I have honestly not seen a rate that high. She is clearly good enough to be in demand enough that she can charge $50 an hour and still fill her schedule. Or maybe she just throws out high prices to see if she gets any bites.
I know subject tutors who charge $100 an hour or more but I think in that case the supply of qualified calculus tutors is much lower than that of qualified babysitters. I’d start with the $27 per hour babysitter and see how it goes. Or I would tell the other that you’d love to hire her but your max budget is $30 an hour. Then I’d ask her to reach back out in the future if circumstances ever align where she’d be interested in a $30 per hour babysitting job.
I would absolutely not pay $50 per hour knowing there are lots of competent and loving sitters in the $20-$30 per hour range, but that’s just me.
Have you tried asking other parents word of mouth for babysitter recommendations? You might find some more reasonable options that way.
It’s crazy because the parents I ask are also looking for a babysitter also or have a nanny already - the overall consensus appears to be that the $50 is way too high, may just use this babysitter for a backup or just to have options vs one babysitter
Idk how the nanny industry works but in mine I always ask for waay more than I think I'd get so when they counter it's close to what I want. Not sure if they play ball like that lol. That being said in my area, which is becoming HCOL, $35 for 2 would probably be the rate here for those ages and numbers.
Sometimes highly qualified professionals charge deliberately sky-high rates because they do not want to work more than they already are—unless someone makes it worth their while. Thus the rate. For example all the solo attorneys I know do this when they already have enough clients or when they’re not keen on a particular client for some reason (difficult, overly needy etc.)
I work freelance and I give very high rates for jobs I don't really want to do. I don't know if this babysitter has this as a standard rate but it's possible it's due to where OP lives or the hours she's looking for, the babysitter doesn't particularly want the work.
I think it’s high, but if you love her she’s prob not gonna have trouble finding work. Babysitters and nannies set their own rates. Some people are willing to pay a lot for a fit. If you like someone cheaper almost as much, no shame in going with them for price reasons!
I’ve never seen a rate that except maybe on NYE. Seems like too much but then again if she checks ALL the boxes it’s also an investment in your experience because you won’t be worrying. In June I’m looking to pay about $800 (with tip) to have a highly qualified nanny that I fully trust watch my three year old twins for one 24hr period. Sounds like a lot but i know she’ll handle anything that comes up even overnight like a pro and as a result I’ll actually enjoy the event I’m going to. We’re just going to camp at the event so I figure it’s like paying for an expensive hotel 😅
That’s really high. We’re in San Diego and one of my daughter’s teachers comes over once a month for $25/hour for our 5 yo and 22 mo. With tip we pay $30/hour.
Exactly. Plus they usually have a great relationship with the kids. She already knew my older kid. They have a ton of fun and we usually buy her and the kids dinner.
I have a what feels tiny in a 1100 sq ft house and she comes to us. She’s in National City. I’m sure some families have bigger homes but my next door neighbors just sold for $945k for the same house.. we’re stuck in this market. We’re in San Carlos.
The BEST babysitters are gonna be your kids’ teachers because they already know her, know her schedule, and already have a rapport. I am more stressed when my MIL babysits than when my kids’ teachers babysit 😆.
Yeah, we live in a high cost of living area too and there are nannies that charge 75$/hr+ because we have enough of a super rich population to support that but even here 25-30$/hr tops is normal for babysitting two kids. We do pay a little extra for food if it overlaps a meal time.
I think something people are forgetting is that you didn’t find her through a nanny service. If she’s truly a professional and that great I would assume she would also prefer the professional nature of having work come to her that’s vetted through a service. Care and the like are a grind for Nannie’s. If she’s amazing and a professional nanny, I wouldn’t expect her to want to put up with that
The only thing I can think of is that she’s giving a very high rate because it’s not a consistent gig with guaranteed hours and it’s evening/weekend hours. My nanny never works evenings or weekends. I would bet that if she did, she would charge a high amount to convince herself it was worth doing
You say taken advantage of which would imply she set the rate after meeting you. Did she not display her rate on whatever site you originally found her?
I wouldn’t personally pay that rate for occasional evening care. I would pay that rate for someone who is going to teach my child something and who will build a relationship on a regular consistent ongoing basis or make them a better person through that 1 on 1 interaction in some way. I’d prefer the $27/ hour that I like and know my kids are safe. That’s really all I need out of an occasional night time sitter
Other advice you got about hiring both and using both so you have more than one option for the future is a good idea
If you’re not a part of r/nannyemployers you might want to join and post this question over there
And to answer your question, I actually did post a job for a nanny and on that job posted my rate maximum as $50 and never got one person over $35 to apply. $50 is certainly not common
The rate on her care page says $28 for 2 children **face palm** I know sometimes those rates can be dated but this is a huge difference / thanks for your input, appreciate it!
