Should I Charge for Childcare of Friend's Child?

Take her offer. What that offer means is I trust you with my child and want you to always be happy to take her. I have always overpaid my good babysitters because I want them to want to babysit for me.

What I am saying is it is a win win, she gets a babysitter she trusts, and by paying you she gets a happier babysitter.

Absolutely.
I watch my friends kids all the time for free, when they go to the doctor or are in a bind.
If I watched them on a regular basis while their mom is off making money, I would expect to be compensated. For my time and the food and other things I would be supplying.
Yes, charge her, otherwise you are being taken advantage of.

If you are watching the child full time then she should pay you, and that rate sounds more than fair.

I think it's fine for you to accept the pay as long as you're both treating it like an employer/employee relationship.
Ahead of time you need to commit to this, you guys should work out what happens in the instances of illness, vacation, summertime, holidays, etc.
She needs to RELY on your child care and you need to know what you both agree on before entering into this.
It can change things.
Take the "guesswork" out of the equation by working out all possible scenarios.

Hard to think ahead, but what if you want a Friday off to take a long weekend trip with your family? Are you OK with committing to a FT child care schedule over the summertime too? What if YOU have a sick child? What about if you are seriously sick? Is there a back up plan for her to use (her mom, sister, etc.) and how much notice does she need to give them if they're needed?

Absolutly you should get paid!!! Even the one day a wk for free was generous of you.

Yes, accept it. She is getting paid to work, so why shouldn't you?

ummmmm yes! Now that you are watching her child on a regular basis and especially since she offered.
This isnt a "favor" now it has turned into a job. I would be mortified if she didnt expect to pay you!

You should definately charge her. If it is occasionally for a hour or two...no...but full time so she can go to work...absolutely. Your time is worth something. Plus if I were her I would WANT to pay you so that I did not feel like I was using you. So take her money it is fair!

Santa Montica is a high living expense area. I would accept her money and be grateful. If, after a few weeks have gone by, and you feel it is too much money, then you can give her a rebate. If you check around and find that her payment is right for the services you provide, then do nothing.

I'd advise you to save half of the money she gives you in a "Fun Funds" jar. Then you can pay bills with the other funds and have fun with the money you have earned. Invest some of the funds in stocks that pay a big dividend. Many companies pay 7% dividend or higher. (A 7% dividend means they pay 7% of what you paid for the stock annually divided up so you get 1/4th of the annual dividend each three months.)

Good luck to you and yours.

Yes and that seems to be a good deal from her pov. Her daughter is with a trusted friend vs in a big childcare center which is likely what $6.25/hour would buy. A full time private nanny in your area is likely $20/hour. If she doesn't pay you, seems like resentment might build. Sounds like a good situation for both of you!

Charge her. This is not every now n then. This is a job. Don't be foolish.

On a regular basis = paid
Occasionally = free or paid

Don't know about daycare in your area, but up here that would be 25-50% of the going rate. So even being paid, you're still doing her a HUGE favor.

Since your friend offered to pay...then I say yes, take the money! Your time is worth it, isn't it? I can see not charging for one day a week, but watching her little one 4 to 5 days a week...you definitely need some payment. Your friend obviously offered to pay because she knows her daughter is in good hands with you. Plus, besides helping pay bills, it would give you a little pocket money to do or get some things for yourself :)

Ditto all the advice that you should definitely be compensated for you time and energy and commitment.

Since she is a good friend and you clearly adore the child, you might consider a flat daily rate, rather than nit pick over an hourly rate. Because you get into traffic jams and then are you going to charge for her being late?

Is your husband crazy?!?! Definitely take the money. You're not doing her a once in awhile favor. This is a JOB. Actually, it was a job when you were doing it for 9 hours!! You are a truly nice person for doing that. I can't imagine asking a friend to do that. So, it's only right that she offers to pay you now. And you are right - she has to pay SOMEONE to watch her daughter, and she's lucky she has you - a good friend who knows her kid. A win/win situation - as long as she pays you :)

Take the money. You could offer to take a little less than the amount she offered if it makes you feel any better. But if she is offering to pay, then it most likely will not hurt your friendship at all for you to take the money. One year I had 3 friends taking care of my child on a regular basis. Two refused money and one accepted it. I don't think any less or more of any of these friends for their choice to take the money or not. I actually think more of all of them just for that fact that they took good care of my child when I needed them.

