ok, to make a long story short, I asked our babysitter (whom we really like) to babysit on a regular basis this summer(we have 6 yr. Old twin girls) I explained I cannot pay her the usual rate ($7 an hour). She agreed to babtsit at a reduced rate. She is there about 9 hours and she would like to be paid $60 per day. I barely take home (after taxes) $300 in a five day period ($315.00 to be exact). So, from what I have heard, the going rate is about 45.00 per day. Am I out of line asking her to consider 50.00 per day. I pick her up and drop ( she us under 16) her off as she comes to my home. I think $300.00 for 5 days is a bit much. Please give me some feed back.
Well the sitter decided she could not babysit for less than 60.00 per day. So, I found someone who is very excited to be paid $45,00 per day. I am keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that things will go well with the new sitter. Thanks for all the great input.
I dont think you are out of line at all - especially if she doesnt clean up and if you feed her. are the kids older?
Given her age, I think 50$ is fair. However, 9 hours is a long day with two kids. Do they take a consistent nap-- so that she will basically have a few hours to herself? Maybe remind her of that?
My cousin has a girl who watches her two kids (3 and 4 mos) two days a week and she pays her 65$ to watch them from 8 to 4.
FYI- we pay our babysitters (College age) $10 an hour (and $400 a week for two kids in daycare 4years and 8 mos).
I've found that pay ranges vary widely. I don't think what you are proposing to pay is out of line. I've paid anywhere from $9 an hour to $12 an hour for a "nanny" to watch my twins, and they are much younger. This included some clean-up and laundry work as well. And, the "nannies" were in their 20's.
There are a million college students home for the summer. If she's not willing to accept what you can afford, I'm sure you would be able to find someone else.
My sister & I share a sitter for 3 days a week. Our sitter is 19 and we pay $30/per child per 8 hour day. We paid $60/day for 2 kids last year, now there's a baby added to the mix, so she gets $90/day for 3. Since we are sharing the costs, it still runs less expensive than day care. Perhaps there is a family living nearby that has a child near your child's age that could share in the costs? (Since you said you do like her and all...) Obviously, the age of the children do matter with what you're paying - babies and toddlers require a lot more attention than older kids who just need supervision. (I still think the sitters need to interact and do things with the kids, regardless of age, but they don't have to worry about feedings, diaper changes, holding/rocking when kids are older!) We pay the same rate even if we let her leave early, or on days that we are fine with her coming later....if we have to cancel on short notice, we still pay her.
I checked into day care centers last year and found 3 full days ran from 148-175/week for one child (plus registration fees). Also, (for many) if the day care is closed or you have a day off, you still pay the fees if it's on a day your child is normally there. I like having a sitter in my house where I can have the flexibility to ask/change days around, if needed. Obviously, there are some pros to day cares, as well. You certainly should check into ones near you to get an idea of the costs for 2 kids to be enrolled and take a tour to see your feelings about the teachers and facility. If nothing else, it will educate you and give you more confidence in your decision - whatever that may be!
Another thing that influenced our decision is our children have food allergies, so it makes it a lot easier to have the kids watched at home (where we have more control over the environment).
With all that being said, I do understand how expensive child care is and it adds to the challenges of being a parent (if there weren't enough already!). I think paying a little more for someone you really like (and that is good with the kids and someone they also like!) is totally worth it, if it's within reason. It doesn't hurt to make an offer based on circumstances and see what the two of you can work out, though.
Another thing, mention to her your priorities...if a clean house is one of them, she needs to know that (and to what extent). We tell our sitter she doesn't need to clean up, that our first priority is the kids....but to try and keep it reasonably tidy. After all, no one wants to come home to a mess to clean up. Depending on your children's ages, perhaps let the sitter know what responsibilities you have for them to clean up - and also ask her if she can put dishes in dishwasher or what. I think the parents should return to a home that is reasonably close to how they left it. Our sitter is fantastic and goes above and beyond.....it is all about communication. They just need to know what you expect, and you need to know what they expect from you (aside from a paycheck!). We try to regularly ask our sitter if there's anything she sees that we're missing - whether it's a food the kids ask for, toys, something needs to be moved because the kids are grabbing it, etc.
Over the past year, our sitter has become more like family. We like to acknowledge her birthday and other milestones, and also like to give gift cards every now and again to help show our appreciation. We find it's easy to get caught up in the day to day and it's nice to do a little extra, when we can, to show her how much we do appreciate what she's doing for us and for our kids.
Best wishes to you!
Find a day care! and quick! thats highway robbery and my 16 yr old son babysits and does not charge that and he CLEANS up too!!!
Holy cow! I cannot believe a less than 16 year old is asking for $300 a week! That is one thing if you can afford an experienced nanny who drives to your house herself, but you even pick up & drop her off. My daughter is in a licensed in-home daycare and I pay $130 a week! Granted you have 2 kids, but most daycare places give you a discount on the second child. The $7 an hour rate is one thing for a couple evenings of babysitting, but to expect that kind of rate for full time childcare (unless she's asking a RICH family) is naive of her.
I babysit for an Ex-coworker and I charge her 35 a day for 1 day a week and 30 a day if I have her daughter multiple days in a week....she provides all the diapers and wipes....and I am an adult not someone under the age of 16....I would explain to her that most daycare's (at least from what I have found) charge 40 to 45 a day and most of those include diapers and wipes..I would never pay or charge that much....
And just another note....my sister has a 9 yr old and 2-7 yr olds and her summer baby sitter last yr. charged 175 a week and they were 17yrs old and drove themself....
I never even paid close to that for daycare when my son was little. Granted it was a while ago, but still. I think that is way too much to be paying a teenager to babysit. You could probably find a reliable babysitter for a lot less. Too bad you live so far, my son babysits and charges about 20-25 bucks a day. Talk to her and just tell her what you can afford. If she can't do that, then start looking elsewhere. That's my opinion. Good luck!!!
