Babysiting prices?

Question

My 11 year old daughter wants to baby sit and she doesn't know how much money she should charge. Some extra things are shes 12 in a month shes in middle school and she watches over everyone in her gym class. (shes homeschooled so she watched all the little kids) shes really mature and fun for the kids to play with.

Answer 1

I think it usually depends on what would be expected when she babysits and how many kids at a time she would be watching. If she's expected to bathe kids, babysit later than midnight, cook for them etc. then I would charge more. I don't think $5 an hour is unreasonable. It also makes sense to talk with the people she would be babysitting, come to an agreement with the family. Another idea would be to let her take a babysitting course (I know I did when I was younger). I found it really helpful as they taught CPR, important questions to ask from parents before they go out (contact info., fire plan, etc.)

Answer 2

I started sitting when I was her age. I charge number of children plus a dollar per hour. So if I have 4kids I will get $5 and hour. I have had these prices for 3 years now and can't bring myself to raise them, but I always get tips.

Answer 3

um disregard whoever said $2/hr. thats below minimum wage and hence pretty cruddy. you usually charge 5/6$ an hr for one kid. (then add $1 per hr for each additional kid)

Answer 4

she should charge a goo amount that isnt so much....

think about wat it could cost in gas to get her there (even though she isnt paying for it herself)

then sum for wat u think as a parent a 12 year old shoul start off with

Answer 5

I charge $2.25 an hour for one kid and otherwise, $1 above the number of kids there are.

i.e.- $3 for 2 kids, $4 for 3 kids

A lot of my friends who babysit don't charge, they just take what the parents give them. Most parents are very good about paying.

Answer 6

She should start out at about $3 per hour, once she's shown that the kids love her and she is a dependable babysitter, raise the price slowly by about .50cents  an hour over say a years time until it reaches $5.

I never felt right charging extra per child or more based on a childs age. If the kids were monsters I just never babysat them anymore.

In time they should be willing to pay a bit more in order to get a sitter they can trust that the kids love as well.

Stay flexible too if they call and get told you are busy too often they will stop calling.

It's about proving your worthiness, availability and likeability before charging top dollar.

I often tip my sitters extra if they are available to sit on short notice at times.

Answer 7

I would base it on the ages and number of the kids she's watching. For example, a newborn or toddler would require more work, so I'd charge $5/hour. For school-agers, I'd do $3 per hour, and then $5/hour for 2 kids, $10/hour for 3 kids, $15/hour for 4 kids, etc.

Also, in my opinion, she should not be afraid to charge/ask for more money for "hard-to-handle" kids - i.e. extreme behavioral problems, fussy baby, etc. or if they expect her to cook a full meal, clean the house, etc.

If she takes a Babysitting course and gets CPR-certified, that is certainly grounds to charge more because she's more qualified.

Answer 8

Well, my job as of now is a babysitter besides being a full time student..I could do more but I love kids..I started babysitting when I was her age...and I started out with the price of 3 dollars and hour, and then plus a dollar per child..I recomend she gets a license, its not a real license..you get a certificate and you must take the class...and i don't recomend she babysits babies and toddlers yet..untill she's more used to the idea of babysitting and all the responsiblity. And I have a fun kit i bring with me..for the older kids from ages 4-8 or 9, its basically arts and crafts:

safety scissors

colourful paper

glitter

dollar store games

its a way to keep them busy and have fun..plus the extra art work for the parent's fridge will always give your daughter points..most parents give a 5-15 dollar tip...and gradually as your daughter gets older and more experienced her price will go up...but i wouldn't make her fixed price more than $6, thats expensive just for one child..haha..

=] Good Luck too your daughter

Answer 9

In order forher to be babysitting it would be a good idea for her to take a babysitting course and CPR/First aid, it's a requirement on my list.  If she's homeschooled you can add that to her transcripts as well.  The general rule of thumb is $3 per hour per child.  If it's a last minute thing I always paid my sitter a little extra for getting me out of a bind.

Answer 10

I am in shock!!

I use to pay my 18 years old babysister $10 per hour for my 10 years old girl (no cooking or cleaning). Is your girl in NJ? lol. I think is important that she learn a CPR, just in case. Good luck.