I live in rural Alabama and babysit twins aged 3.5, and in the afternoon, I have the older six-year-old. I get there around 7 am and do not leave until 5. I am 18 and have around three years of experience. I know I’m not going to get paid a lot, but I’m only getting 50 a day. That’s for all kids. I make breakfast, lunch, and snacks, keep kids entertained, and then when the oldest one gets off the bus at 3, I make sure all homework is done, and baths are taken, and sometimes even lay dinner out. How much would you pay a sitter? I love the family, but she’s a dentist, and he owns his own construction company. So money is no issue. They drive BMWs and are building a new house with a pool on 12 acres. The parents have strict rules, and that includes. No outside due to the ponds, no going anywhere besides bus stop. No electronics for more than an hour. No processed foods. Everything is fresh. So I work a lot. Three days a week. If I was your babysitter, how much would you pay me? btw minimum wage is 7.50 around my town
They wouldn’t get all those services through a childcare facility and they would be paying much more. I think $75-$80 per day is more acceptable than $50…regardless of their profession
At least $10 an hour if not 12$ IF that was me. That’s a lot of requirements and scheduling you have to follow.
That’s about how much daycare is. I live in Illinois and I have 2 littles who go to daycare 4 days a week and I pay $63 a week for them.
You should be asking for 50 per child per day
You should charge per child
Hey pm me and tell me what part of bama you’re in. I need a sitter lol 
You’re definitely underpaid. At a very MINIMUM, you should be getting paid twice what you currently are. They’d be hard-pressed to find anyone else for under $15/hr.
I feel like you should’ve asked this before taking the job.
50 a day seems good. Most daycares where I’m at are around 25 to 35 a day per child. So for someone who’s not done any university classes, seems around the right price.
$75 a day is minimum wage and daycare would be more expensive for them.
Daycare here is about 40 dollars a day per child if on a schedule such as yours, with 20 dollars for after school. That puts you getting paid about $10/hour which I think is more than fair to ask for.
50 a day for two full time and one part time is way too little.
I personally do 20 a day per child
wow cheap fs you are more like a house keeper too def more then 50 a day
Are you watching them at their house? Feeding them with their own food? I only pay $43/day for 2 under 3 to go to daycare from 7-530 everyday. They supply food and everything, plus have a teacher there that does classes by age group
I live in North Alabama and childcare is about $100-$105 a week per child.
100$/day for the twins, $25 for the older one. So 375-400 a week
Be glad. Cuz I don’t pay shit compared to that 
Don’t settle for less.
$50 a day is good. You’re not having to pay childcare for your child, you eat there… I’m in West Ga and its about the same as Alabama
I get minimum wage which is 14.00 where i am from for two children and 15.00 per hour for three children with making lunch and light housekeeping such as dishes clean up toys and sweeping the floor.
My daughter is 15. And makes $15an hour babysitting 2 kids.
We pay our sitter $175-$200 a day when we need her. We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and live in Texas so it’s pretty average here to pay your sitter over $100
If you were doing that for me, personally, Id be paying you $100+/day and you’d be very appreciated 
I do 125 a week for my 4 year old and he goes from 10 to 315
I pay $20 per child per day .
I pay $70/day for a 1 year old, 3 year old full time and 6 year old after school. My sitter has them from 8:20am until 5:45pm. She is responsible for lunch and snacks. Works out to $30/day for my 2 little ones and $10/day for my oldest after school.
70 a day and they provide food etc
absolute minimum would be $75 as that is minimum wage. people need to realize you are not a babysitter at those hours you are a nanny which is going to cost more then daycare as its one on one care. I would look up nanny rates near you. personally for that amount of work I wouldn’t take less then $100
National average for a babysitter is $18-21 an hour. Which is what I pay($18 per hour) for both my sons to go to the Souter since my SO and I both work full time. And the both of us aren’t in the best position to even be paying that much.
I paid 15 an hr for 2 kids 13 yrs ago with me having food prepared already.
Now 3 yrs ago i was told its 15 an hr for 1kid and then 10 per additional child if i wanted them to make after-school snacks, dinner and help with homework. ( kids were 12,11,9,6 at time)
If its less then 4 hrs and no cooking , homework it be 25 an hr for all 4kids
This is panhandle Fl.
Where I live the rate is $20-$25 an hour.
Just finished caring for 2 children from 9 to 5 monday through friday at $110 per day so $550 a week. I helped the older one with virtual schooling and taught the younger one to have him prepared for kindergarten come fall. You are being taken advantage of but reading some of these comments there seems to be a lot of people who undervalue the cost of good care for their children. And don’t compare yourself to daycare because their rates are lower because they put a bunch of children in a class to help pay minimum wage whereas you are providing total care to one family.
