Babysitting.

[bcblondie]

Dh's coworker/friend needs a babysitter. His boy is 14 months ( a month older than mine). It's about 50 hours every 2 weeks, but they only pay their current sitter about 3 bucks an hour.

Would you do it for this rate? If you would want more, how much? How would I go about asking, without sounding tacky/greedy?

ETA (if this would go better in the WAHM section or something, feel free to move it. thanks.)

[Purple*Lotus]

No. I would charge at least $8 an hour. I am just using what I know the people who work in the toddler room at my job make an hour. It will depend on what area you live in. I think at least higher than what your minimum wage is.

[claddaghmom]

So 25 hours a week? $75? Or $150 every two weeks...that seems pretty low.

Why were they paying the other sitter $3hr?

I would not be comfortable with that low of a rate unless it came with other variables, such as trading benefits (DH carpools?)

Also, you might need to take other things into consideration. Laws vary state by state on required credentials and under the table pay.

[bcblondie]

Min wage here is 8. I would feel really crappy asking more than double what his last sitter charged

clad it would alternate. They work shift work, so when they are on days, its 7am til 2pm, mon to fri. On nights it's 2pm til 5 or 6 pm, but only mon to thurs.

I don't know why they paid the other sitter so low. Friends helping friends I guess.

Dh WOULD get a ride to work on nights, when they drop the child off, here. And a ride home on days when they pick him up. But I mean, DH currently usually walks to work. So it's not like he saves us much money there.

I live in Canada so I dunno what rules there would be about it.

[Purple*Lotus]

I don't know, I wouldn't work at my current job for $3 an hour, no matter what they paid the last person I guess I am looking at it as, they want to know what you charge for babysitting. You tell them, then they decide if they want to hire you, kind of thing.

[bcblondie]

Lol I wouldn't work at any job for 3 dollars, but i mean, I still get to see my son all day and be in teh comfort of my own home. So I guess that's why a person would take a bit of a pay cut.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by bcblondie

Min wage here is 8. I would feel really crappy asking more than double what his last sitter charged

clad it would alternate. They work shift work, so when they are on days, its 7am til 2pm, mon to fri. On nights it's 2pm til 5 or 6 pm, but only mon to thurs.

I don't know why they paid the other sitter so low. Friends helping friends I guess.

Dh WOULD get a ride to work on nights, when they drop the child off, here. And a ride home on days when they pick him up. But I mean, DH currently usually walks to work. So it's not like he saves us much money there.

I live in Canada so I dunno what rules there would be about it.

Maybe you need to babysit for a few days for free and see what you think about the pay. If it really works, maybe you could ask for a bit more but keep it around $5-6?

[Rosebud1]

I know SAHM's who watch children in their home just for a little extra money, and they don't even make minimum wage. One lady I know charges $4.50 per child per hour and that's pretty standard around here in California. I wonder if she reports that income? To me that is a bit low and doesn't really seem worth it for the headache or hassle of another child, but some Moms are willing to do it for a little more spending money and ability to work out of their own home and be with their own kids all day as well.

Cost of living in your locale is definitely a factor too. You would also have to make sure they provided supplies and food, at that low rate.

[Bethla]

Would that be $300 a month? Your dh wouldn't have to pay for gas right? How much would that save you?

[bcblondie]

Yes it would be 300 a month. DH currently almost always walks to work so the one ride a day wouldn't save us much gas.

Rose they do bring the child's food. Apparently whenever you are eating he also wants what you eat but i mean. he's 14 months. lol. Heck maybe he could influence MY kid to eat.
Cost of living is low here. By my standards anyways.

[Rosebud1]

In Canada is there a childcare tax credit? Would you need to report the income and pay taxes on such a small amount?

[bcblondie]

We do get a child tax benefit. I don't think I'd have to report 3 grand in a year. I could be wrong.

[Stayseeliz]

I did this two days a week for around the same rate. Honestly it wasn't worth the interruption to our lives. We like to come and go as we please so it was a pain to have another child to look after. If you're desperate for the money ask for a bit more but think about it long and hard. It really does add a good bit of work when you add another child to your daily routine!

[bcblondie]

yea that's what I'm kinda worried about. I'd be trapped at hoem unless I got a double stroller or something.

And we don't need the money per se. I mean, we have a tight budget but it's doable. We're good with it. 300 more dollars a month, we would likely stash away for a trip next winter or something. Which would be nice. Even on our honeymoon we barely got outside the city let alone the country.
And my best friend would love to do a double-date vacation with us. This would make it possible.

So I dunno. I'm really on the fence.

[Stayseeliz]

Originally Posted by bcblondie

yea that's what I'm kinda worried about. I'd be trapped at hoem unless I got a double stroller or something.

And we don't need the money per se. I mean, we have a tight budget but it's doable. We're good with it. 300 more dollars a month, we would likely stash away for a trip next winter or something. Which would be nice. Even on our honeymoon we barely got outside the city let alone the country.
And my best friend would love to do a double-date vacation with us. This would make it possible.

So I dunno. I'm really on the fence.

Yeah I wouldn't do it if that's the case. It seems like a good idea up front but it's more pain than it's worth. I mean I would keep family members for that little but not anyone else. It's not worth it.