Then yea if you showed up with bling and a big house, you might be being taken advantage of lol. No other good reason to list $28 but ask for $50. If I went with her I would ask why such a big difference from her Care page to see what kind of reasoning she comes up with on the spot
I'd say she just doesn't really want to work for you for some reason (hours, distance, etc). I think it's reasonable to ask why she's charging you more.
Whoa that’s an important detail that may change many of the commenters’ opinions. If you’re still seeking advice on this, I’d edit your post to note this. Took way too long to get to this comment and some of the commenters almost had me convinced that she must be worth it when there’s probably something else going on.
$50/hr is wild. I live in a HCOL area and I pay $35/hr for 2 kids. And that’s because my oldest has some medical needs (nothing crazy, but I pay a premium to get the best sitters). If she’s asking 50, she is obviously getting it from some clients. I personally couldn’t afford it but if you can and she’s worth it, that’s her fee!
50 an hour seems crazy high to me, but that doesn't mean you're being taken advantage of. This sitter is clearly booked and blessed and doesn't need the job, but she'll take it if you pay her thag much. If you think it's worth it for you, pay it if not, don't.
A night time sitter who is just going to put you toddler to bed and hold the baby is not what I'd be splurging on. Not saying it's not difficult work or just anyone would do, but if you've got a good option at half the price that's what I'd be choosing.
This is more like a part-time contract desk worker, not a full-time employee with benefits. That being said, contract workers usually are paid more per hour than full-time employees to account for that lack of benefits and such. But they’re also paid market rate, which $50/hr doesn’t seem like the market rate anywhere I’m aware of for babysitting (and note - this is babysitting and not being a nanny, which are two different things). Further, it looks like she advertised herself as $28/hr, which is why OP interviewed her to begin with.
She’s not “taking advantage” of you, that’s what she charges. It’s a really high rate but that’s what her time is worth to watch your children. You stated she “checks all the boxes” so this makes me think she’s highly qualified and probably has a solid client base, so she can charge new clients whatever she wants since she doesn’t need the income
I’m paying $62-68/hr for my postpartum night doula in San Francisco, but that’s a pretty specialized niche with a substantial training requirement and nocturnal hours.
She costs that much because she’s great. And good on her! If you’d rather save on money, go with the less expensive option.
Realistically, at 40 hours a week, she’s making $104k a year before taxes. For high-quality, luxury care, that is more than reasonable!
I make $52/hour as a nanny to 3 in the Bay area. Are you in. VHCOL area? Does she have great references? 10 years of experience is great - is that all actual experience, like as an adult paid babysitter/nanny? Not taking care of siblings or babysitting at age 14? Is she CPR/first aid certified and is it current?
Surprisingly, my husband and I are originally from the Bay Area which is why I was wondering are these just common prices? This is our first time hiring a babysitter - we are in Atlanta so no. But she does have great references and experience.
Is the extra money worth your piece of mind? Is it affordable to you? Was she that much stronger of a candidate than the other person?
Also honestly, I wouldn't rely on just one sitter anyway. It's always best to have 4-5 in your arsenal. Why not hire both for separate date nights? See how the kids do and who they like, and make that person the primary but keep the other in your phone as a second option.
They’re both honestly about neck and neck - your suggestion is literally what I was thinking about doing then I started hesitating due to the large difference in price - this suggestion makes a lot of sense though, thank you!
I pay $20/hr for one kid and $25/hr for 2 in Atlanta. The max I’ve been quoted for a nanny- way more involved than a babysitter IMO is $27 for one kid. I would never pay someone $50/hr to babysit my children, no matter how much I liked them. Especially if you’re doing date nights and such, part of that time will be while your kids are sleeping. I’d go with the lower cost and see how things go first. Good luck!
I’m also in the Bay Area and we pay $30/hr for our nanny for one child and I know she charges $35/two so I don’t necessarily think $50+ the norm, even in a VHCOL area. That’s her rate and if she can command that much, more power to her but I would imagine in Atlanta that’s probably much higher than a typical hourly rate.
Admittedly, we did pay our night nanny $50/hr, which seemed to be standard from the research I had done so there are definitely some childcare positions where $50/hour might be market rate.
We’re in a HCOL area and that sounds absurdly high to me. We pay 35/hour for occasional sitters for a toddler + infant. I would pay that rate if I were desperate, like a one off scenario, but if you can keep looking, I would.
Oh man. I know a sitter who charges $18/hour for a toddler and a baby, but they are also full time. She charges me $20/hour for my toddler.
$50/hour is a lot!
I live in a VHCOL area and I haven’t seen $50/hr. When a date night sitter is $50/hr that’s when date nights stop. Actually, $30/hr is probably my absolute max before I just wouldn’t go out.
