Cost of a babysitter

[CostOfABabysitter]

AIBU to think that a babysitter would be reasonably priced.

I have contacted a local babysitter to care for my 3 under 4's and was at the price. She is OFSTED registered, first aid trained, my children know her, and has had several years experience in the childcare field.

[TrillianAstra]

What do you think would be a reasonable price?

[NinjaChipmunk]

what was she charging per hour?

[CostOfABabysitter]

I was thinking £20 for the night?

[TrillianAstra]

Think of it this way - how much would you want to be paid to look after 3 children under 4 (who are not yours)? And you might not even be Ofsted registered or first aid trained.

[TrillianAstra]

Ha. You could possibly get a local teenager for £20 for the night, if the children were in bed when they arrived.

[lal123]

what - ALL night? How long is a night? I'd pay my neice £20 for a short night babysitting - I imagine someone ofsted registered etc would be more?

[taintedpaint]

£20 for the night?! Seriously?! How many hours are you actually thinking of btw?

[mrtumblewhereareyou]

depends how long the night is! she seems well qualified.

[bigstripeytiger]

I would expect £20 for 3 hours or less. More if it was for longer.

[emsyj]

I would think £20 for the night for a teenager to sit with the children after they've gone to bed is reasonable, but for a professional sitter with experience I would imagine it would cost a lot more - certainly a decent hourly rate - and more than I would be willing or able to pay!

[alicet]

We pay £6 an hour for a girl who works in our sons nursery to babysit (so has all similar qualifications to yours). So for being out for 4 hours for an evening we pay £25 or for 3 hours £20 (we round up to nearest £5)

Similar threads on here though this seems to depend on where you live. We are in North-east - this would be cheap for London

[yellowflowers]

I used to get £5 an hour 17 years ago for looking after one under 4. Was a great rate but am a bit if rates have gone down not up

[frakkinnakkered]

If you think about it that's not even minimum wage. I wouldn't be bothered to go out for £20 a night after petrol etc any more.

If you want someone checked, trained and experienced who is capable of dealing with virtually anything that might be thrown at them you need to pay professional rates.

A local teen would do it for £20 a night, but then you weigh up the fact you're not paying a premium for their experience and knowledge.

[BonniePrinceBilly]

If she's qualified and registered she's not a girl, alicet. Bloody insulting.

OP, can't you find a monkey you could pay with peanuts?

[TheFallenMadonna]

I don't pay a premium for experience and knowledge. I pay my teenage neighbour to sit on my sofa instead of his secure in the knowledge that in the unlikely event of an emergency, his mum would come round and sort it out. I pay between £10 and £20 depending on how long we are out, and whether he has to put the children to bed. You get what you pay for. I'm happy with what I get, but if you start asking a professional, you will have to pay more.

[alicet]

Bonnyprincebilly personally I don't find 'girl' insulting at all. I consider myself a girl and I am a 37 year old surgeon married with a mortgage and 2 children. No need to be rude thanks.

[BonniePrinceBilly]

I like being rude. And I think girl is demeaning.

[asdx2]

I pay neighbour's dd £6 per hour rounded up to the nearest fiver. She's 16 and in sixth form however I prefer to use my older children who do it for free

[CostOfABabysitter]

I just looked at the sitters website - and they're charging £5.80

[Mumcah]

I pay £6 an hour,and she charges the same for 1 or 2 children.

[taintedpaint]

Where's the problem? Are you so tight you won't stretch to £5.80 for a qualified babysitter?

[Blondeshavemorefun]

£20 for the night

i charge £10ph and charge minimum of 4hrs regardless if i am used for all of the 4hrs and i get lots of work

you have 3 under 4, so tbh hard work - a babysitter is there to look after your children while they are asleep and you are out - yes generally they will stay asleep and the babysitter will probably sit on your sofa watching tv

but

what if one/all 3 wake up/are sick etc

that is what you are paying for - peace of mind IF something happens

the saying ,if you pay peanuts you get a monkey rings a bell

[ragged]

And this is part of why we never go out!

[OhCobblers]

highly recommend sitters.
DH and i were out for dinner one evening, and got a call (just as we'd finished eating fortunately ) to say that DC1 had been sick in bed.

Got home pretty quickly to find him lying on the sofa next to babysitter, who had changed his nappy, PJs, bedding and sponged him down.

she was worth a lot more than we pay through sitters - she obviously got extra from us that night too.

pay peanuts, get monkeys - never a truer saying.

[Noggie]

£6 per hour for local teenager plus pay for her taxi home. Registered nursery staff member is £10 per hour- makes for an expensive night but we don't go out very often and I think you have to appreciate people's time costs money!