How Much Do You Pay Your Babysitter?

Jenn and I don't have a wide array of babysitters for Ryan. It is really hard to find a good, reliable one. Recently we paid a premium because we were stuck. We paid $18 an hour. But after reading this survey, I realize that babysitters are making some serious bank.

In an effort to not sound so old, I did some babysitting in my day and I got $2 an hour. I am not kidding. However, the families that I sat for really took care of me. They would take me on vacations and include me in many events.

The average babysitter gets $14 an hour now. I think as parents we have higher expectations of the people watching our children. For instance, I look for a responsible caregiver that drives, knows CPR, and will engage with my kid. Back in the day, I didn't drive, I had no safety training and I just let them go outside and play.

I did cringe when we had to pay that sitter $18 an hour, fortunately we went to Rivers Casino that night and I won enough to cover her wages.

How much do you pay your babysitter? Can you justify it?