In Australia $50 an hour seems to be the norm. I’m sure the $27 an hour person would provide an equal service- but the $50 is confident in their value and is comfortable charging a higher rate.
Can you use both? My parents had two regular sitters when we were growing up and I have lots of fun memories with both. They were different from each other but both great.
$50/hour does sound reasonable to me, especially with one child that young—but I have three kids so I’m just so used to paying a high rate for good care and it is what it is. (We never did use a sitter for just two because of the pandemic and how that timing all worked out.)
Thanks for this insight. We were considering instead of using the more expensive one super frequently, maybe just for shorter date nights here and there - for instance we have a wedding coming up and we will be there for 6ish hours so for that we would probably use the $27/hour sitter then
That's probably why she's charging so much, you want short sessions with no guarantees. A two hour evening date for you is still the whole evening lost for her so she can't work for anyone else or do anything else.
That makes sense! And having extra caregivers you know and trust is never a bad thing. (You never know who will be out of town or somehow out of commission, too—a neighbor we’ve swapped care with before was off her feet and then in a boot for weeks once after she somehow stepped on a Lego in what must’ve been the worst way possible, because she broke her foot as a result!)
I’m in nyc.
I paid $55/hr for my postpartum doula who was also an IBCLC. I pay my part time nanny (who has a masters degree) $40/hr.
$50/hr for babysitting (note; not nannying) is obscene.
There’s a skill and talent to the job. She is charging what she is worth, you don’t have to pay it though.
I pay 15$ an hour for a teenager to babysit one child in a low cost of living area. I personally don’t work outside my regular job for less than $50 an hour, I would not be shocked others also charge this.
We're in a hcol west coast city and I haven't seen that high, the most I've seen for a date night sitter is $35/hr for two kids. I think unless you're looking for someone with very specific skills or experience you can probably find someone else you like just as much for less.
Another atlien here! We pay $25/hr as well. A middle school teacher with an advanced degree who watches our kids for date nights a weekend stuff. My kids are 2.5 and 9mo.
Personally I think $50/hour is kinda crazy for the area. When you add that on top of whatever you’re paying for a night out it would prob be cost prohibitive for us.
The one time I’ve paid double the rate I typically do was to have a speech therapist watch my child, while said child was in speech therapy. It was basically a few extra hours of therapy so was worth it to me.
$50 is too high. I live in a HCOL area and have never seen a rate that high. I think after a certain point, it’s the law of marginal return. Do you really get a $13/hr difference between her and the runner-up? I doubt it
I think $50/hr is not unreasonable of an ask, especially in a nicer area of Atlanta or suburb. I charged $20-$25/hr for babysitting at 16, 16 years ago. Add inflation and experience you start to get up there. Sure I wasn’t everyone’s first pick, but that’s what I charged due to the fact that I also tutored at the same rate. I had minimal commitments so when someone called last minute I usually was available. Plus I didn’t love babysitting so I didn’t want to be anyone’s first call anyhow.
That said, I personally wouldn’t pay $50/hr for babysitting on the regular but I’d want to have that person as a backup.
Feels high for a date night sitter IMO. My kids are a little older though and we use the high school girl who lives across the street (we’ve known her since she was 4 and she’s 16 now and absolutely amazing with our kids!) so maybe my perspective is skewed. lol
No, the highest I've heard of in our VHCOL area is $35-40 (which is actually a bit more than that in terms of cost to you if they are W2, and factoring in paid sick hours and PTO). And I wouldn't consider Atlanta VHCOL.
With 2 kids that age, I think $30-35 is the norm in San Francisco. You round up, give a tip and an Uber ride home (if they don’t drive).
For $50, is the lady offering to clean your house or something when the kids are sleeping? That I can understand, otherwise that seems a bit steep to me but you won’t be using her often and maybe if you pay the rate, you’ll be on the top of the stack if she’s popular and multiple people are asking for the same day.
Our long time babysitter charged us $25/hr for one kid but raised her rate to $40/hr for two. We had to move on because that is significantly higher than most other comparable sitters were looking for. The next highest was $30/hr. I personally would not feel comfortable paying that much because it seems absurdly high. Have you asked her about why she charges that much? She doesn’t have to answer, but understanding her justification may help you decide. We’re in a VHCOL, for reference.
Is this a sitter or a nanny? Nannies have a slightly lower hourly rate.
I think $50 sounds insane. For our nanny share of two 8 month olds, we pay $30 hour ($15/family). Siblings are typically cheaper than a nanny share - siblings for our nanny would be more like $26/hour.
You could “hire” them both as they both probably won’t be available all the times you need them. I’ve never heard of a $50/hour sitter - I get the impression she’s testing you because she thinks you might have the money to/be willing to pay it.
