Going Rate to Pay Teen Babysitter for 1 Child (1 Year Old)

Hi L.,

I can't tell you the going rate for *teenage* babysitters, but I know college students in my area routinely ask for $10-$12/hour. Also, we have a SAHM watch our son in our home for 3-4 hours and she gets paid a flat fee of $25, which comes out to $6-$8/hour. (I live in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul).

One important thing to keep in mind is that "by the hour" babysitters get paid a lot more per hour than people who are doing all day daycare. Whether or not this is fair is a whole other posting.

IMO, this is between your daughter and the parents of the child. Your daughter now has her own relationship with these parents, and she, for the most part, should be the one to deal with them. I think telling the parents they are overpaying her would be ridiculous. I have never, ever heard of someone saying to their employer: "You pay me more than my friends make. Here, let me work a few hours for free, just to even things out."

I pay $6-$6.50 but I know people who pay a lot higher because it is really important for them to develop a strong, loyal babysitter. If they are paying her more then they can afford it, stay out of this is my recommendation.

I live in the south metro suburban area. I paid 6.00 per hour when we had one child. Now that we have two I pay 8.00 per hour. That seems to be what my friends pay too.

For a 12 year old babysitting one kid, I would probably pay $5.00/hr...for someone older, I pay around $6.50 for one and $8.00 for two. I suggest you stay out of it. If the parent can afford it and your daughter does a good job, then what they pay is appropriate. There is no reason you have to credit them for daycare.