Technically you’re a nanny at that point. Legally you should be being paid minimum wage. But as a nanny for two girls I charged $15 an hour. You should really be getting paid at the LEAST double minimum wage for a full time nanny.
OOF I just read the part where money is definitely NOT an issue. Demand more money nicely or quit now. They’re taking advantage of you horribly and they know it.
So, essentially you’re getting $25 less a day than you would if you worked 10 hours at minimum wage. All tax free. Free food while you babysit. Not having to use your own car or gas since there is no travel. I mean…given the expenses you are not having to deal with $600 a month isn’t bad. I paid $700 a month to a certified daycare/preschool when mine were little. If you want more then ask for it. Lay out your reasons why and see what happens. Worse case scenario you find a different job. Best case, you get more money. Advocate for yourself!
Massachusetts you pay sometimes 300-400$ for full time weekly childcare
I’m in Canada and private babysitters don’t have to be paid minimum wage. In fact it doesn’t really make sense for them to be paid minimum wage. If the parent is working for min wage then literally every cent they are working for will go to pay the babysitter the same wage they earn maybe more because the parent will lose income in taxes whereas the babysitter is likely being paid cash.
It depends. Are you certified in CPR or first aid? Do you have any credits in early childhood? Are there daycares in the area? Are you engaging or educating them at all? These things add $$ to the hourly rate you can ask for. Invest and demand more, or just decide to demand minimum wage. Up to you.
You should be making 20 an hour at least for all 3 kids!
At a minimum you should make money hourly, and I would say $12-15, even in rural areas. Maybe have a conversation about how much you enjoy working for them, and love their kids, but you need more money in order to survive. Look at care.com to see what others are charging
A few things…Numbering to keep thoughts in order not to be hateful.
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Babysitting is one of those jobs that you cannot expect to make minimum wage. Many babysitters would be out of a job if that was actually the standard.
For example. My husband makes 14/hour. Our states min wage is 9.6. After taxes and paying a sitter he would essientially only have around 3 dollars of hours worked to live off of.
This is just a for instance. I stay home because half the sitters in this area think they deserve $10/hour. Which would be MORE than what I would be making. It’s better to just stay home. -
Most of those “strict rules” seem to be about health and safety. And seem to translate in particular to your age.
I’m not sure I would trust an 18 year old to cut my kids off of electronics without a rule in place. But yes, too much time on electronics is not good.
And eating fresh is again a lifestyle choice that MANY parents adopt to help cut out artifical dyes and preservatives that can cause behavior issues. I’ve done BOTH for kids and am not well off at all. But their well being comes first.
Regardless, these rules were ALL discussed when you were hired on. Maybe it’s more work than you imagined but you did know beforehand and you did agree to it.
You also agreed to the pay rate.
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You get paid $150 a week for three days, even from 7-5 that is still just part time.
If you worked 30 hours a week any where else you would be getting $225 before taxes. Yes. You’d be making $75 more again before taxes. However there are freedoms with babysitting you do not have at regular places of employment. Starting with having food provided to you during work hours.
Additionally all the things for the children is provided by the parents so theres an expense that many babysitters have that you do not. -
Now, it does appear that these parents are decently well-off and that can change the dynamics a little bit. Most people dont pay sitters much because they simply cannot afford to pay the sitter and their own bills.
That may not be the case here but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting screwed over either.
That comes down to work ethics, attitude, and how good of a job you docat your tasks.
At any other job getting raises is largely based off of those two things. So it makes sense that babysitting would be largely the same.
I understand that you feel as though your time and energy is worth more…and it very well may be.
My personal advice is to treat this like any other kind of job.
First start by evaluating yourself. Your work ethic. Your attitude. How your do your tasks…not just the tasks themselves but how well you do them…
If you feel you do well enough in all of these areas then calmly, politely, and professionally ask for a raise… And explain why again in a professional manner.
Just because you work for individuals rather than a cooperation or whatever doesn’t make them any less employers.
At least $15/hr. Easily.
From all these answers it clearly depends on what area you live in. I’m a nurse now but used to babysit 10 years ago and minimum I would make would be $10/hr. And that would be on the low end and for 1 to 2 kids. When I did special needs babysitting it was $20 to $25/hr. I would think $100/day would be the absolute minimum no matter what part of the country you’re in. I’m sure they would pay more at a day care center. In my area (MA) they would easily be paying $120+ per day including the after school care.