I think that you should agree to SOME payment...maybe not so much, but do take some. $6.25/hr for 40hrs a week is $250. That's a lot of money!

I know the cost of living in CA is a lot higher than here...but maybe you could charge her a bit less, since you are her friend. But still take SOME money to defray expenses and put some cash away for the holidays, etc.

I would charge her. You have helped her enough. I would just think about it this way, full time care is a lot, a big responsibility. Use the money to buy your family Christmas gifts, a fun day out, whatever you have been wanting to do but have been holding off on!

You've gotten a lot of responses already, but I want to throw one more in there: you need to take the money to keep the friendship equal.

Right now, you are doing her a HUGE favor, which she has no way to reciprocate. She feels very indebted to you, and the only way she can return the favor is to pay you. Otherwise, this favor will hang over her head, and she will feel forced to find other ways to pay you back.

Also, the kid is going to do something that drives you nuts. (Because that's what kids do, right?) You will feet better about it, if you are getting paid.

There will be less hurt feelings all the way around,

I am in a similar situation, watching a girlfriend's child. We settled on, she drops off enough snacks and lunch items for BOTH of our kids (my youngest is the same age as her child). I watch them and prep the food which SHE supplies. It's enough to settle the debt.

By all means, if you can think of another way for her to return the favor, take it. But the money is the easiest way, in this case.

Watching a child for a friend or relative once in a while or even once a month or so at no charge is reasonable. Watching her child one day a week at no charge for 1.5 years is kind is kind.Watching her child every day, full time for free would be crazy. You have committed your time and are restricted as such.

She changed her schedule, she offered to pay you, you are ok with the amount (she presumably is too) so I think it is fine but let me just say that if she is paying you by the hour and is working full time (40 hours) she will be paying you quite a bit (just 40 hours x $6 would be $240 per week). When you add travel time for her it would seem that she would be paying more than she would pay for fulltime care at a licensed facility...assuming that hubby isn't picking up earlier . Since she's a friend, maybe you should check around to see what is the going rate in your area and charge her that.

If you provide the food for the daughter, that would mean a little more may be warranted but $250 a week seems like a lot.

Thank her graciously and accept the payment. There is no good excuse for you to give that much time and work for free. It wouldn't be right. I'm not sure what your husband is thinking to be honest. Would he work full time for free for any friends? I've had various friends watch my kids. I always offer to pay. They always take it unless they have kids too and we swap. You need to get paid. You're right, she'd pay someone else if not you.

As for rate-a top notch daycare in our area is $36/day. SO her hourly rate is fair. If it's total rip off where you live, you may want to ask for more, but it sounds OK to me-but maybe have her add a bit for food or bring food.

Yes, take the money. I'm sure you're spending money on her child by supplying food, activities, etc. And you're def. spending your time (time is money) by taking care of her child. Why shouldn't you get paid esp. when she offered.

If she offered, take it. Even if she didn't offer, you should still charge her for regular care. It is a service you are providing that is helping her from needing to seek out someone else.

I watch one of my best friends little girl twice a week. I used to be "as needed" whenever her mom needed a break. She still paid me. She even pays her mom - very well, too. They pay her/me what they would pay a regular sitter because they know and appreciate having someone they know and trust taking care of their child.

Watching children is not an easy job. If you are watching someone else's child, you should receive something for it. To watch a child once in a while to help someone out is one thing, but anything regular is a service that you should be compensated for...

Ditto everyone else's advice, of course she should pay you.
And I really don't get where your husband is coming from, would HE take care of someone's kid all week, every week for free?!

Yes, you should absolutely take the money. Your friend is making more full time, so she can afford to pay you. And the time and effort you put into watching her child has value. Be proud of the contribution you're making to your family.

