I am due at the end of March. I had lunch with a girlfriend that lives in my neighborhood today. She is due at the end of June. I will most likely not be going back to work as I don't make enough to pay for day care, and there are no benefits that come with my job.. (everything is though my husband's job). Anyway, she will be going back to work probably at the end of October/beginning of November. She works for a college, so she has the summer off plus FMLA gives her until then for maternity leave. She asked me today if I would be interested in watching her baby when she goes back to work (her baby would be about 4 months old). She told me to think about it and if I am interested, to figure out how much I would want to charge, etc.
On one hand, this would help our cash flow since I wouldn't be working and I would just be home with our LO anyway. But is this adding a ton of stress to my life? I am nervous about one kid (read: I know nothing about babies), am I crazy to consider having 2 here every weekday? Our baby would be about 7 months old at this point, so I would hopefully figure things out by then. Haha. I don't know, do any of you have any thoughts on this?
And if I did consider it, what would I charge? I know this all depends on location, but any ideas on even how to come up with a figure? And that might tell me if it's worth it or not.. lol.
Thanks ladies!
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I work in an early learning center, and I can tell you right now, having only 2 LO to look after would be s DREAM!!!! lol. We, there are 4 of us in the infant room, usually have anywhere from 7 to 9 of the little muffins tolling about at any given dayl
I would check around to see what your local childcare center pays, and maybe adjust up or down from there. I would imagine she will be providing the milk/formula, diapers and so on, and you would just be monitoring and interacting, or would you be providing the diapers as well? Also, what does she expect you to do with the luvabug, just keep it safe, warm and dry or will there be an educational component as well? ( yeah, babies can learn a ton even as babies, but NO they don't really learn to read! Sorry, a soap box for another time).
Obviously, i don't know your financials, or hers for that matter, but i would say that charging somewhere between $8 to $10 and hour would be reasonable. I make in that range, and it's manageable-read, no steak and lobster nightly, but the bills are paid and there is enough for the occasional cheeseburger, lol. And you can always adjust it based on need, hours and so on.
HTH, and good luck.
Me (37)SO(51)
TTC#1
"It always works, when you know what you're doing"-Richard Bach(Jonathan Livingston Seagull)
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BabyorBust2011: Obviously, i don't know your financials, or hers for that matter, but i would say that charging somewhere between $8 to $10 and hour would be reasonable.
Obviously, i don't know your financials, or hers for that matter, but i would say that charging somewhere between $8 to $10 and hour would be reasonable.
First I want to say $8-10 an hour is WAY too much! For a 40 hour week that would be $400 or $1600 a month for ONE child! I think $200 a week is more reasonable for an at home daycare
I like the PP idea of doing a trial period - commit to one month and then if it doenst work tell her you will give her 2 weeks to find other care.
At 7 months (your daughter) I think it should be fairly easy though - she will be eating solids and should be on a good routine by then
me: 36 DH: 46
Sept 2008 - IVF/ICSI
March 2011 - au natural
I did daycare in my home when DS1 was 2yrs old and after a year, I had my fill. I was state certified &even had home inspections. After taxes, I made $1.50 an hour....and working 50 hrs a wk. I lost my freedom to come & go and that alone time with my LO. So now, we keep a tight budget but I just have my kids. I agree with PP about a trial run. 5 days with someone else's baby is a lot. Not to mention the rift it can cause when ur friend drops off a sick baby or you realize you are way under paid at times etc. I feel like staying home with mine are job enough and few get to do it. I have just been asked by 4 different ppl about watching kids and I have said no to all. The money is sooo not worth it! JMHO
Me & DH 28 with '07, '10, one & Due November 18th (per chart) 20th (per U/S)!!!! So excited for our last LO!
StinkyPants: I lost my freedom to come & go and that alone time with my LO.
I lost my freedom to come & go and that alone time with my LO.
These have been my same concerns. If I want to go food shopping, I could do it with one, just strap him in the carrier or whatnot, but 2 would make it really hard. I thought about it, maybe if I only did 4 days a week, instead of 5. Also, my initial thought on pay would be $10/hour, but if that's way too much, then I don't know. I'm not going to sell myself short, it has to be actually be worth it for me. You ladies have given me a lot to think about. And I'm definitely not going to make any quick decisions here. Thank you!!
Our neighbor watches our DD and charges us by the day. This is a huge help to us because we only needed someone 3x/wk and all the daycares in our area charge weekly regardless if your child attends every day or not.
