? about in home babysitting

[mom2boys77]

Hi. I was hoping one of you could help me out. My mom's neighbor is going through a divorce and can't afford to keep her 4 year old in daycare. She has asked me to watch her. The hours would be from 7 am until 6pm Monday through Friday. She offered me 100 dollars a week. I have never used a babysitter or daycare for either one of my sons so I really have no clue if this is a good amount. I don't want to overcharge her but I think for 11 hours a day, that it's not enough money. What is the going rate? We live in NJ if that matters. I would really appreciate any help! Thanks! Barbara

 

[belle&beast]

I pay $20 for 8:00-4:00 per day per child in the midwest and around here that is really average. I would think it would be more based on the number of hours per day and a higher cost of living.

Be sure you start out with a trial run- that is a VERY long day! Good luck!

 

[dfarner]

Wow, that is a really long day. Are you and your family really up for a committment like that? I would say that 100/wk is not enough for this kind of arrangement. You will be feeding the child 2-3 meals/day, plus snacks. You mentioned NJ-have no idea about the rates in that area-but in my area in Tennessee you would expect to pay between 130-150/wk. It sounds like you are being very generous even to consider doing this. Good luck to you!

 

[mom2boys77]

Thank you to both of you! I was thinking of asking for 150 a week..I know she was paying the daycare 275 a week so even 150 is a savings for her. I did tell her that I will do this on a 2 week trial basis and then we will go from there. I have a hard time saying things and speaking up for myself so my mom is going to talk to her with me if I decide that I will keep the job. She will give me her daughter's food and snacks so I'm not really worried about that and my son Christian who is going to be 5 on Sunday, gets along very well with her daughter. Thank you again! Barbara

 

[Darcy03231]

My children haven't been in daycare for almost 10 years now, but I was paying $150/wk ten years ago for Monday-Friday 7:30 am-5:30 pm in a home daycare.

 

[flipflop]

I have triplets and they go to in-home daycare. We provide their food (we do a big drop off each week) and diapers/wipes/tylenol, etc. Although we provide the food, our sitter prepares it (so we bring bread and cheese - she makes grilled cheese). We pay $475 a week for all three but that is discounted b/c it is a family member that watches them - usually she charges $175 -$200 a week per kid depending on hours/age, etc. My kids are 21 months they get dropped off b/w 7:20 - 7:45 am and get picked up b/w 5-5:45 pm. We live in NJ.

 

[Sarah7401]

I pay our in-home sitter $150 a week and often give her extra "just because." I provide most of his food, but she provides his milk and juice and other food when he doesn't want to eat what I send. LOL

 

[la79al]

I think it depends what you would be doing with the child. $100 seems a little low overall. In deciding how much higher to go, consider if the child could go with you to run errands for example and just be a part of your day, then it should be less. If you are expected to entertain the child for all 11 hours, then it should be higher. Keep in mind, if the neighbor is going through a divorce, there may be custody stuff coming up that you could be put in the middle of.

 

[WDWCrazzyCunninghams]

I get paid $25/day to watch a 15 month old from 830 to 530. I am also picking up a 6 month old, and the parents have offered me $25/day for 730 to 230. I am in WV and these are just neighbors that are in need of a sitter...and the extra money is good for me! Personally, I think you should/could ask for a bit more. Good Luck!! I think it's a great way to earn a little extra money and still be there for your family.

 

[Sarah7401]

I am in WV

Me too!! Just outside of Charleston in Alum Creek.

 

[daisyduck123]

After reading this, I'm feeling very depressed for day-care workers.
Oh...those wages don't seem like very much.
I've always had a lot of respect for moms that do that....now I've got more.

You guys have a tough job.

 

[jessica52877]

I got paid $25 a day from 7-6. It is a LONG day. I had my own son the same age so wasn't really very inconvenienced by it except that we didn't go out. They were both 8 weeks when I started. It was really very cheap because we live in a place where at the time you could send them to daycare for $90 a week ( a place I would NEVER send my son), the next town over daycare was $180/wk. This was 4 years ago. She did bring his own food and diapers.

My husband was quite irritated though that he would get home and the child would still be here. His days off he was here too. So consider what your family would think. I would think $150 a day would be better to ask for especially since you know she is paying so much now. You are still saving her money and giving her child one on one attention.

Definately try it out! It is not for all. I stopped doing it after about two years. I had done it previously for 10 years but at $10-15/hour so major difference.

