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It's funny you asked this because I was going to!  

We have also just had family (my mom and my husband's mother) watch the kids...we haven't gone that many places since we had our two year old and my husband was getting his masters we didn't have much time to go anywhere. But now that he's been done for a year I realized last week it was time for me to hire someone to watch the kids once a week for a couple hours so I can have some free time and then when my girls are used to her, we can start having date nights again. I want to make sure they are comfortable with her and they'll go to bed without putting up a fuss.

Anyway, my oldest just started babysitting and it seems that she's being paid at least $1 per hour per child. So that's what I paid my sitter this week even though my two year old was napping for half the time and my 11 year old was a helper more than anything....(now you're probably wonder why I need to pay for one if she's old enough to babysit other kids). I unfortunately don't dare leave my almost 12 year old with my younger 3 for very long. My nine year old has some control issues and my four year old and two year old can be a handful....and I don't think they'd behave as well for their older sister than someone else. Is this normal?

Anyway...enough of why I'm getting a sitter...I'd love to hear how much other's are paying and if the kids are sleeping do you deduct some money from what you'd normally pay if they were all awake?
Also, at least what age do you like your babysitter?  I was babysitting kids at age 11 but I'd say I was more mature than most girls at that age.

My teens (15, 17) have been babysitting for years.  It has varied how much they get but the going rate in our area seems to be about $3 an hour.  One family pays $5 an hour but I never paid out that much when my kids were young.  I think $1 per hour plus $1 per child per hour is fair but again, if you have an 11 year old who is almost ready to babysit your own family but not quite, I wouldn't pay for that child.   

I also think the pay should depend on how good the babysitter is.  I have one daughter who plays with her kids AND cleans the house.  That is worth more to me (and she does tend to get paid more - though she doesn't babysit much now).  My other one who just plays with the kids and is quite good at it.  If the sitter just sits and does nothing other than being a warm body I wouldn't pay that much.

I also think that a sitter should be 12, though some are quite mature at 11 (especially if they are an older sibling and have helped their mom a lot).  12 year old girls seem to step in to that "young women's" role and are ready to be more mature and have more responsibility. 

Just my thoughts.

I rarely have to pay a babysitter, but when I do, I pay $5 per hour (2 kids). When the new one is born (& a little older) I think I'll pay the same since my oldest will be 10. 

I pay $5 hour. I have  a 6 year old that is a huge helper and twin 15 month girls. I pay the same whether they are watching the 3 kids, or just the girls if we take my son with us or if he happens to be in school.

as far as the girls tell me $4 flat rate, if you talk to the girls they are pretty happy to tell you what they would like-  HTH

Not here...that's why I asked. The girls just seem to say "whatever you want to pay is OK."  Seems like they'll take whatever they can get but I don't want to under pay them.

Think of it this way: if you were a teenager and had few ways to earn money, wouldn't you want to at least be able to get a new shirt or inexpensive purse for giving up a night with your pals?  $1 per hour per kid was the rate when I was a teenager, and prices have gone up since then!

I'm a stay at home mom & I babysit a 6 month old 40 hours a week and get paid $3.50/hr.