I agree with others that while $10/hr is too much (even though it doesn't sound like much). If your friend worked 8 hours/day 5 days/wk that would cost her $400/wk which is extremely expensive. Most daycares in our area (Midwest) charge anywhere from $165-$210/wk for an infant.
While our neighbor doesn't get out too much she does take DD on the occasional errand. If you decide to watch your friend's child make sure she buys a car seat base (or another car seat) for your car so you aren't stuck at home all the time.
Danica (29), DH (31), Married Oct. '08
Adelyn Mae born July 8, 2011
Yes, $10 and hr isn't realistic. The pay scale depends on age for most daycares and honestly, most places charge about $4 an hour, like I said, after taxes and what not, I was only making $1.50. And it's doubtful that she will pay you under the table because most parents want to claim daycare expenses on their taxes so that means you'll have to file if she does kwim? That and what is this child going to eat in the future? Eating habits are hard enough let along explaining why one gets to eat something different or like the parent I had, wanted me to force her child to eat veggies when she couldn't get him too. You will essentially become this baby's second mother.
Not to mention, is this friends going to be okay with you being out & about with her newborn. Driving around going to baby check-ups and shopping? Most ppl I know wouldn't want some one else driving around with their newborn. Or What if DH comes home early one day and wants to take you and your LO out to lunch or for a drive? That means you have to either take the tag along and be back by a certain time or not get to go. One thing I hated is that I have a small pool but I hardly got to use it because the child I watched was a non-swimmer so that whole summer was kind.-of a bust Also, I know your LO will be nearly a year but that is prime snuggle time. Your child will only get just YOU for a short amount of time and it goes sooo fast.
I can't tell you how many colds, I mean I know it's bound to happen but, kids pass it back and forth and so on. Also, there will be days that you are sick or whatever and you have to call her to "call off" which doesn't seem huge but that parent now has to find another sitter or take off also and while that's life, you may get some attitude. It can be hard working with/for friends and family so take that into account.
If I were you, I'd tell her half a week for a month and go from there. But it's not to late to just tell her you don't think you'll be able to handle it :) GL!!!
I've never used daycare, but I have a sister and best friend who is a nanny and I used to do the bookkeeping for a daycare. I'm not sure where the rest of you live, but in my area, daycare for infants costs between $1000-$1500 per month which included diapers, but not formula. That is with a ratio of 1worker to 4-6 kids.
My sister nannied for one 2yr old this summer and made $12/hr. My best friend who is a professional nanny with certification and 20yrs experience both in daycare centers and home care makes between $23-$26/hr with benefits.
I'm shocked and appalled that someone would work for $1.50/hr. These are children! I understand if someone is struggling financially and as a daycare provider you may give them grace and charge them only a little, but personally, I would want to pay more than $1.50/hr for the care of my child.
I do know that some areas are more financially depressed than others and I guess I might live in a more affluent area, but personally, I wouldn't take less than $8-10/hr for an infant. At least take minimum wage. But I think that caring for a baby is way more demanding than working at a fast food restaurant and should pay more.
I do agree that a trial period is a fantastic idea. Make sure you have all the stipulations in writing so that there is a clear understanding of what the exectations are on both sides.
StinkyPants: I can't tell you how many colds, I mean I know it's bound to happen but, kids pass it back and forth and so on. Also, there will be days that you are sick or whatever and you have to call her to "call off" which doesn't seem huge but that parent now has to find another sitter or take off also and while that's life, you may get some attitude. It can be hard working with/for friends and family so take that into account.
This is a big deal for us. There have been a couple times when our DCP had to call us last minute because one of her kids was sick. Luckily I have a pretty flexible schedule so we are usually able to watch her, but it can put parents in a bind.
Forgive me b/c I'm posting from my nook but to the PP reguarding her shock over making $1.50, I hear ya all the way! But those are the laws in my state right now which is in pretty bad shape. It was also the price of getting to work from MY home. I still had to keep up my certification and licsense AND pay union fees or fair share fees! Total rip-off! That is why I'll never do it again.
I paid my friend $130/week to watch my son for about 7-8 hours a day. When I looked into daycares, home or otherwise, the going rates here were between $115 and $225/week. There is no way I could have afforded to pay someone $8-10 hour - not that I don't think it's worth it, of course it's your baby! - but it just wouldn't be feasible. I think the only way daycare workers make that much is because they are watching multiple children. If someone can afford to pay that for one child I think that's awesome but definitely out of the norm.
