Do you babysit? What do they pay you? What do they bring?

[cdmommie]

We needed a little more money coming in each month to cover DD2's medical bills, so I posted on craigslist. I got an immediate response for someone I had babysat for when their son was an infant. I couldn't remember how much they paid me then, but it was never very long anyway. So, he is 17 months old now and they said they would pay me a max of $60/week. He is here about 18 hours per week. They do not bring food, drinks, cups, or wipes. After everything is said and done I make about $3/hr.

It's enough to cover the minimum payments on our past-due bills, but I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. They used to bring food, wipes, milk, ect. So I figured they would this time, but no.

I decided to suck it up and deal with it, it's better than nothing... then someone else contacted me about babysitting. This mom has a 16 month old son and needs 3 days per week as well (about 20 hours/week) and she asked if 150/week would be okay as long as she brings diapers, wipes and bottles of milk! I told her that seemed like quite alot compared to what I was used to so she said, "Okay, we can split the difference and do 125." I was stunned, happy, but stunned.

So, if you babysit, do you have a set rate? What do you expect parents to provide? What do you do if you thought the parents would provide something but don't?

[MommaCrystal]

It has been about 5 years but I charged $8 an hour and they brought MOST of the food and all diapers and wipes. $3 is INSANE! I wouldn't do it.

[mamaofprincesses]

I don't babysit now, but I had a situation where I was babysitting three kids for $8 an hour. The one little girl really liked to eat, but seldom liked things I had in the house. So I asked the mom if she would bring snacks. I provided sandwiches, and she provided all the snacks and would include some for my DD. I would definitely ask for a package of wipes. Food, for a seventeen-month-old, would usually be included in babysitting rates around here. But it can be really helpful to browse ads in your area and see if you can figure out the going rate, because it varies so much from place to place.

[texmati]

I would definetly brows on CL and see what in home daycares are charging per week. Here they get ~125 per kiddo-- I'm not sure about how diapers/wipes and food works though.

[eclipse]

$60 a week seems really, really low. I'd renegotiate the contracts, esp since you have someone else willing to pay more - so it won't be a big deal if they decide to go elsewhere. I'd give them a couple of weeks notice to either pay you more or find a new provider.

[ElliesMomma]

Originally Posted by cdmommie

she asked if 150/week would be okay as long as she brings diapers, wipes and bottles of milk! I told her that seemed like quite alot compared to what I was used to so she said, "Okay, we can split the difference and do 125." I was stunned, happy, but stunned.

OMG, you *need* to learn to negotiate. seriously. you just talked your client out of paying you an extra $25 a week. and you need the money. next time someone tells you a nice high rate, do NOT tell them that's too much. never ever. if anything, just say yes. you might even try for a bit more.

as for the $60 a week people, tell them NOW that you were figuring on the food, drinks, wipes, etc., etc., and since they are not brining those, the rate is going up to XXX (whatever you want). if they balk, let 'em go.

seriously though, get a book on negotiating from your local library. i like "roger dawson's secrets of power negotiating." since you are starting a business and it sounds like you need money, you really should read it!

good luck!

[momtoS]

Here babysitting is $40-$60 a day.

[Sfcmama]

My initial reaction is that you are being robbed!!! There are many websites that will calculate a far rate based on age, location, housework, etc. I think care.com has one but I can't vouch for its accuracy.
Keep me posted on what you find.
Good luck!

[AmaraMonillas]

I have been doing childcare for years, and currently work as a part time nanny for a couple families. For the families I am know well (most of whom have one of the parents in grad school) I charge $10/hr to start, for new families I start at $12/hr. When we have our baby, I will offer to drop my $12 to $10/hr since baby will be coming with me. If the families I know well express concern about less attention for their kids I may offer a a couple bucks lower... but I doubt they will. I often watch kids from several families at the same time and they know I am more than capable of still giving their kids good quality attention and care.

I am in a different area/circumstances, so you don't necessarily need to hike your rates to 10/hr... but maybe consider something closer to the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr).

Oh, and I go to their houses, so usually I am eating some of their food (I sit down for meals with kids).

[Ellen Griswold]

I'm making $20 a day (little before 8 to 5:30) for one little boy and his older sister that I pick up after school. However, this is my friend, so that changes some of my way of thinking. She supplies everything except the after school snack, though usually both kids have something left in their lunchbox for that.

[sunflower.mama]

That just makes me mad for you! That's time away from your own children. I'd ask them to pay market rate - they should be embarassed for valuing their child's care at so low a rate IMO.

[sunflower.mama]

I am also thinking...it might be easier for you, assuming you're watching multiple children, to serve one meal to the kids and have one big stack of diapers, one tub of wipes, etc, as opposed to keeping track of multiple sets. So perhaps you could charge for food and diapering supplies separately. When my daughter went to an in home preschool we were assessed a $200 per year activity fee...you could do a monthly fee or something.