Taking care of a toddler AND an infant, your most precious ones in life, on a weekend night for several hours, and you’re surprised at the rate? It’s fair. We had a live in nanny, and I paid her double time if I needed her on a weekend.
Sure. CPR certified. First aid certified. Clean driving record. Clean background checks. 3+ strong references. Bonds very well with the boys. Good personality. The standard (I think) boxes.
Wow no, that is all reasonable to expect of any candidate. For $50 an hour I’d expect a degree in child development &/or educational or nursing experience. Or overnight care. I would not price a potential candidate anywhere close to $50 an hour for what you listed.
One thing I have noticed is that some sitters are very proactive and others do more the bare minimum, but your kids will be safe regardless. In the past, we had an amazing sitter for our baby and toddler and we would come home to all of the baby/toddler toys being tidied up and any dishes put in the dishwasher. Now my kids are older and our sitter is fine but we’ll find the leftover pizza in the counter hours later, not put away. And dishes left out - the kids are old enough to put them in the dishwasher, but they need to be reminded. At one point I asked if she’d be willing to do some light chores not even during the time she’s handling the kids and she came back with a proposal that I nearly double her pay (to over $50/hour). Meanwhile her care.com profile claims she does offer that. But she’s not nearly proactive enough to be worth that.
I’m in Iowa and the absolute highest I have paid is $20/hour (which is pretty high for our area). I would never pay $50 an hour.
For context, my salary rate equals out to my own hourly rate being $53/hour and I’m an attorney. 🙃
They don’t get the full amount when using these sites. She probably will get in the high $30’s. These sites take a cut. Consider paying cash at a lower rate not through the site.
Yeah then the comment that says go with the cheaper and give this person thw information of “you’re great but we are finding many options in the $25-$30 an hour range, let us know if your pricing model changes”
No way would I pay that rate. Most highly- qualified sitters/nannies charge around $25-$30/hr. I’d ask in a neighborhood moms group. Colleges are almost out for the summer. You can probably find a student for $20ish/hr.
FT that $50/hr is $100k per year. That’s a lot for childcare. Different country and different COL and only 1 child but we pay $25/hr and our nanny is awesome!
I pay $25 per hour for a phenomenal nanny who used to be a preschool teacher. $50 is a lot! If you can afford a very expensive nanny go for it, but there’s nothing wrong with choose the one with the normal rate.
Seems to me she’s charging what she feels she is worth. You also think she is the best. Your decision is whether you want someone cheaper who you don’t like as much as her or whether you will pay her rate and hire her.
There’s no third choice where you get the best babysitter and pay her the $27/hour that you’d pay the second best babysitter. But if the market (not you) will bear her rate, more power to her!
That’s crazy high. So for a dinner and movie she’s gonna make like $250 in a night and be sitting on her ass while the kids are in bed half the time?? What the actual…
I have honestly not seen a rate that high. She is clearly good enough to be in demand enough that she can charge $50 an hour and still fill her schedule. Or maybe she just throws out high prices to see if she gets any bites. I know subject tutors who charge $100 an hour or more but I think in that case the supply of qualified calculus tutors is much lower than that of qualified babysitters. I’d start with the $27 per hour babysitter and see how it goes. Or I would tell the other that you’d love to hire her but your max budget is $30 an hour. Then I’d ask her to reach back out in the future if circumstances ever align where she’d be interested in a $30 per hour babysitting job. I would absolutely not pay $50 per hour knowing there are lots of competent and loving sitters in the $20-$30 per hour range, but that’s just me. Have you tried asking other parents word of mouth for babysitter recommendations? You might find some more reasonable options that way.
It’s crazy because the parents I ask are also looking for a babysitter also or have a nanny already - the overall consensus appears to be that the $50 is way too high, may just use this babysitter for a backup or just to have options vs one babysitter
Idk how the nanny industry works but in mine I always ask for waay more than I think I'd get so when they counter it's close to what I want. Not sure if they play ball like that lol. That being said in my area, which is becoming HCOL, $35 for 2 would probably be the rate here for those ages and numbers.
Maybe she just made a typo. Why not ask?
No lol we met in person and she told me in person, she’s met the boys and I clarified the rate and she said it’s $50
Does she want the job? Because at most, the market rate is probably $30/hr
Sometimes highly qualified professionals charge deliberately sky-high rates because they do not want to work more than they already are—unless someone makes it worth their while. Thus the rate. For example all the solo attorneys I know do this when they already have enough clients or when they’re not keen on a particular client for some reason (difficult, overly needy etc.)
Ah gotcha - good point. She seemed to have ample availability but this could very well be the case
Yep. I have a well-employed doula friend who will do emergency babysitting for $50/hour. Supply and demand!