 

[CleveRocks]

Six years ago, down here at the South Jersey shore, I paid a woman $200 per month to watch my infant son (4 mos. thru 13 mos.) about 9 hours a day, 2 days per week. That was about 75 hours a month, for $200, in dollars from the year 2000. That worked out to about $2.66 per hour. She had her own 3 year old at home with her. She did it out of a love for kids -- she was quite wealthy and said she did it because she wanted to, not for the money. She sometimes went months without cashing my checks -- I'd see them piled up on the mantle!

Anyway, 6 years ago I paid what amounted to $2.66 per hour and it was a steal compared with daycare rates.

You're talking about present-day at about $1.82 per hour.

The questions to ask yourself, in no particular order:

• do you really need the money (will it make a difference in your life)?

• will having this child in your home stop you from doing things you need to do, like errands, etc.?

Just as an example, our nanny had our permission to take our son in her car whenever she needed to do something, such as pick up her older daughter from school, take the girls to dance lessons, etc.

 

[jennilouwho]

That seems very low to me. I do think that's a very long day as well. I couldn't handle it. I babysit in someone else's home 6 hours a day and take my son with me and make $8 an hour. I am free to take the kids places to break the day up. There are three of them, but the 2 oldest are in kindergarten and I only have them for 2 1/2 hours every day. I'd be asking for at least $3 to $4 an hour to have her in your home.

 

[Gillian]

No matter what you decide about the money, be sure to set up the ground rules and put them in writing. If you're taking the place of a business, then you have to treat it like a business!

Things to get settled:
-late fees
-who supplies food
-can you take the child out?
-are you expected to provide an educational atmosphere, or just a safe, fun one?
-do you get paid if the child doesn't come because of illness? work holidays?

Some of that stuff might not matter much, but it's good to settle it ahead of time. I bring my daughter to an in home sitter sometimes, and the sitter has had problems with parents because they don't respect her policies. Now she gets a signed contract and has more rules.

Good luck! It's a long day for you (7am is very early!), but if you only have 1 child at home during the day, it could be a good opportunity.

 

[swillis]

I pay $32 a day for my son to go to the YMCA school based child care during their school vacation weeks.

This doesn't include breakfast or lunch, just 2 small snacks. If they take a field trip it's extra. The center is open from 7am-6pm

Just thought I'd give you something for comparison. I live in Massachusetts, and the going rate for daycare around here is between $25-30 a day.

 

[jms25]

I live in Indiana. I pay my current sitter $20/day or $5/hr. DD goes from 1pm-5pm since I work evenings. Our previous sitter charged $35/day for 8am-6pm and the $5/hr for anyone that was half days (<5hrs/day). These are suburb Indy where I believe the going per week rate is around $125-175.

I also provided child care at the person's home when I was finishing out college. I usually earned $125/week for 1 child. This was in rural/small town Indiana. My hours then were usually somewhere between 7a/8a to 5p.

I would ask for more. 11 hr days are huge. To me $150 per week is reasonable. I also second the idea that you should have some type of "contract" set up.

Hope that helps!

 

[mom2boys77]

Thank you for all of your advice. I told her that I will try it for 2 weeks and then we'll see what happens. The money is not going to make or break our family...it would just be nice to have the extra to save for things like Disney. I will definitely think this through completely and will ask for more money. She is going to supply her food so I think 150 would be ok. She will be giving me a carseat so that I won't be stuck in the house with the kids. I really appreciate all of your help! Barbara

 

[jjj444]

I watch a friends baby(5months) two days a week and they pay me 30 a day. They usually drop him off at 8 and pick him up at 5. They supply all food,diapers,wipes and whatever else he may need. I honestly don't think I could do it full time. 2 days is enough. I am doing it mainly to help them out. It can be stressful at times and hard on my kid. I would keep a very open line of communication with the parents and let them know if you don't like it.

 

[coach's wife]

I know you have already made up your mind but somethings to consider. I am a daycare provider ( I do it our of my home). Here are a few things you should know:

AT least by Virginia law:

You HAVE to be certified to care for ANY children ( that includes classes yearly, CPR & First Aid, and a backround check)
You also need to get insurance coverage

With certification you can DEDUCT several things for TAXes. Such as part of your mortgage, all utilities and a basic amount of your food bill. Plus several other things.

I think it is nice that you want to cut her a break but just realize that in VA you get $200-$250 per WEEK Granted the cost of living is expensive by the DC area but it is expensive in Jersey too. (I am a Jersey native)

Watching children is a hard job...watching someone elses children is even harder.
Good Luck in what ever you decide after the trial period.