How much do you pay a babysitter?

Nenen

It is a difficult one this as I can well remember the frustrations of having three young children and desparately wanting a little time for myself or with my dh. Most parents of young children are not rolling in money and it is very tempting to go for the cheapest possible option. However, IMHO, I think babysitters should be paid at least £5 per hour as you are asking someone to take care of and responsibility for the most precious thing in your life! :A

I know that some people might not agree with me on this, but personally I never left my children with anyone under 16 (or let my own children babysit for others under the age of 16 uness I went with them). We've always had to pay top rates for adult babysitters as we've had no family nearby and often missed opportunities to go out because we couldn't get anyone suitable or couldn't afford the rates for adults at the time. However, I don't regret this for an instant and believe that we did totally the right thing. It was far better for us to go out half as often knowing that when we did go out we were paying someone we really trusted could look after our children in any situation.

I know that there is no set age for 'maturity' and some 14 year olds may well be more mature and responsible than 18 year olds, but I just don't think it is right to give the responsibility of looking after young children to someone who is still a child themselves. Apart from the devastation any parent would feel if anything happened to their children while a babysitter was there I don't think it's fair to the babysitter themselves to cope with that much responsibility and have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives if something goes wrong.

I know lots of 14 year olds are really keen to babysit and think they can manage but can a 14 year old really cope if a child started being violently sick, had a fit, started to choke, fell down the stairs and broke their neck etc etc etc? What about if a fire broke out... would a 14 year old really be able to cope with saving the children etc? I know these are (fortunately) rare occurances but as far as I'm concerned I'm paying for someone who would be able to cope in such extreme circumstances.

I can't imagine many people would think a 14 year old should be allowed a driving licence so should they really have sole responsibility for a child?

Although there is no legal age that children can be left without an adult, I believe that if something awful happens (e.g. a serious illness, an accident or house fire) parents can be prosecuted for neglect if there isn't anyone over 16 looking after children. So, all in all, and in answer to the OP, I'd say get someone really experienced and mature...£5 per hour is the minimum you should be paying.

Rachie_B

I agree nenen

even though I babysat from the age of 15 to 17 ,as a parent I wouldnt have done the same for my own children

We have only had sitters from https://www.sitters.co.uk or family to look after our children

Now the youngest is almost 5, maybe we would think about a 16 yr old sitter,if it was a friend of the family or something.

I know a lot of younger teenagers are mature ,as i was, and totally capable @ 15 to look after 3 children ( 9 months,6 and 9 !) but i couldnt bring myself to do it for my own children

Sus1e

I used to babysit for my neighbour for a bottle of wine!

I said it was just as easy to watch TV in her house rather than mine! She was happy as she had someone she trusted watching her daughter and I was happy as I got some free drink (wonderful for a student).

curlynet

I usual call on a friend and return the favour, but if going out with said friend used to use a 16 yr old and pay up to £10 - usually out from 8pm -10.30ish. Now use neighbour who as Sus1e said says its just as easy watching TV in ours house than her own (we give her a fiver and leave out snacks). Would ask parents to come and stay night if having a late one, especially if the kids need putting to bed (5 & 2).
Find paying a babysitter makes the cost of a night out really jump. Maybe I'm just tight!!!!!

Clive_Woody

I used to do babysitting when I was about 14/15, the going rate then was £2/hour plus all the beer I could drink. My only complaint was they never had any food in the house (apart from the kids chocolates...). They used to send a taxi to pick me up, then send me home in a taxi. This was quite a few years ago now.

Not sure if minimum wage applies to babysitting.

Amanda65

My (nearly) 16 year old daughter babysits and has done since she was just 14 and tends to earn between £4-£5 per hour, definitely £5 per hour after midnight. An average evening of 7:30 to midnight seems to bring her in around £20. However most of the people she sits for are people from our village who know me as well through school and know that if she had a problem I would be on hand to help/advise so I guess that's an extra peace of mind

hobo28

We've just started using a girl who we pay £15 to per session. We agreed a per session rate as its easier for us to all work out and some nights it will be early and other nights a bit later so over time it will all work out.

My friend across the road pays £20. it all really depends on the area and the person. I doubt I'd get away with that if I lived in London.

Spendless

My neice was 14.5 when she started babysitting for us. I always made sure the next door neighbours were aware she was babysitting and could go to them for help if needed. My ILs (her grandparents) were in same village and on standby if needed and her mother was a 5 min drive away we also took our mobile with us. In my case I don't think the passing of 18 months has made her less able or more able to cope with an emergency.

choccyface2006

My DD gets around £5 an hour for babysitting.

Zoetoes

Nenen wrote:

It is a difficult one this as I can well remember the frustrations of having three young children and desparately wanting a little time for myself or with my dh. Most parents of young children are not rolling in money and it is very tempting to go for the cheapest possible option. However, IMHO, I think babysitters should be paid at least £5 per hour as you are asking someone to take care of and responsibility for the most precious thing in your life! :A

I know that some people might not agree with me on this, but personally I never left my children with anyone under 16 (or let my own children babysit for others under the age of 16 uness I went with them). We've always had to pay top rates for adult babysitters as we've had no family nearby and often missed opportunities to go out because we couldn't get anyone suitable or couldn't afford the rates for adults at the time. However, I don't regret this for an instant and believe that we did totally the right thing. It was far better for us to go out half as often knowing that when we did go out we were paying someone we really trusted could look after our children in any situation.

I know that there is no set age for 'maturity' and some 14 year olds may well be more mature and responsible than 18 year olds, but I just don't think it is right to give the responsibility of looking after young children to someone who is still a child themselves. Apart from the devastation any parent would feel if anything happened to their children while a babysitter was there I don't think it's fair to the babysitter themselves to cope with that much responsibility and have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives if something goes wrong.

I know lots of 14 year olds are really keen to babysit and think they can manage but can a 14 year old really cope if a child started being violently sick, had a fit, started to choke, fell down the stairs and broke their neck etc etc etc? What about if a fire broke out... would a 14 year old really be able to cope with saving the children etc? I know these are (fortunately) rare occurances but as far as I'm concerned I'm paying for someone who would be able to cope in such extreme circumstances.

I can't imagine many people would think a 14 year old should be allowed a driving licence so should they really have sole responsibility for a child?

Although there is no legal age that children can be left without an adult, I believe that if something awful happens (e.g. a serious illness, an accident or house fire) parents can be prosecuted for neglect if there isn't anyone over 16 looking after children. So, all in all, and in answer to the OP, I'd say get someone really experienced and mature...£5 per hour is the minimum you should be paying.

I thought it was just me who came out with things like 'the house might catch fire' etc etc, my OH thinks I'm mental.

We just use family (which isn't very often even though we moan on), although I thought the legal age was 14 to babysit and 12 to be on their own at home? (obviously not for long periods).