that as being worthy of minimum wage.

I don't know how you confuse my posts so.....  
OP asked babysitting charge for 2hrs/day. This sounds like a regular daily occurrence.  
-I would only ask for $10 per day for regular babysitting as they called it.  
-I paid my licensed provider $10 for a 1/2 day. Ms. Daisy that could be 15 min or up to 4 hrs. Thus a rate of $2.50. Point was to show that we are willing to pay babysitters much more than daycare providers.  
 
-If it is a one time or couple times a year someone asked I would ask for $20.  
-We paid our sitter $10 per hour for pleasure events such as Christmas parties, concerts, etc. Plus we paid for the takeout food.  
 
For the babysitting instructor. When min wage is just over 11 per hour asking for 10 right off the hop seems a little steep. Isn't it 12 year olds taking the class. What 12 year old is making 10 an hour as I babysat a lot when younger and at those rates who needed to work a part time job.

Babysitters should not be asking for almost minimum wage. It should be half of minimum wage. That’s what I got years ago when I “babysat” regularly. I only charged an extra $1 per kid. After midnight was a bit extra as well. I was always busy babysitting for someone in our community.  
 
Most parents supply the food/snacks, there is next to no cooking.  
 
I don’t get ours often because of the $10 an hour rate even though she told me to go ahead and pay what I thought was fair.  
 
So are you setting up all these kids taking the babysitters course for failure because nobody hires them?

Your experience is your own. This thread does show that there are a significant number of parents who pay quite a bit higher than you.  
 
When discussing wages in the class, we talk about a number of factors that affect how much to charge- your experience, the hours involved, the task lists, number of children - the rate is set by the babysitter. My responsibility is to give them an idea what the average is, and what skill set they need to demand that wage. They are taught to pick a number they are willing to work for, for whatever the job is. For many, the number they choose is higher than what some parents may want to pay.  
 
Babysitting is hard work when it is done well! People are talking like all babysitters do is watch TV and sit on their phones. If all you need is a warm body, sure- maybe $5/hour will do it. If you want a responsible young adult who is going to care for children, cook, tidy, be prompt, respectful, and respond properly in case of emergency, you will likely need to fork out some extra cash.  
 
Like it or not, the average wage is higher than what you might be willing to pay. Many teenagers babysit as a part time job, and are reliant on the money just like any other young adult saving for school/car/whatever. It's not their responsibility to subsidize your child care.