So you are pretty much a nanny. That is not babysitting. I would be asking for at least $10 per hr. If not more.
Your 18 ffs be grateful your even on $50 never mind more
Lord the people on this feed are ridiculous. Your age doesn’t matter. That pay is not enough. You know it. Id speak to them and look for a new job if they don’t want to pay more. Bare minimum would be $10 an hour when in someone else’s home for me. Three kids in someone else’s home and all that extra work. I’d want at least $15+ depending on the situation. In my area you’d never find childcare like that for 3 kids under $20-$25 and I don’t live in a big city…
$50 isn’t bad at all but if you feel it isn’t enough explain and ask for a bit more.
Not enough…Hope they at least provide the food that you cook for the kiddos.
For non accredited in home child care in my state, $50-60 a day is average for 3 kids. If you want to make actual minimum wage or more either apply at legit child care places or get certified to provide in home daycare. You can charge a lot more certified and in my state at least you could even accept CCDF vouchers and get paid by the state.
Well think about it this way… Your making $5 an hour… Which isn’t enough to do any job especially take car of two toddlers and a 6 year old.
I think you should be making at least 115-120 a day for all three kids… Considering the children you’re watching are all in different age ranges you have to work triple in order to keep them happy. nd let’s not forget those kids who are Satan themselves . if money isn’t the issue then definitely ask for more
Come on folks, she has already told us that both parents are very comfortably well off… so in light of this she should be getting minimum wage of $75 a day at least.
$50 a day is pretty reasonable for 3 kiddos. My sitter charges $18 a day per kiddo. So 3 kiddos all day would be $54 in my sitters case and you only have the 2 all day and the older one in the afternoons. If you feel that isn’t enough I would suggest talking to them
You definitely need to be paid more for all that you’re doing.
You should be getting a lot more. Going rate is $15 for one child
$5 per hour is NOT enough.
For 3 kids and in home plus cooking etc, you should be getting a minimum of $10 per hour.
What is the going rate for one child at a daycare Center there?
Ask kindly for a raise, if not looks like you have great experience and will find another job!!!
I’m in NY and pay $42/day for a professional child development center(educational curriculum, scheduled meals/activities, etc.) for my 2.5 yo. I think the going rate for in home care is $10/hr +$2/hr for each additional child. So by those standards you should be getting 12-14 per hour.
You’re a nanny, not a babysitter. Definitely needs to get paid more.
Well. Are you childcare certified? First aid certified? CPR certified? Insured? Bonded? Licensed as a child care provider? Are you paying taxes on the $50/day? If you’re not answering yes to all those questions, than I wouldn’t pay more than $50/day.
No. No. No. No. Please PLEASE request for $10ph or at least minimum wage. $50per day for all three kids? 
no deal!!!
Do they provide all snacks / food? If so, then $50 a day would be reasonable imo.
You sound more like a part time nanny than a babysitter. By time you get home you have done so much they can relax. In Alabama the average cost of a nanny is 11.06 cents an hour. I personally think you should be paid more.
We have a nanny - college student - she watches our 2.5 yr old during the school day and then older 3 kids after school.
She does meals, snacks picks them up after school and to/from activities. We pay her $11.50/hour. She can get food from our place to cook at hers or she can do meals at ours. When she is at our place she helps clean - folds clothes, dishes, picks up. Helps kids with homework etc. Yeah when she only has one kid $11.50 seems like a lot but when she has all 4 it doesn’t seem like much.
Maybe they just don’t know what a good price is? Ask if you could work per hour instead of per day and start with your states minimum wage.
NOT ENOUGH! They are definitely taking advantage of you
You sound like a godsend to that family.id ask for more money and if they value service you provide, and im sure they do they wont have a problem increasing your pay.
You should look into being a nanny
I currently know someone that does exactly what you do and makes $500 cash a week for two kids…
Honestly not to bad my sister in law drops her kids off at a day care in California where they supply all the food and stuff and it’s $40 a day per a kid. For about the same hours
You’re a nanny, not a babysitter. That makes a difference. So while $50 a day seems reasonable for some, they are thinking babysitter not nanny. I’d charge $100-$150 a day.
I used to babysit as well (in Australia), and I used to charge $10-15 per hour minimum and that is without professional qualifications, just experience alone. There are people here who charge $20-40 per hour depending on qualifications and experience.
Should at least make $75 a day if minimum wage is $7.50 where you live.
