I've never need to use a paid babysitter since my son has always stayed with my inlaws if we went out etc..

Tomorrow my husband and i have to go to a funeral and initally were going to have my son stay home by himself..he's 11yrs but my sister suggested he go over to her house to hang with his cousins instead. It would be more fun for him. Anyhow, i know my 'older' neice (grade 9) won't mind him hanging out with them but i kinda want to offer her some money for holding down the fort while we're away. I know he's no work at all, i plan to send a lunch too.

So how much an hour do babysitters get these days? I don't want to insult her with something too small. I doubt she'll accept it but i'm gonna try anyway.

I would go with minimum wage and round it up to the next dollar amount or more.

Amazed by answers to that found on... you guessed it Google

Why not get her a little something? Perfume or a bag or even a little gift set from Bath and Body. Girls love that.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

sadsmile, don't know what it is where you are (it varies greatly due to the local cost of living) but the minimum wage around here is over $8 an hour.
That is a lot of money to have an 11 year old play with his cousins. eek - squeaks the little mouse
I'd go with the 'thank you' gift, especially as no one has asked for money.
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Of course it's been decades since I've faced that cost.

I like the idea of the gift but i don't think i'll have time to pick something up between now and tomorrow morning. I'm heading to the funeral home shortly and won't likely be able to get out to the mall later today.

Our min. wage is $9.50canadian.

I agree with Shelley, get her a little something. It is not as if you are asking her to come to watch your son at your house, plus its your niece. A few months ago I gave up my babysitting job after I got licensed to teach and at the time I was getting $15 an hour off the books (cash or personal check). I was also picking up the children and driving them to and fro, not a neighborhood babysitter kind of deal.

Do you think it's tacky to give her a little something on the weekend instead of tommorrow? Can't get to the store today.

When my daughter would babysit her cousin, she never liked it when her aunt assumed it would be ok for her to watch an additional child without letting her know first. It wasn't going to make a huge difference, but it was gonna be a little more work, even if the other child was just gonna be playing. She still would have to get the child situated for dinner/linch and be aware of what another child was doing. With that said, a teenager would much rather have a little cash, then a little gift. I say a flat amount of $10 or $20 dollars. I'm just going off my own teenage kids & their friends.

I agree with Miss Bella $20 bucks will make her feel appreciated, without breaking the bank.

Even tho' it's been awhile, I never paid a sitter by the hour. I paid a flat $20 or $30 bucks for the night, AND I bought pizza, AND I provided cokes and snacks, AND they pretty much just sat and watched TV for most of the night.

I never had a problem getting sitters, either!

I've often wondered that myself. It doesn't seem like too many people use babysitters anymore which is why you so often see children in inappropriate places ("R" movies for example).

I used to charge $0.50/hour when I first started babysitting the neighborhood kids. Eventually I went up to a whopping $0.75/hour. Of course that was back in the '70's. Minimum wage back then was about $2.10 an hour.

LOL! I was about to ask how long ago that was? The 70's sounds right.

My babysitter is AWESOME!!! She has her own car, so we don't have to worry about picking her up or taking her home. She brings games and videos for the kids that we don't have and also makes sure the place is clean when we get home (she's even done the dishes that were in the sink when she got here). She has endless patience and my three kids (ages 6,6, and 5)love her.

We pay her $10 an hour (yep, an hour) or $50 for the evening depending on how late we are out. On the very rare occasion that we might be out past midnight we tip her an extra $10. To me she is worth every penny.

If your niece hasn't asked for anything, I don't think it would be out of line to wait to give her something over the weekend.

I wouldn't lead on that you are getting her anything. I think she will be happy with a surprise little something from her Aunt over the weekend. JMHO!

Here it is $5 - $7 per hour PER child. My DD used to make a killing on New Years Eve - we let her have the folks drop the kids off here and they stayed all night, parents picked them up the following morning. She usually made several hundred bucks for that.

Yep, times have changed for baby sitting pay.
It all costs more these days. That is why it is best to feel out What is going on in your area.
The minimum wage was the suggested base rate for a babysitter and then add more depending on many factors, age, ability, how many children, drive, handle emergencies, spur of the moment job, CPR certified...ect

There is a lot to consider and just giving a couple bucks or a "gift" can be a let down when it is it isn't near the going rate.

Wow, this makes me glad I live where I do...I don't know what everyone else around here pays, but we pay teenage baby-sitters $5/hr. for our two kids, and they seem thrilled with that.

Well, i just decided to give her 20.00 for the hour and a half that she spent with my son. I know they were all playing together and he wasn't much work but i figured she can use the money to go see twilight or something fun. Thanks for all your input.

I'm sure she really appreciated it

My friends and I normally trade kids so that we don't have to pay for babysitters. But when we do pay a babysitter, we just give them a flat amount, depending on how many hours they are there. This 14 yr old girl stayed for a few hours and we gave her $20.

I also Pay my babysitter $10/Hour - This is in NY. She is a College Student. I babysat her when she was little (for free then). She is worth every buck. The children adore her and she is amazing with them. I don't use her much. It's mostly when I have Dr. Appts.

I'm a babysitter and the minimum I charge is $10 per hour for one child, $15 for two kids. if shes in the 9th grade she about 16-17 years old, I think she would perfer cash over a gift.