[tjjazzy]

my sitter charges $20 for the day. i send ds1 once a week to her from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. if i send both boys, it's $25. she feeds them. i send diapers, wipes, milk, and i offered to send food but she said she'd give them lunch. i usually throw in some sort of snack in case she needs it. this was the price she quoted me though, not a price i negotiated.
the local pre-school (not quite a preschool but an early learning facility anyway) is $30/day and they give lunch/drink. parents provide everything else.
most teenage girls charge about $5/hour to babysit around our area. we use them on weekends/nights if our moms or other family members are busy.
HTH.

[rightkindofme]

I pay my 20-something babysitter $10/hour and I provide 100% of food/diapers/etc. You are being robbed. You seriously need to value your time more than you do.

[cdmommie]

I looked up the calculators mentioned and they all say 10-12/hour. However, I also browsed craigslist for a while and the average rates for a random SAHM or in home daycare is 100 to 125 a week full time and 55-75/week part time.

I guess it's just really competitive around here, and if you want to have kids to watch you have to be competitive.

I got the wipes taken care of.

When I was a nanny (without my own kids and in someone else's home), I was paid $10/hour but I just can't afford to be that strict on prices because we need every penny we can get and if I mention $10/hr people tend to run in the other direction. I guess I should be thankful for even having a job that lets me be with my kids.

I also picked up two other part-time kids, one will be paying $40/day and the other will be $30/day. They all come at different times/days, so I won't get overwhelmed.

I'm wondering if I end up having someone else willing to be full-time or pay more, is it okay to just let the $20/day kid go (although I have gotten a little attached so it may be hard to do anyway)? I don't want to be rude, but I also think I deserve a little more for all I do for this kid.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by cdmommie

I looked up the calculators mentioned and they all say 10-12/hour. However, I also browsed craigslist for a while and the average rates for a random SAHM or in home daycare is 100 to 125 a week full time and 55-75/week part time.

I guess it's just really competitive around here, and if you want to have kids to watch you have to be competitive.

I got the wipes taken care of.

When I was a nanny (without my own kids and in someone else's home), I was paid $10/hour but I just can't afford to be that strict on prices because we need every penny we can get and if I mention $10/hr people tend to run in the other direction. I guess I should be thankful for even having a job that lets me be with my kids.

I also picked up two other part-time kids, one will be paying $40/day and the other will be $30/day. They all come at different times/days, so I won't get overwhelmed.

I'm wondering if I end up having someone else willing to be full-time or pay more, is it okay to just let the $20/day kid go (although I have gotten a little attached so it may be hard to do anyway)? I don't want to be rude, but I also think I deserve a little more for all I do for this kid.

if every penny counts, I think you really need to start thinking of it like a business. Give the 20$ parents an option of paying more with 2 weeks notice. If they can't do it, they will find other care.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by tjjazzy

my sitter charges $20 for the day. i send ds1 once a week to her from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. if i send both boys, it's $25. she feeds them. i send diapers, wipes, milk, and i offered to send food but she said she'd give them lunch. i usually throw in some sort of snack in case she needs it. this was the price she quoted me though, not a price i negotiated.
the local pre-school (not quite a preschool but an early learning facility anyway) is $30/day and they give lunch/drink. parents provide everything else.
most teenage girls charge about $5/hour to babysit around our area. we use them on weekends/nights if our moms or other family members are busy.
HTH.

is this in US or canadian currency?

[cdmommie]

Originally Posted by texmati

is this in us or canadian currency?

us

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by ElliesMomma

OMG, you *need* to learn to negotiate. seriously. you just talked your client out of paying you an extra $25 a week. and you need the money. next time someone tells you a nice high rate, do NOT tell them that's too much. never ever. if anything, just say yes. you might even try for a bit more.

as for the $60 a week people, tell them NOW that you were figuring on the food, drinks, wipes, etc., etc., and since they are not brining those, the rate is going up to XXX (whatever you want). if they balk, let 'em go.

seriously though, get a book on negotiating from your local library. i like "roger dawson's secrets of power negotiating." since you are starting a business and it sounds like you need money, you really should read it!

good luck!

This! A thousand times this. Another book title (I think) is something like "Women don't ask" and it talks about how we undervalue our skills. You want to be the high-end day care - not the low-end day care!

I pay about $250/week for infant care at a center. This week my day care is closed for 2 days but I have to work, so I'm paying $10/hour for 10 hours for 2 days! I don't pay for the days the day care is closed, so I'm "saving" that. I was able to go in with another mother for part of one day. She'll pay $5/hour for her portion of the day and I'll $5/hour and then the part where my son is alone is $10/hour. I'm paying the girl from the day care to come to my house.

[tjjazzy]

Originally Posted by texmati

is this in US or canadian currency?

Canadian. why do you ask?