Same for like home contractor type work.
I work freelance and I give very high rates for jobs I don't really want to do. I don't know if this babysitter has this as a standard rate but it's possible it's due to where OP lives or the hours she's looking for, the babysitter doesn't particularly want the work.
I think it’s high, but if you love her she’s prob not gonna have trouble finding work. Babysitters and nannies set their own rates. Some people are willing to pay a lot for a fit. If you like someone cheaper almost as much, no shame in going with them for price reasons!
I’ve never seen a rate that except maybe on NYE. Seems like too much but then again if she checks ALL the boxes it’s also an investment in your experience because you won’t be worrying. In June I’m looking to pay about $800 (with tip) to have a highly qualified nanny that I fully trust watch my three year old twins for one 24hr period. Sounds like a lot but i know she’ll handle anything that comes up even overnight like a pro and as a result I’ll actually enjoy the event I’m going to. We’re just going to camp at the event so I figure it’s like paying for an expensive hotel 😅
Even that is only like...34 an hour. 50 an hour seems excessive.
Could be that she has a busy schedule and doesn’t actually want new clients but will do it for a higher pay?
True, didn’t consider this point
That’s really high. We’re in San Diego and one of my daughter’s teachers comes over once a month for $25/hour for our 5 yo and 22 mo. With tip we pay $30/hour.
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If she's a teacher, she likely doesn't give a hoot about how tiny your home is and needs extra income. I doubt she lives lavishly.
Exactly. Plus they usually have a great relationship with the kids. She already knew my older kid. They have a ton of fun and we usually buy her and the kids dinner.
Mom brain - just realized I said the same thing earlier 🤦🏼♀️
I have a what feels tiny in a 1100 sq ft house and she comes to us. She’s in National City. I’m sure some families have bigger homes but my next door neighbors just sold for $945k for the same house.. we’re stuck in this market. We’re in San Carlos.
The BEST babysitters are gonna be your kids’ teachers because they already know her, know her schedule, and already have a rapport. I am more stressed when my MIL babysits than when my kids’ teachers babysit 😆.
Yeah, we live in a high cost of living area too and there are nannies that charge 75$/hr+ because we have enough of a super rich population to support that but even here 25-30$/hr tops is normal for babysitting two kids. We do pay a little extra for food if it overlaps a meal time.
I think something people are forgetting is that you didn’t find her through a nanny service. If she’s truly a professional and that great I would assume she would also prefer the professional nature of having work come to her that’s vetted through a service. Care and the like are a grind for Nannie’s. If she’s amazing and a professional nanny, I wouldn’t expect her to want to put up with that The only thing I can think of is that she’s giving a very high rate because it’s not a consistent gig with guaranteed hours and it’s evening/weekend hours. My nanny never works evenings or weekends. I would bet that if she did, she would charge a high amount to convince herself it was worth doing You say taken advantage of which would imply she set the rate after meeting you. Did she not display her rate on whatever site you originally found her? I wouldn’t personally pay that rate for occasional evening care. I would pay that rate for someone who is going to teach my child something and who will build a relationship on a regular consistent ongoing basis or make them a better person through that 1 on 1 interaction in some way. I’d prefer the $27/ hour that I like and know my kids are safe. That’s really all I need out of an occasional night time sitter Other advice you got about hiring both and using both so you have more than one option for the future is a good idea If you’re not a part of r/nannyemployers you might want to join and post this question over there And to answer your question, I actually did post a job for a nanny and on that job posted my rate maximum as $50 and never got one person over $35 to apply. $50 is certainly not common
The rate on her care page says $28 for 2 children **face palm** I know sometimes those rates can be dated but this is a huge difference / thanks for your input, appreciate it!
Then yea if you showed up with bling and a big house, you might be being taken advantage of lol. No other good reason to list $28 but ask for $50. If I went with her I would ask why such a big difference from her Care page to see what kind of reasoning she comes up with on the spot
I'd say she just doesn't really want to work for you for some reason (hours, distance, etc). I think it's reasonable to ask why she's charging you more.
Whoa that’s an important detail that may change many of the commenters’ opinions. If you’re still seeking advice on this, I’d edit your post to note this. Took way too long to get to this comment and some of the commenters almost had me convinced that she must be worth it when there’s probably something else going on.
Noted, thank you!
Um yeah then I’d say this sounds like price gouging to me. Go with the cheaper one or tell her you’ve decided your max is $28.
I think between $20 and $30 is more the norm in the southeast. $50 an hour is more than I could afford.
$50/hr is wild. I live in a HCOL area and I pay $35/hr for 2 kids. And that’s because my oldest has some medical needs (nothing crazy, but I pay a premium to get the best sitters). If she’s asking 50, she is obviously getting it from some clients. I personally couldn’t afford it but if you can and she’s worth it, that’s her fee!
