What do you pay the babysitter?

You've got the dinner reservation this weekend and the tickets for the show. Now, you just need one thing: A babysitter to watch the kids. Most of us have relatives, family, friends or neighbors with reliable teenagers we can call. However, when the night's over and it's time to pay up, what is a babysitter worth?

"It's hard to find a really good babysitter," said one Twin Cities' mom at a playground in South Minneapolis.

Once you find a good one, most parents want to keep it a secret.

"You don't advertise it," said another mom. "Or you won't have available when you need them."

What to pay is also the talk at the playground and all over the Internet. Online parent forums are devoted to the topic of babysitter pay. Several parenting Web sites claim the average national rate is now about $9 to $12 an hour.

"That seems high to me," said one mom in Minneapolis.

It does depend on where you live. It's as high as $15 an hour in New York City and as low as $5 in more rural areas. Also, your neighborhood is likely to have a going rate.

"It's absolutely word of mouth," said one mom when asked how she figures out what to pay.

The Twin Cities' moms we spoke to said they pay anywhere from $5 per hour to $15. Most were in the $7 to $9 per hour range.

When determining a fair hourly rate, parenting experts say consider the average rate in your neighborhood, the number of kids you have, the age of your kids, the age of the babysitter and any special needs or requests.

"I clean, cook and do laundry," said one babysitter in Minneapolis.

If you are willing to pay top dollar, you may want to ask your sitter to complete a babysitting course. The Red Cross offers a program that covers babysitting basics, first aid and CPR.

-WCCO/ Ben Tracy