When I was in your shoes doing the same job 20 years ago I made $10/hr. So, yeah, you’re getting short changed and those parents know it. You need to politely insist on a raise. I saw someone brought up the tax issue. I’d bet you aren’t claiming this on your taxes, and I’d also bet the parents don’t want to pay taxes as your employer. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to ask for more money. However, you have to be prepared for them to say no. Then decide if you should stay or get your worth somewhere else. For context, when my two kids were in daycare it was $542 per week (at the high). I know nannies in my area command even more than that.
12 to 15 bucks an hour
We pay $165 per week for in-home daycare, 3 days per week.
-Care taker is certified in Montessori and does daily curriculum.
- Certified in CPR and first aid.
-Decades of experience.
-Provides lunch, we send breakfast.
-Hours 6:30am-4pm
-Ages 4 & 2
I came here to say that it seems you’re a Nanny not a baby sitter but I see others have said the same. Wow girl you are definitely underpaid. Come up with an hourly pay instead.
Baby sitting wage is way different than a hourly labor wage 50 is dam good money for sitting I pay 25 a day for a full time daycare provider
You’re only being paid $5 an hour, not even minimum wage. With all you do, you should be paid almost double that.
I would say $75-$100 a day.
I have five year old twin boys and a four year old daughter. I provide food for my kids and the sitter. If it’s just for a short amount of time, I pay $5 per hour per kid. If it’s an all day thing like 8-4 I pay $75-$100 just depending on the day. My sitters don’t cook, bathe or do homework with my kids. I am a stay at home mom and don’t need sitters very often though.
I used to babysit a 3 year old boy and the parents would bring him to my house. 3-4 hours a day for four days a week and they paid me $125 a week.
My mom gets paid thru the state to watch my son. I work full time 9-5 m-f. She gets 2.45 an hour! She provides everything he needs. I was paying her only 100 a week tell state stepped in.
I would definitely charge a minimum of $75 a day for just one kid.
Where I’m located its over $200 a day for my one four year old at a childcare center.
I pay my in home sitter $250 per week to watch my 2 and 4 year old from 7:00-4:30 M-F. That is what her rates are, but that’s pretty close to most other in home providers where I’m located. Daycares and sitters do not get paid the same as your average worker. I think it’s bc it needs to make sense for the parent to be able to go to work and still be able to provide an income instead of the money they make going to work to pay for a sitter. I do think and wish the states would supplement in home sitters bc their jobs aren’t easy and they don’t get paid much.
You should be paid 150 a day for all the stuff that you do
You’re a nanny and should be paid as such. When I babysit, I charge $20 a day per kid. I also have a paraprofessional certificate to teach preschool things and I’m CPR, first aid, and AED certified. I’m considered to be super cheap
I charged 12 an hour for 7-5 work.
You need to consider what the parents income is. You obviously are not going to get paid more then they make… for example. I make 13 an hour at my job. My bring home pay works out to around 10 an hour… if I’m making 10 an hour I’m not paying someone 15-20 an hour to watch my kids. There would be no point in me working. It’s a conversation you need to have and see if you need to find other work.
That’s about what I paid for full time child care here in CA for daycare for one child. So I would expect at least double that. But you are in Alabama so not sure what the going rate would be. Sounds more like you are a nanny and I would ask for at least $10 an hour.
Ahahaha I wouldn’t even look after a cat or dog for that and they stay outside all day 
That person is only 18yrs old. They don’t say if they have any quals or if they are being paid under the table or taxed . I say be thankful for what they are being paid.
$50 x 5 = $250.
$250 a week is good money
I pay $3 an hour for one child, $5 for two for my children to go to the sitters while I’m at work. She feeds them and treats my children as her own.
They should give you more money.
I pay 197 a week for a 2 year old…in mo
It is $30 a day per kid around here, $40 drop in. The childcare provider also provides food though so if they are the ones providing everything maybe that could explain a difference in expectations?
My Grandson pays 30 dollars a day for just 1 toddler
way back when I was young I sat 5 kids for 50 cents an hour
I’m in Arkansas, our minimum wage is $11 but I have a family friend watch my 2 year old and my 3 month old from 7-5:30 and pay her 125/ week but she’s also a family friend.
It’s tricky, and hard work. I pay $40 a shift (8ish hours) for my 3yo. There are clear expectations, as in the sitter isn’t expected to do dishes or clean up toys after my LO, please just clean up food/ drink spills. Its a lot of just play with her and bed time routine. My income is also semi unstable but I’m in low middle class range as a part-time waitress. Also is this under the table or are you being taxed?
I wouldn’t take less than $100 a day for all that you do.
5 per hour per child
10 hour days? I would say $20/hour. The rate of $50/day is like a dayhome rate in your home where you are able to do your chores and it is per child!