How much is the going rate for a babysitter?

jess1974

Gosh, i did'nt realise babysitters were quite so expensive, now i know why me and hubby never go out on our own anymore....

pink_princess

I thought it was illegal to babysit anyone but siblings under the age of 16 ,can somebody clever please clarify .I have a very sensible 15 year old i know very well who would sit for my children but i always was told that it was 14 for siblings and 16 non siblings.
Thanx in advance.
PP

Lunar_Eclipse

pink_princess wrote: »

I thought it was illegal to babysit anyone but siblings under the age of 16 ,can somebody clever please clarify .I have a very sensible 15 year old i know very well who would sit for my children but i always was told that it was 14 for siblings and 16 non siblings.
Thanx in advance.
PP

I always thought it was 14.

I pay £5 (18 yr old neighbour) or £6 for an older CRB/Nursery teacher adult. Time and a half after midnight. Double from 1am. Always round up (to nearest 15 mins is an industry rule of thumb.)

And I have always bathed the children so far and have them ready for bed., but leave them watching something on TV & they hopefully get read to. They're 8 & 7.

littlemissmoney

Whatever the law says (I don't know), would you really want a 15 year old being in sole charge of your child? However mature they may appear, would they deal appropriately if your child were to choke or the house caught fire?

LillyJ

littlemissmoney wrote: »

Whatever the law says (I don't know), would you really want a 15 year old being in sole charge of your child? However mature they may appear, would they deal appropriately if your child were to choke or the house caught fire?

There are a lot of 20 year olds (or 30 year olds) who wouldn't know what to do in that sort of situation! It depends on the person, not the age.

There are also many 15 year old girls who are parents themselves, so they must have sole charge of their own children?

I know a 15 year old who I would be more than happy to let look after my child, but I know plenty of adults who I wouldn't let anywhere near my dog, let alone kids.

Krystaltips

I was babysitting a 14month old baby when I was 13... I was a very mature 13 and had that boy a lot... and very often didn't get paid... Some might say I was a pushover....

We pay our 17yo babysitter about £7 for a cinema trip... This is about the only time we ever go out.... Unless DD is with Nanny for the night... We live a 10min walk from the cinema, always got for a 7pmish show so are back before 10 most times... And she lives across the road but I always walk her to the corner to make sure she gets back ok...

iwanttosave_2

Pffft.... I used to get a tenner for the night to look after 4 kids from 7-8pm till about 4am!!!

I was mugged!

And to think I was going to offer the same to next doors daughter to watch my two four a couple of hours! She'd probably slap me in the face. :rotfl:

pink_princess

littlemissmoney wrote: »

Whatever the law says (I don't know), would you really want a 15 year old being in sole charge of your child? However mature they may appear, would they deal appropriately if your child were to choke or the house caught fire?

Yes as i say she s very responsible nearly 16 and her parents are two doors away .I havent left them yet as i ve always believed it illegal .My kids are not very little ,they are almost 14 12 and the youngest 10 .I don t feel ashamed of what i posted at all.:p

katiesmummy

iwanttosave wrote: »

Pffft.... I used to get a tenner for the night to look after 4 kids from 7-8pm till about 4am!!!

I was mugged!

And to think I was going to offer the same to next doors daughter to watch my two four a couple of hours! She'd probably slap me in the face. :rotfl:

i used to get that for an overnight babysit when i was a teenager!! the little girls mum didnt usually come back till about 6am, and i would be there from about 7-8 the night before

a local babysitter wanted £8ph from me to babysit-was cheaper for me to get a bottle of wine and drink it at home lol

shazrobo

i pay 5.75 per hour for a proffessional childminder to babysit, who is also crb checked. i would not let anybody under 16 sit for my kids, as if anything happened fire etc, you as the adult would still be legally responsible, and could be charged with neglect.