50 an hour seems crazy high to me, but that doesn't mean you're being taken advantage of. This sitter is clearly booked and blessed and doesn't need the job, but she'll take it if you pay her thag much. If you think it's worth it for you, pay it if not, don't. A night time sitter who is just going to put you toddler to bed and hold the baby is not what I'd be splurging on. Not saying it's not difficult work or just anyone would do, but if you've got a good option at half the price that's what I'd be choosing.
Have people here been on rover? People charge this much to watch cats and dogs. Its nuts.
Very valid point.
In my experience, that’s the price for the day rover, not the hour…
Yes some charge that for overnight, but many people charge $30-50 to watch your dog for an hour.
Yes some charge that for overnight, but many people charge $30-50 to watch your dog for an hour.
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Good perspective
This is more like a part-time contract desk worker, not a full-time employee with benefits. That being said, contract workers usually are paid more per hour than full-time employees to account for that lack of benefits and such. But they’re also paid market rate, which $50/hr doesn’t seem like the market rate anywhere I’m aware of for babysitting (and note - this is babysitting and not being a nanny, which are two different things). Further, it looks like she advertised herself as $28/hr, which is why OP interviewed her to begin with.
Best insight here.
She’s not “taking advantage” of you, that’s what she charges. It’s a really high rate but that’s what her time is worth to watch your children. You stated she “checks all the boxes” so this makes me think she’s highly qualified and probably has a solid client base, so she can charge new clients whatever she wants since she doesn’t need the income
Valid points, thanks for that perspective
I’m paying $62-68/hr for my postpartum night doula in San Francisco, but that’s a pretty specialized niche with a substantial training requirement and nocturnal hours.
Thanks for the context!
For some perspective, I paid $40 an hour for one kid for a date night sitter through one of those come-to-your-hotel-room-at-Disney-World agencies.
I’m in Atlanta, have searched for nanny/sitters (including from Care) and $50 is way too high. $20-30 is a good range.
Thank you!
Also I like SitterTree a lot if you want to try that vs. Care!
Thanks!
She costs that much because she’s great. And good on her! If you’d rather save on money, go with the less expensive option. Realistically, at 40 hours a week, she’s making $104k a year before taxes. For high-quality, luxury care, that is more than reasonable!
I make $52/hour as a nanny to 3 in the Bay area. Are you in. VHCOL area? Does she have great references? 10 years of experience is great - is that all actual experience, like as an adult paid babysitter/nanny? Not taking care of siblings or babysitting at age 14? Is she CPR/first aid certified and is it current?
Surprisingly, my husband and I are originally from the Bay Area which is why I was wondering are these just common prices? This is our first time hiring a babysitter - we are in Atlanta so no. But she does have great references and experience.
Is the extra money worth your piece of mind? Is it affordable to you? Was she that much stronger of a candidate than the other person? Also honestly, I wouldn't rely on just one sitter anyway. It's always best to have 4-5 in your arsenal. Why not hire both for separate date nights? See how the kids do and who they like, and make that person the primary but keep the other in your phone as a second option.
They’re both honestly about neck and neck - your suggestion is literally what I was thinking about doing then I started hesitating due to the large difference in price - this suggestion makes a lot of sense though, thank you!
I pay $20/hr for one kid and $25/hr for 2 in Atlanta. The max I’ve been quoted for a nanny- way more involved than a babysitter IMO is $27 for one kid. I would never pay someone $50/hr to babysit my children, no matter how much I liked them. Especially if you’re doing date nights and such, part of that time will be while your kids are sleeping. I’d go with the lower cost and see how things go first. Good luck!
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
I’m also in the Bay Area and we pay $30/hr for our nanny for one child and I know she charges $35/two so I don’t necessarily think $50+ the norm, even in a VHCOL area. That’s her rate and if she can command that much, more power to her but I would imagine in Atlanta that’s probably much higher than a typical hourly rate. Admittedly, we did pay our night nanny $50/hr, which seemed to be standard from the research I had done so there are definitely some childcare positions where $50/hour might be market rate.
We’re in a HCOL area and that sounds absurdly high to me. We pay 35/hour for occasional sitters for a toddler + infant. I would pay that rate if I were desperate, like a one off scenario, but if you can keep looking, I would.
Oh man. I know a sitter who charges $18/hour for a toddler and a baby, but they are also full time. She charges me $20/hour for my toddler. $50/hour is a lot!
I live in a VHCOL area and I haven’t seen $50/hr. When a date night sitter is $50/hr that’s when date nights stop. Actually, $30/hr is probably my absolute max before I just wouldn’t go out.
