Babysitting? (how much should i charge)?

Question

i might start babysitting soon.

and im not very good with confrontation about the money part.

the kids parents i us to babysit for were total cheapskates.!

they would barely pay me. and i was to shy to speak up.

i remember one time they took there little boy to a circus circus birthday party. and left me with the little girl. they were gone for 5 hours. and i got 5 bucks.!

and of course, i felt like a total ***** if i complained about it. i know realized i should of.!

anyway. im going to start babysitting soon, and i want to know whats reasonable. Im 15. so nothing crazy like $200 a week like those daycares do. i was thinking $5 per hour. plus $1 for every kid.

so if i babysit 2 kids.

its $7 per hour

or how much should a charge for babysitting a 2 year old little girl.

because thats what i might be doing.

thanks.!

Answer 1

So the best way to -not have to deal with confrontation on the money part- is to say what you will charge as you are booking the job. And the rates are different depending on where you live and the types of jobs people have in your neighborhood. Talk to your friends and see what they charge for babysitting. And when you confirm you will babysit for the job, ask the question " I expect this much per hour. Is that ok?" and then be clear on the hours you work to calculate the rest.  

Answer 2

You did deserve more than $5.  

My babysitter (who runs her own daycare out of her home) - charges by the day and/or week not the hour.  So - for one child she charges $90 a week($18 a day).  She charges this no matter if she has them for 1 hour or the whole 10.5 hours.  Her hours are from 7AM to 5:30PM.  She also feeds them breakfast, snack, lunch, and snack.

If you have 2 children going from the same family, she gives a discount.  I only have 1 child going now but when I had 2 - she charged $70 each a week, making my total $140.

When setting your rates - take these in consideration.

You said that you didn't want to charge $200 a week like these daycares.  Think about this!!!  If  your going to charge $7 per our for 2 kids and you watch them 40 hours - you are charging $280!  

I pay less than that and my kids are getting fed, doing art activities, going swimming, etc!  Also - the biggie!!! - Since my babysitter runs this as a business - she claims it on her taxes and so do I (which gives me a break on my taxes)!

Think about charging on a daily basis and setting some ground rules.  If you are watching on the weekends - I'd say from 8-5,  I have a flat fee of (per day) $15 (1 child), $20 (2 children), etc.  If you need to watch chidren outside of those hours - I'd even raise the fee another $5.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Let's keep this real and to the point, some of these answers are ridiculous. $5.00 per hour is the going rate nation wide for a babysitter of your age maybe $6 and the $1.00 per child after the first is very fair. This should be stated up front and do not be bashful, if the parent does not think enough of you and their children to pay a fair wage then move on, there are many other parents that would be more than happy to have a night out once in awhile for the mere cost of $30-$40.When you say babysitting I am assuming you mean only when needed not a steady job like everyday 8 to 5. I am the parent of 5 children and have lived in Southern California for 50 years and now in West Kentucky and the rate is the same, good luck to you.