Des Moines Nesties
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Going rate for sitters

What is your going rate for sitters?

Re: Going rate for sitters

  • Assuming you are in the Des Moines area, I would say $10-$12/hour depending on number of kids and babysitter's experience.

    I frequently babysat for several families as a college student when I lived in WDM three years ago and this was the going rate.  

    I'm not sure if it would be less for a high school student or not.

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  • I've never had a sitter (that wasn't family) so I can't speak from experience.  But $10-12 seems pretty lucrative!  I would have guessed half that.

     

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  • Definitely depends on the sitter and the number of kids and what they need to do (like dinner, bath, how many hours are spent sitting in the house while the kid(s) sleep, etc.).  We pay ours $20-30 a night depending upon how long we are out.  It averages about $5-6 an hour, which is what her mom told me when I asked.  She's a high school student who is a former student of mine, so I don't know if that makes a difference.
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  • imageMrsT624:
    Definitely depends on the sitter and the number of kids and what they need to do (like dinner, bath, how many hours are spent sitting in the house while the kid(s) sleep, etc.).  We pay ours $20-30 a night depending upon how long we are out.  It averages about $5-6 an hour, which is what her mom told me when I asked.  She's a high school student who is a former student of mine, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

    I figured that a high school kid would work for $5-6/hour, as a college student with multiple nanny experiences I would have laughed and then quickly turned down a job where I was paid that much.  So it definitely depends on your situation and what you need.  Personally, I plan on using my niece and her friends for $5-6/hour.  I never quite understood the parents that wouldn't leave their child for a couple of hours with a high school kid.  Although, I was happy to snatch up those positions because of the pay.

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  • I'd probably pay at least minimum wage (what's that up to these days? $7.25 i think)  and probably more, but maybe that's the HR Generalist in me.  lol!

    BUT, No Way would I leave my girls with a high school kid. Not a chance. They're too crafty, too active, too young, and I need things done a certain way. It's the control freak in me.  If they were older I might think about it though.

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  • I pay $5 an hour, never less than $25. I use HS students. I am a teacher, so I have my pick and wouldn't leave him with half the students who offer to babysit.

     

    Eta- we are in Ames. I asked my friends in the area and they paid 4-5 for one kid... 

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  • I'm also in Ames.  I pay the college students $10 and the HS students $5-8 depending on how long and what the time included.

    FWIW, the HS students are usually DH and my sisters and the others and college students are ones that I supervised at my old job.  They're all lifeguard/cpr/aed/first aid certified, too.  That makes me lots more comfortable with the HS situation. 

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  • We pay our sitter $8/hour.

    ETA: We're in Des Moines and our babysitter is a college student and one of my former employees, so I know how awesome she is!

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  • I pay my nephew and his girlfriend in food LOL

    I would have assumed it would be about $5-10an hour. If Alex were to come and do it for the night, so we could go out, I'd pay her, Hunter Not so much, he's family LOL But Ella sure loves him! LOL

     

  • I'm in the 6-7$ boat. We just have our neighbor girl come over to watch Michael, but he is a nice easy age for other people to watch.

    Sometimes we do babysitting swaps with friends with kids and that works out well too! :o

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  • I pay $9 but she is a college student going to school for Elementary Education, CPR Certified, First Aid, Nanny experience....basically the only person I felt was trustworthy to watch Cole the way I would.  It is worth every penny to me!  She also make him nutritious meals (no PB&J!) and she cleans and does dishes when he is napping!
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