How much to pay babysitter?

emwaiting

We are in rural Iowa so not a big city at all!  We are having a babysitter (other then a grandparent) watch our 10 1/2 month old for the first time.  I'm really kind of excited to see how it goes.  I have been wanting to do it for awhile to make sure he can get used to going to bed for just about anyone.  So far he is a pretty easy baby so I don't have any big concerns about it but just think it will be good for everyone.  She is a freshman in high school I believe neighbor girl from down the road.  We are thinking about having here there for about 5 hours.  What are people paying per hour for 1 child these days??
Thanks!

WildRumpus

I would say $40-$50 would be acceptable

J&Jaggies06

We pay $10 an hour when we use a babysitter. It is pretty rare.

magdalina.h

I paid a family friend $10 an hour over the weekend. It was her first time with the kids and arrived at 6:30, we didn't leave until 7:30 and came home at 10:30 and paid her $40. Granted we were right next door at a party.

ELauren88

Anytime I used to babysit it was anywhere from 10-20 per hour. Also Midwest.
As a high schooler, you may want to lean more towards the higher pay scale, so she'll be willing to do it again (especially if LO gets grumpy)

nittanygirl28

Ooh-good post! I haven't had the babysitter experience yet (ha-except daycare) but I was thinking around $10/hr.

EricaLee2013

Wow, we must have a really cheap babysitter! She's the daughter of one of my coworkers, senior is high school, and she told me $6 an hour. We always round up to the nearest 10 and leave her money to order delivery (which she never uses).

carrotcake06

$10-$15 / hour is pretty standard. In your area and situation, I'd do $10.

TrueBeliever925

EricaLee2013 said:

Wow, we must have a really cheap babysitter! She's the daughter of one of my coworkers, senior is high school, and she told me $6 an hour. We always round up to the nearest 10 and leave her money to order delivery (which she never uses).

Jeez @EricaLee2013! Definitly keep her around if you can!  

BelhurstBride

You need to ask her what she charges.

coraggiosa

BelhurstBride said:

You need to ask her what she charges.

Yep. If she isn't sure, I would default to $10. 

BlueJewelM

DS1 is turning 3 in a couple weeks and we have never hired a babysitter! We really should though, with no family nearby we could use a date night!

My friend pays her neighbor girl $8 an hour. But I'm pretty sure I will pay her $10 for two reasons...1) I want her to like us more. Kidding... 2) I don't carry cash often so it will be easier to pay in 20s.

emwaiting

Update, I talked to the mom and she said from other families she was getting a couple bucks an hour!  My husband and I thought she deserved more then that and want to keep her happy so she wants to come back again.  She was there 6:30-11 and we paid her $20.  She seemed really happy with that.  I saw the babysitter's mom the next day and she told me that she came home saying we need to go out more often so she can babysit more because she had fun with our little guy. 

TrueBeliever925

That's great, @emwaiting. For 4.5 hours, you can't beat $20 if she's great with your LO!

janneann1127

$20 for 4.5 hours?! Wow. Keep her around. I live in a much pricier area but I'd be paying at least $60 for 4 hours.