Baby sitting rates

[IthinkNOT!]

My bff is going to work at the local detention center. She has asked me to babysit for her 3 kids while she works. She will be working a swing shift, one week will be 6pm-6am and the next time from 6am-6pm. She will work 4 days on each shift and have 3 days off in between. So work 4 days off 3.

On the days she works 6am-6pm, I would technically be working only from 6am-8am, long enough to get the kids up and off to school. After school the 2 oldest can be alone until 6 when their mom gets home. The youngest is autistic and will be with his mentor until 6pm.

On the days she works 6pm-6am, I would get there at 5:45 and spend the night, and prolly get the kids up and ready for school the next day.

The kids are 13, 9 and 7. One is Autistic. We are unsure of what the going rates are for babysitters are. Any ideas? What would you expect to pay for those hours?

[atprm]

I sent you an instant message.

do NOT do it.

[fleabones3]

Oh wow. Thats hard to say, because the week you only gotta do a couple of hours arent your problem. its those over night ones. I know nowdays its like 3.00 per hour per kid if not more.

[atprm]

overnight in our area is $9 an hour per child (and that doesn't count one that is disabled).

day / evening /weekend rate is $6.00 an hour per child.

(so figure $27 an hour for overnights and $18 an hour during the day/evenings or weekends).

[Jenefer3]

Considering that rates vary by person, it might be easier for you and your friend to come up with an amount. Maybe see what she's able to afford and what you're willing to accept and go from there?

I know when a friend babysat for me, we ended up doing a set rate per week. I paid about $1000 a month for childcare...but it was also 9 hours a day for my son, and just before and after school for my girls, but she also made the meals, picked up the kids from school, and did a lot of other things.

[HolsterBol]

I'd be seriously worried about leaving my kids with a stranger,

But as long as you know the babysitter everything is okay,

I'd say a good babysitter goes for 10-15 hourly

http://www.arbonnes.com/B/p.gif

[lizmolik]

Considering she is your friend! I would say the best thing would be to sit down with her and come up with a fair price that would suit you both (as far as her income and what it would be worth for you to do it for her) Check the rates at your local daycares too, or ask around your town. HTH!

[MistyWolf]

Considering she is your friend! I would say the best thing would be to sit down with her and come up with a fair price that would suit you both (as far as her income and what it would be worth for you to do it for her) Check the rates at your local daycares too, or ask around your town. HTH!

That is what I would do because she is a friend but seriously I wouldn't do it. Could wind up ruining your friendship.

[atprm]

ITN: you already are having problems with this friend -- any kind of money issues will totally:

1) ruin the remaining friendship
2) she's already taking advantage of you, and this will be no different
3) just wait -- even tho she works those hours, tack on time on both ends for travel, stops, etc
4) "being taken advantage of" is a bad thing for many reasons, but especially if she decides that she wants to spend less $$ on childcare and tells you she didn't get enough in her check to pay you!!
6) your schooling and studying times will be ruined -- perhaps not immediately, but eventually.

If you are going to be the babysitter for 3 (with 1 disabled), while someone is working full time -- you should be PAID for fulltime! You are worth every single penny...and this will encompass your life as a fulltime job!

Also -- be prepared to pay taxes at the end of each year when she realizes that she has to put your social security number on her income taxes so that she can get some of that $$ back from the IRS....and you will have to claim it as income and pay taxes on all monies that you received. (otherwise you can be audited, and you don't want to piss off the IRS).

She does have family support -- her Mom, the children's Father, etc -- so she doesn't have to find strangers...but there are daycares that provide before and after school care.

[Anniston]

That is a hard question since the hours vary greatly. One week, you would only have about 8 hours, while the other weeks, over 40. I am assuming that you are just doing this more as a favor than a career? In that case, I would see what the daily going rate for three younger kids is and charge that across the board, including sleeping hours. That seems the most fair. Or if you agree that it would get too high on the weeks you sleep over, you could negotiate a sleeping hours rate.

Also, you should have all the specifics negotiated before you seal the deal. If she cancels because she or a child is ill, will she still have to pay? Will you want/expect certain holidays off? Like the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve?

[missteena]

Well I hope you can figure this one out but I would just be careful. My mom works for a company that "babysits" older people or handicapped people that cannot help themself much and one family she sits for has an autistic child. She said he will randomly have seizures that you cannot do anything for him. You just have to let him be by himself until he comes out of it. And she said a lot of time he doesn't sleep through the night. He will sleep for a couple hours and then wake up and stay up for a few hours before going back to sleep.

This could effect your life as well so I would just think of everything before you jump into something. It may sounds like a good thing right now but it may not be in the end.

[fleabones3]

If you decide to do this, I would draw up a " contract". Detailed with how many hours notice if she isnt going to work to let you know, vice versa, days off, pay dates, how much, etc etc and make sure she signs it. That way if something happens, and she dont give you the right amount,you got back up

[Unicornmom77]

I can tell you rates do vary from area to area, I charge $100 per week per child and might consider more for the child that is disabled depending on if he needed a great deal of extra care. I do not have experience with autistic children so I would not want to take responsibility for one, for fear I could not provide the best care possible.

Now if this is your friend I would not do it, I can tell you from experience it is near imposable to have a business relationship with a friend.

If you do, I would defiantly have a contract signed and notarized, please remember to get a medical release in case of emergencies.

[SLance68]

Also -- be prepared to pay taxes at the end of each year when she realizes that she has to put your social security number on her income taxes so that she can get some of that $$ back from the IRS....and you will have to claim it as income and pay taxes on all monies that you received. (otherwise you can be audited, and you don't want to piss off the IRS).

Also be prepared to pay penalties and interest charges to the IRS if you don't pay quarterly for self employed.

It is best to keep friends as friends. Don't mix friends with business it never works out well for one party and it is usually the one providing the service that gets the wrong end of the deal in the end.

[155oaks]

no matter what you ask for you won't get it. She needs the job because she needs the money. She will look at you as the great wonder BFF who doesn't need to get paid to do what BFF generally do for each other when in need.

want an ex BFF then ask for $150 a week, be taken advantage of, feed the kids, buy them things and expect to be thanked or even paid.

[Shancopp]

I can tell you rates do vary from area to area, I charge $100 per week per child and might consider more for the child that is disabled depending on if he needed a great deal of extra care. I do not have experience with autistic children so I would not want to take responsibility for one, for fear I could not provide the best care possible.

Now if this is your friend I would not do it, I can tell you from experience it is near imposable to have a business relationship with a friend.

If you do, I would defiantly have a contract signed and notarized, please remember to get a medical release in case of emergencies.

I did daycare for a few years and started at 75 week, then raised to 100 like you. Parents balked at it.

Do you get much grief about your rates? I see you have 9 kids! Congrats on the big money! lol!!

[Army-Mom]

my son pays my sister in law $60.00 a week and he takes her meals to her also..she will be three in Aug..I am unable to watch her right now as I have a fracture left tibia and my health isnt all that great..my neice owns a local daycare and charges $130.00 a week..