[Fuamami]

I charge $35/day for up to 10 hours, and $5/hour beyond that for part-time babysitting.

I would do it. He and your child will be playing together soon, and that would probably be fun for both of them.

[bcblondie]

Yea I did think of that too. It would be great for DS's social skills.

[bobandjess99]

$3/hour is actuyally a good rate around here.
You people who charge $8+ per hour for childcare..who are you sitting for? doctors, lawyers? Around here, most people not in a professional field are working for minimum wage themselves, or very close to it. Jobs like retail, restaurant, factory, etc. If the person working is only making $8 themselves, how on earth do you figure they can afford to pay you their ENTIRE paycheck for watching their kid? I mean..why would they even work???
I think there is a huge difference between part time sitting for an affluent/middle class person and DAYCARE for a working class person. Around here, full time daycare runs $50-150 per week, depending on the place, whether they are a big center or private inhome, licensed or not, age of child, etc.
$75/week for part time 25 hours per week care around here ....that's about middle of the road....not cheap, but not expensive. I used to pay about half that for part time care.


I think when people are used to babysitting for higher income people, or nannying, they aren't really in line with what lower-class/income people pay for their childcare. The way daycare providers make their money is by watching numerous kids....I mean, I understand what Bunnyflakes was saying aboutnot wanting to work for $3/hour, but you have to figure that watching only ONE kid isn't really an entire job's worth of work, you know?(well, okay, it can be, lol, but in general, a full time daycare provider is watching 2, 3, 4 kids, depending on the ages, and that is how they earn their livable wage....even just 2 kids at $3/hour per kid is $6/hour, which is generally more than that same mom can make by going out of the house to work, if she doesn't have special skills in order to command more than minimum wage, so it's stay at home and make $6/hour or go work at minimum wage and pay someone else that $3/hour to watch YOUR kid, in which case YOUR $8/hour minimum wage just turned into $5/hour once you pay daycare, so the $6/hour for getting to stay at home with your kid actually pays more, and you get to be with your kid.

I understand that daycare in some parts of the country is very different, but around here, that's the way it works.
There are SO MANY moms trying to earn a little while staying at home with their kids, prices are REALLY low...because for every one who asks $5/hour, there are 5 more who will happily take $4..or $3...or $2...because it's still better than 0, which is what they'll make if you don't choose them.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99

$3/hour is actuyally a good rate around here.
You people who charge $8+ per hour for childcare..who are you sitting for? doctors, lawyers? Around here, most people not in a professional field are working for minimum wage themselves, or very close to it. Jobs like retail, restaurant, factory, etc. If the person working is only making $8 themselves, how on earth do you figure they can afford to pay you their ENTIRE paycheck for watching their kid? I mean..why would they even work???
I think there is a huge difference between part time sitting for an affluent/middle class person and DAYCARE for a working class person. Around here, full time daycare runs $50-150 per week, depending on the place, whether they are a big center or private inhome, licensed or not, age of child, etc.
$75/week for part time 25 hours per week care around here ....that's about middle of the road....not cheap, but not expensive. I used to pay about half that for part time care.


I think when people are used to babysitting for higher income people, or nannying, they aren't really in line with what lower-class/income people pay for their childcare. The way daycare providers make their money is by watching numerous kids....I mean, I understand what Bunnyflakes was saying aboutnot wanting to work for $3/hour, but you have to figure that watching only ONE kid isn't really an entire job's worth of work, you know?(well, okay, it can be, lol, but in general, a full time daycare provider is watching 2, 3, 4 kids, depending on the ages, and that is how they earn their livable wage....even just 2 kids at $3/hour per kid is $6/hour, which is generally more than that same mom can make by going out of the house to work, if she doesn't have special skills in order to command more than minimum wage, so it's stay at home and make $6/hour or go work at minimum wage and pay someone else that $3/hour to watch YOUR kid, in which case YOUR $8/hour minimum wage just turned into $5/hour once you pay daycare, so the $6/hour for getting to stay at home with your kid actually pays more, and you get to be with your kid.

I understand that daycare in some parts of the country is very different, but around here, that's the way it works.
There are SO MANY moms trying to earn a little while staying at home with their kids, prices are REALLY low...because for every one who asks $5/hour, there are 5 more who will happily take $4..or $3...or $2...because it's still better than 0, which is what they'll make if you don't choose them.

Ok, those are valid points. But not knowing the OP's situation...regionally she could be undercutting herself. Around here I would say it is at least $8hr if not more. I know one of my coworkers was part time nannying and making $15hr.

Even if I was in a tight place I would not sit a 14mo on top of my daughter for $3hr. I would go get a pt job that worked around DH's job and at least get the $7.xx min. wage. Heck, selling on eBay is better than $3hr.

[tinuviel_k]

I would not do it for less than $5 an hour. $125 a week seems more reasonable than $75.
If I had to pay taxes on it then I might negotiate even higher. I don't know how it works in your area, but in mine I would lose almost $1000 a year to taxes if I charged $5 an hour at 25 hours a week, and then filed my taxes jointly with my husband. The actual post-tax wage would be more like $4.00-$4.25 an hour.