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MYSTICFEMALE12

ARE MY PRICES TOO MUCH OR JUST RIGHT FOR BABYSITTING FOR A FEW HOURS FOR THE DAY

my brother asked me to babysit this friday, I said want $10hr...for 5 hours....$50 for the day...he said im charging too much, I said u pay the daycare that....and maybe even more....the kid has to eat too....I gotta feed my niece also...well now he thinks im charging too much and said nevermind a bout keeping my niece...and now he is mad at me. am I charging him too much or are my prices just fine?

Posted - March 27, 2019
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Responses


  • that is a perfect price 

    I would have charged 15 an hour, family or not, you didn't pop them out 

    in fact I'd charge my family more if they asked me to sit for them 
      March 27, 2019 12:18 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    That is a very ugly-natured, millennial way to think about things.  

    But then again?  My brother did a lot of things FOR me. These people sound like they hate each other. GOD.  You have a soft heart.  You would not screw someone that cared for you and did nice things for you.  
      March 27, 2019 12:21 PM MDT
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  • not really
    it's a lot to ask someone to watch your children. why do you think daycares and nannies are so expensive? 

    i value my own personal time too much to let someone take advantage of me like that 

    in my case it depends on the situation. i have an 11 year old brother who i would have no problem watching, even for free. my mother isn't a jerk tho and wouldn't expect me to. i also have a cousin with a three year old who thinks i should drop anything im doing at once if she needs a babysitter just because we are related, and that i should do it for free. i haven't babysat for her in years 

    i don't see how there is any thing wrong with OP for expecting to be compensated for her work. 
      March 27, 2019 12:28 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    ahh.  I TOTALLY agree with you.  TOTALLY.  There is a reason you feel this way and it is warranted.  This woman who is writing this question has no issue with her brother.  She just wants to cash in.  I THINK.  Just the way she talks about her brother and his family reeks of a disconnect.  They don't act like you and your brother and your mom.  More like your cousin, who I would avoid like the plague. LOL
      March 27, 2019 12:32 PM MDT
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  • i think it's fair to say we don't actually know anything about OP or her relationship with her brother. maybe he doesn't do anything for her,  maybe he asks her to babysit on her dime all the time and she's just sick of it, maybe he does her favors all the time and now she's just trying to shake him down and be rude

    but since we don't know any of that I think that based on the facts presented here it makes sense that OP would expect to be paid 
      March 27, 2019 12:41 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    Sure.  Who on here is fair though?  I read her comments.  She is not someone who explained a lot, true.  I get a feeling about her that you do not.  We don't agree. You are right to be objective, I just think you may be a little too objective because you are thinking of your cousin.  

    If I think about my cousin, I will side with HER AND YOU, trust me.
      March 27, 2019 1:22 PM MDT
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  • 7939
    I think a lot of it has to do with what you're bringing to the table and how much you engage with the kids. Where you live matters too, since wages are regional. 

    Back when I was a stay-at-home mom, I watched two little boys. They were one and four when we stated and I think I watched them for about two years. I believe I charged her about $12/ hr. We did a lot of outings- the zoo, library, splash pads, indoor play areas, parks, and so forth. I fed them lunch and was engaged with the kids 100% of the time I had them. But, that was 5+ years ago now.

    I've recently had to hire my own sitters and their rates run the gamut. My kids are 7 and 10, so they need almost nothing and I usually bring the sitter in close to bedtime, so the kids are asleep most of the time the sitter is here. I've worked with three different sitters thus far.

    One works in daycare and has a class of toddlers. She's sweet and will chat with my younger one, but spends most of the time on her phone. She charges $11/ hr (up from the $10.50 she makes at her day job). I had her watch my friend's 8 and 9-year-olds with mine one day and she charged $15/ hr, but again, did nothing, really. She was mostly just a responsible party to be present. 

    I had another one who charges me $15/ hr. She's a student and we hit it off and the kids loved her. I thought she'd really engage with them too, which would have made the $15 worth it, IMO, but she didn't. I asked her for a quote on watching the four kids and she told me $25/ hr. I passed. 

    My most recent find is a youth librarian. OMG she was awesome. She brought activities to do and played board games and engaged with the kids the whole time. She only charged $15/hr for all four kids. She will be the one I seek out in the future. 

    If you really want to know if your rates are fair, find a site for sitters and do a cost-comparison based on what others in your area are charging. $10 per hour for one child would be fair for my area, but it might not be for other areas. And, you also have to take into account the person's financial status when you're dealing with family. Is this a guy who works a minimum wage or low wage job? If so, your $10/hr fee may cripple him even if it is a fair rate for your area. That is, if he was planning to work while you babysat. I think it's different if someone is going out for social reasons. If you can't afford your sitter, you can't afford to go out. You can't be mad that your playtime is too expensive. It's either within your means to go out or it's not. But, work is different. 

    Also, if you're already home and won't be dedicating a whole lot of time to childcare, then he was probably expecting you to cut him a deal. If I was helping out a friend or family member for a single day and their kids would just be hanging out with mine, I'd let it go and wouldn't expect payment, so long as it wasn't a regular thing where they always expected me to watch their child. 

    But, the bottom line is that you laid out your expectations in advance and were clear. If he's mad, then so be it. Far better for him to be mad now and not leave the child with you than to find out after the fact that you were charging a rate he couldn't afford. 
      March 27, 2019 12:39 PM MDT
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  • 6023
    Rule of thumb in my family ... if you can't get a babysitter, you pay relatives what you would have paid the babysitter.

    Babysitters do NOT make the same rate as a childcare facility, because they don't do all the things a childcare facility does.
    States have requirements for childcare facilities.  The same is seldom true for babysitters.
      March 27, 2019 1:39 PM MDT
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  • 17612
    How old are you?
      March 28, 2019 12:39 AM MDT
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  • 46117
    I thought I was talking to a little kid at first.  
      March 28, 2019 12:42 AM MDT
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