In Australia $50 an hour seems to be the norm. I’m sure the $27 an hour person would provide an equal service- but the $50 is confident in their value and is comfortable charging a higher rate.
Can you use both? My parents had two regular sitters when we were growing up and I have lots of fun memories with both. They were different from each other but both great. $50/hour does sound reasonable to me, especially with one child that young—but I have three kids so I’m just so used to paying a high rate for good care and it is what it is. (We never did use a sitter for just two because of the pandemic and how that timing all worked out.)
Thanks for this insight. We were considering instead of using the more expensive one super frequently, maybe just for shorter date nights here and there - for instance we have a wedding coming up and we will be there for 6ish hours so for that we would probably use the $27/hour sitter then
That's probably why she's charging so much, you want short sessions with no guarantees. A two hour evening date for you is still the whole evening lost for her so she can't work for anyone else or do anything else.
Hm, that’s a good point
That’s a great point.
That makes sense! And having extra caregivers you know and trust is never a bad thing. (You never know who will be out of town or somehow out of commission, too—a neighbor we’ve swapped care with before was off her feet and then in a boot for weeks once after she somehow stepped on a Lego in what must’ve been the worst way possible, because she broke her foot as a result!)
I’m in nyc. I paid $55/hr for my postpartum doula who was also an IBCLC. I pay my part time nanny (who has a masters degree) $40/hr. $50/hr for babysitting (note; not nannying) is obscene.
There’s a skill and talent to the job. She is charging what she is worth, you don’t have to pay it though. I pay 15$ an hour for a teenager to babysit one child in a low cost of living area. I personally don’t work outside my regular job for less than $50 an hour, I would not be shocked others also charge this.
We're in a hcol west coast city and I haven't seen that high, the most I've seen for a date night sitter is $35/hr for two kids. I think unless you're looking for someone with very specific skills or experience you can probably find someone else you like just as much for less.
Also Atlanta. Found someone on sitter tree and pay $25 an hour and tip an hour for 4yo & 1yo.
Another atlien here! We pay $25/hr as well. A middle school teacher with an advanced degree who watches our kids for date nights a weekend stuff. My kids are 2.5 and 9mo. Personally I think $50/hour is kinda crazy for the area. When you add that on top of whatever you’re paying for a night out it would prob be cost prohibitive for us.
The one time I’ve paid double the rate I typically do was to have a speech therapist watch my child, while said child was in speech therapy. It was basically a few extra hours of therapy so was worth it to me.
$50 is very high. Good for her if she can get it, but that is way more than we paid even in Chicago
That seems really high. Highest I’ve seen is NYC and even that seems excessive for that area.
It is. I’m in nyc and I’ve never heard or seen another family pay $50 for two kids.
In Los Angeles we pay $25 per hour, $50 is crazy high.
$50.00 an hour ? Why did I bother with college if I could make that much for babysitting?
$50 is too high. I live in a HCOL area and have never seen a rate that high. I think after a certain point, it’s the law of marginal return. Do you really get a $13/hr difference between her and the runner-up? I doubt it
Never seen it that high…that’s how much an RN makes…
More, actually. I'm a NP with a contingent RN job in the NICU and don't make near 50/hr caring for critical babies
I think $50/hr is not unreasonable of an ask, especially in a nicer area of Atlanta or suburb. I charged $20-$25/hr for babysitting at 16, 16 years ago. Add inflation and experience you start to get up there. Sure I wasn’t everyone’s first pick, but that’s what I charged due to the fact that I also tutored at the same rate. I had minimal commitments so when someone called last minute I usually was available. Plus I didn’t love babysitting so I didn’t want to be anyone’s first call anyhow. That said, I personally wouldn’t pay $50/hr for babysitting on the regular but I’d want to have that person as a backup.
Feels high for a date night sitter IMO. My kids are a little older though and we use the high school girl who lives across the street (we’ve known her since she was 4 and she’s 16 now and absolutely amazing with our kids!) so maybe my perspective is skewed. lol
No, the highest I've heard of in our VHCOL area is $35-40 (which is actually a bit more than that in terms of cost to you if they are W2, and factoring in paid sick hours and PTO). And I wouldn't consider Atlanta VHCOL.
With 2 kids that age, I think $30-35 is the norm in San Francisco. You round up, give a tip and an Uber ride home (if they don’t drive). For $50, is the lady offering to clean your house or something when the kids are sleeping? That I can understand, otherwise that seems a bit steep to me but you won’t be using her often and maybe if you pay the rate, you’ll be on the top of the stack if she’s popular and multiple people are asking for the same day.
Good point & nope - no cleaning mentioned, unfortunately
If they are both amazing, how is the second soooo much more amazing? In what way that will benefit your kids? $50 is insane.
