What do you pay for babysitting?

[MDM]

Hello all,

We've been charged anything from 0 to £8 per hour for babysitting previously. We've just moved out to Kent from London recently and a couple of the local teenagers are keen to babysit. Just wanted to get the level of pay right from the off. We have three kids under 5 who are all tucked up in bed by the time we would leave the house and they very rarely wake, so babysitter would have very little, if anything, to do.

Any thoughts welcome!

usually about £6 an hour but I round up to minimum £15 if we're only out for 2hr or so. I add a bit on if DD wakes up though and they actually have to do something

I`m in the West kent area and I charge £8 an hour I have a friend who charges £10 [You know who you are!! ]For a teenager I would have thought that £6 would be reasonable.

£6 an hour for an older teen, £7-8 an hour for an adult professional (ie a nursery worker).

(Recently lived in Kent!)

Well, Sitters charge the minimum wage for an adult, so for a teenager I would think a bit less. £5 maybe £5.50 an hour.

I'm in Kent and charge £10ph and get lots of work - often too much so I give to my friends

whoops hit send before meant to

£0? And hour - wow / who bs for free apart from maybe family

All 3 may be in bed asleep but you do have to think what happens if all 3 woke up / maybe baby/ toddler would wake screaming or one is ill and cries and wake the others - would a young teenager cope

13-19 is very different :)

But nmw for over 21 is £6 so maybe £4 for a teenager

£5 per hour for a local teenager - when I am going out locally and am staying (relatively) sober - but that is always rounded up so £20 was actually £25, etc, and we try to give a lift home (not always possible if I'm on my own).

£8 for a 'qualified' babysitter - ie primary school teacher or nanny - for when I am further away/having a few, also rounded up at the end of the night, and don't expect to get them home.

Snacks and biscuits available, plus if it's an early start, something for their tea in case they haven't had a chance to eat (especially if they are racing from their day job to get to me on time).

I pay £10 per hour to one of the experienced nannies on our books (and i only have one little-one... 7mths).

That's before midnight... £12 after (not that we can usually stay awake that late anyway!)

There's a nursery near me that offers babysitting (using their own staff) for £10 an hour - I quite like that idea and you don't have to have LO's attending that nursery.

Wow, quite a range, but all quite logically depending on experience and also circumstances. Do any of you ever ask to have a bit of ironing done etc if kids a tucked up?

It also occurred to be that it's not a bad way to earn some cash!

i dont iron

I don't think you can ask a babysitter to iron, unless you increase the money and make sure they are aware what is expected..... Don't think you will get many takers!

I was at £10 per hour would make me think twice about going out! we pay £15 for an evening from about 7.30 to 11.30pm latest, provide snacks drinks etc and get sitter a taxi home (if its a girl dh goes with them to make sure gets in ok) but they are generally teenagers we know well

I think that is the difference with having a local teenager to babysit as opposed to a professional babysitter/nanny.
Most teenagers would be happy with 15-20 pounds, a few snacks and complete control of the television.

I have in the past run babysitting courses for 13-18yrs old and we suggest frok £2.50 an hr for an inexperienced 13/14yr old who has completed the course, £3.50/£4 an hr for a 14-16yrs who has completed course and maybe has a little experience of babystting and £4-£6 an hr for a 16-18yr old depending on if any babysitting experience.

Obv nursery nurses from local nurseries tend to be around £6-£9 an hr am in east midlands and this is going rate

Nannies who babysit also seem to charge £6-£12 an hr

and I am not cheap but get enough work for me and now charge £15 an hr thats for babysitting, night nanny work, nanny work as its my time whatever I do - I do only charge £10 an hr in the LE3 area of Leicestershire as it less travelling for me otherwise I travel all over east midlands and warwickshire and have been known to go as far as milton keynes for night nanny work for a one-off night as poor mum was desperate and am a sucker for someone in tears needing a nights sleep (as a mum I know what that desperation is like)

Remember choose what is right for you, if going local for a few hrs and the teenager is local and has supportive parents they could call on then fine, if going further afield and want the reassurance if little one/s woke and threw up/screamed place down/had nose bleed/wet the bed etc etc then choose someone with experience.

Yes, we'd only be going local if the teenager was in charge, and yes, her mum is at the end of the street.

I've also tried sitting for a friend in exchange for her sitting for me, but it never quite got off the ground. Good one to try for any of you who are tightening belts (as we are) at the mo.

PS thanks nightnanny - very useful. How did you get into doing the night nanny thing by the way? Must be pretty rewarding to see frantic sleep deprived parents transform into normal human beings overnight!