LET HER PAY YOU. YES. But don't do it for $6.25---thats way too cheap~ I would say at least $8/hour. She is already getting an awesome deal. Just because you are friends doesn't mean that you shouldn't be compensated for this. Its one thing to do it once in awhile, but if this lady didn't have her daughter with you, she would be paying someone else to watch her. So yes---do a contract (i know--but just for business purposes) and then make sure you both sign and date it. State everything in there---that way nothing is uncomfortable or gets weird in the process.

YES!!! And shame on her for not insisting.

You are much nicer than me if you even have to ask this question :)
I would have charged for just the one day. At the minimum you should have always been compensated for food or other activity fees.

Of course you should be paid - otherwise you would completely be taken advantage of. She is working a full-time job, and you are not the child's grandma, etc. You could be doing other things with your time, and devoting more time to your own kids if you weren't watching hers. Take the money!!!

I'm still stuck on the fact that you watched her child for 9 hours a week for a year and a half with no pay. A family member who is in a bind and can't pay you? Maybe. Charity starts at home. I would feel zero guilt about being paid. Doesn't your husband think giving up your free time is worth being paid for? Absolutely take the $$.

I think $6.25 is way too much for you to charge her. Even if she's willing to pay it that's over $300 per week for child care. I would charge her a flate rate for the whole week and be done with it. You also need to find out what the laws in your area are for running an unlicensed child care in your home. You are in fact already doing just that. Some states have a zero policy and others are much more lenient. I would want to get it from the licensing agency so I would know for sure. If they say you can watch this child then I would consider getting certified and take a couple more kids so you could make more money.

Normal child care for full time if about 10 hours per day, even can be up to 11 if it's a busy place like you live. Traffic can be really bad at rush hour.

I would call around and find out what child care centers charge full time for a 3 year old then charge her less. A child care worker is a professional person who has gone to school and has specialized training to offer. They also spend hours every year in continuing education. You are a good person I am sure but you are also not a professionally trained child care provider.

Just have to get on the bandwagon of take the money! ;) I think $6.25/hour is cheap for her and since you are friends then I think it's fine, but know she's getting child care at a good deal. I do agree with those that said you need to sit down and have a plan of what it will look like and how to plan around vacations, summer, sick days, etc.

Accept some payment. I agree with the moms suggesting a flat rate. However, go into this arrangement expecting late payments or requests to skip a payment here and there. Asking for snacks & supplies in lieu of a portion of a payment would be okay too. Otherwise if you're counting too much on the money then late payments ect. might cause a rift in your friendship. Have an if I get it great if not no biggie attitude.

I think that you should accept her money. You are giving her a bargain because you are a friend. Tell your DH she wouldn't find a good babysitter anywhere else for that price and that's the friendship part. She may also feel better paying you. There are times when I feel like I want to give something to my friends not because I have to but because I appreciate it and it's the right thing to do.

(For comparison, in my area, I paid $299/week for infant and toddler care - and that was on the mid to low side of what this area costs.)

I would charge but if she's working 40 hour a week that is a lot of money. At that age I think I paid $125 a week per kid.

I'm always happy to watch friends' children for free. However, you are doing more than the occasional, or even recurring favor. You are essentially working full time by caring for her child 4-5 days a week. I would definitely expect some sort of compensation (though minimal, seeing as she is a friend) and wouldn't turn down the money she offered. Though, if i was setting the price, I would have asked for less. $6.25 an hour, assuming 40 hour work weeks, is over 1000 a month.

Definitely take some payment. I think I paid my daycare $30 per day when it was a whole day. My babysitter gets $15 per hour but I don't need daycare now just after school. I can see you didn't want to charge for one day a week but a full week with a 3 year old deserves some payment. Hope this helps.

I get paid to watch my nephew. Babysitting full time is hard work and you should get paid for it. As long as she offered and you are happy with it then do it.

I think every now and then is helping out. Full-time is a job and you should be paid. I wouldn't do it for free.

I agree with others that an in-home daycare would be about $150 a week here. But that's not providing any food. And it's that rate whether they come or not. So $6.25 an hour is $250 a week if she is there for 40 hours. I say take the money! Or if you're doing it for free, tell me where you live, I'd love some free childcare :).