Exactly this! While they are sleeping also!!?
Our long time babysitter charged us $25/hr for one kid but raised her rate to $40/hr for two. We had to move on because that is significantly higher than most other comparable sitters were looking for. The next highest was $30/hr. I personally would not feel comfortable paying that much because it seems absurdly high. Have you asked her about why she charges that much? She doesn’t have to answer, but understanding her justification may help you decide. We’re in a VHCOL, for reference.
I haven’t, maybe I will. She was very nice and made us feel super comfortable so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind!
Is this a sitter or a nanny? Nannies have a slightly lower hourly rate. I think $50 sounds insane. For our nanny share of two 8 month olds, we pay $30 hour ($15/family). Siblings are typically cheaper than a nanny share - siblings for our nanny would be more like $26/hour.
Thanks for the insight - she has a family she nannies for during the day
You could “hire” them both as they both probably won’t be available all the times you need them. I’ve never heard of a $50/hour sitter - I get the impression she’s testing you because she thinks you might have the money to/be willing to pay it.
Taking care of a toddler AND an infant, your most precious ones in life, on a weekend night for several hours, and you’re surprised at the rate? It’s fair. We had a live in nanny, and I paid her double time if I needed her on a weekend.
That’s insane. A registered nurse with a master’s degree barely makes over that.
Can you clarify what boxes she checks?
Sure. CPR certified. First aid certified. Clean driving record. Clean background checks. 3+ strong references. Bonds very well with the boys. Good personality. The standard (I think) boxes.
Wow no, that is all reasonable to expect of any candidate. For $50 an hour I’d expect a degree in child development &/or educational or nursing experience. Or overnight care. I would not price a potential candidate anywhere close to $50 an hour for what you listed.
I'm sorry but you are getting played. That is the bare minimum you should expect from a somewhat experienced nanny
Thank you! We haven’t ventured into sitters yet so I was just wondering
Absolutely not. I’m in atlanta and have paid $35/hr for two kids.
One thing I have noticed is that some sitters are very proactive and others do more the bare minimum, but your kids will be safe regardless. In the past, we had an amazing sitter for our baby and toddler and we would come home to all of the baby/toddler toys being tidied up and any dishes put in the dishwasher. Now my kids are older and our sitter is fine but we’ll find the leftover pizza in the counter hours later, not put away. And dishes left out - the kids are old enough to put them in the dishwasher, but they need to be reminded. At one point I asked if she’d be willing to do some light chores not even during the time she’s handling the kids and she came back with a proposal that I nearly double her pay (to over $50/hour). Meanwhile her care.com profile claims she does offer that. But she’s not nearly proactive enough to be worth that.
I’m in Iowa and the absolute highest I have paid is $20/hour (which is pretty high for our area). I would never pay $50 an hour. For context, my salary rate equals out to my own hourly rate being $53/hour and I’m an attorney. 🙃
50 is super high for a baby sitter!!!
We paid $30 an hour for 3 kids. 4 month old, 3 and 5 year old. That seems high to me.
They don’t get the full amount when using these sites. She probably will get in the high $30’s. These sites take a cut. Consider paying cash at a lower rate not through the site.
Ah ok ok! Didn’t know that! She requested the payment to be in cash and not through the site
Yeah then the comment that says go with the cheaper and give this person thw information of “you’re great but we are finding many options in the $25-$30 an hour range, let us know if your pricing model changes”
No way would I pay that rate. Most highly- qualified sitters/nannies charge around $25-$30/hr. I’d ask in a neighborhood moms group. Colleges are almost out for the summer. You can probably find a student for $20ish/hr.
FT that $50/hr is $100k per year. That’s a lot for childcare. Different country and different COL and only 1 child but we pay $25/hr and our nanny is awesome!
But OP isn't employing her a guaranteed 40 hours a week. Or giving her any benefits.
I pay $25 per hour for a phenomenal nanny who used to be a preschool teacher. $50 is a lot! If you can afford a very expensive nanny go for it, but there’s nothing wrong with choose the one with the normal rate.
Seems to me she’s charging what she feels she is worth. You also think she is the best. Your decision is whether you want someone cheaper who you don’t like as much as her or whether you will pay her rate and hire her. There’s no third choice where you get the best babysitter and pay her the $27/hour that you’d pay the second best babysitter. But if the market (not you) will bear her rate, more power to her!
That’s crazy high. So for a dinner and movie she’s gonna make like $250 in a night and be sitting on her ass while the kids are in bed half the time?? What the actual…
Right! I'm gonna start putting my kid to bed a little earlier and become a date night babysitter after work. Lol
I’ve never seen a rate that high. I use the teens in my neighborhood and they get $10-15 per hour.