Julie & EricMarried 12-02-06July 2008October 2008 (ectopic)
It's a !! John Augustus born October 9, 2009.
BFP 08-23-11, EDD 05-09-12.
StinkyPants: Forgive me b/c I'm posting from my nook but to the PP regarding her shock over making $1.50, I hear ya all the way! But those are the laws in my state right now which is in pretty bad shape. It was also the price of getting to work from MY home. I still had to keep up my certification and license AND pay union fees or fair share fees! Total rip-off! That is why I'll never do it again.
Forgive me b/c I'm posting from my nook but to the PP regarding her shock over making $1.50, I hear ya all the way! But those are the laws in my state right now which is in pretty bad shape. It was also the price of getting to work from MY home. I still had to keep up my certification and license AND pay union fees or fair share fees! Total rip-off! That is why I'll never do it again.
and on that note:
julieinthesky: I think the only way daycare workers make that much is because they are watching multiple children. If someone can afford to pay that for one child I think that's awesome but definitely out of the norm.
I think the only way daycare workers make that much is because they are watching multiple children. If someone can afford to pay that for one child I think that's awesome but definitely out of the norm.
This. I was able to watch either up to six school-age children (total, meaning including my own) or four infant-preschool aged in my home. The idea is that you make more an hour per the amount of children you provide for. I could have been making more but I chose to only watch one child and it was through a family member. That $1.50 an hour was what I brought home (so to speak) after taxes, union dues -mandatory BS!, certification up-keep, cost to keep my home daycare standards, and yes, I had to provide meals and snacks per STATE rules. Even if the parent provided lunch, I had to offer all the food groups etc....All that and I was still "Self Employed."
Now this is more involved babysitting I know but if someone is paying you a service, at has to be treated professionally. This is what you can expect from a regular daycare. Anyway, to go the more relaxed rout seems easy but when it comes to parenting someone else's child, easy flies out the window!
After reading all the posts, i agree, $8 to $10 is a bit high. I forget that I work in a center with multiple munchkins in one room, and that an in-home setting would be less kids, and less expensive. Still, i agree that anywhere from $150 to $200 a week is a fair price, considering you are giving up your time, freedom to some degree and maybe some of your own supplies: diapers, cream, perhaps formula if that is in the agreement, etc. So you do want to make sure that you are adequately compensated, without breaking her bank as well.Good luck:)
FWIW: I'm in GA, and childcare centers for an infant are anywhere from $160-$220 a week , and those are the top of the line, we teach your kid everything humanly possible ones. I thin the average in home ranges from $130 to $180, depending on age, needs, i.e special needs or not, and so on.
I'm in the NYC suburbs, and I cannot imagine finding someone for $8 an hour. Here $10 is the deal of the century, with $12-$15 standard for in home daycare. The YMCA child care (which is considered an affordable option) here runs around $1400-$1500 a month I believe. Center based daycare is less expensive than in-home, presumably because it is fewer kids per adult, but I guess you could find something cheaper if a person at home was watching several children at once. But obviously it depends on where you live.
I have considered doing this on more than one occasion -- pretty much every time a friend had a baby, was going back to work and looking for child care. I have never done it. Part of it depends on how desperate you are for the cash and whether or not you have other options. I realized that as a teacher, tutoring evenings and weekends better suited me, so I could spend the day with my kid(s) and enjoy that time.
In retrospect, I would never, ever trade the time I got to spend one-on-one with my first born. It was perhaps the best 2.5 years of my life. It's so exciting to go through all of the milestones and to have it just be the two of you during the day. I really loved it and if I had had to watch someone else's child at the same time, well then I flat out would have missed that entire experience. I mean, it's fine when they are both babies, but what if you want to take your child to a music class or a gym class or something like that? And when you just have one baby the world is your oyster -- you can take them to anywhere and do anything. I think I saw nearly every museum in manhattan the first year of my daughter's life.
Of course if you are going to be stressed out about money the whole time you are home, that's an entirely different story. Then I would consider it. But if not, I'd keep it just you and your baby for the first year at least. I certainly wouldn't commit to anything until after you have your baby and have your sea legs under you. I had fully intended to be back in the classroom when DD1 was four months old. That is until she arrived and I realized there was no way I could do it. She turns 7 in June and I still haven't returned! Now of course, I could (and do) watch other people's kids informally all the time, but that is because my entire life is an in-home daycare. One more kid doesn't really make a difference.
Laura
(6), (4), (2), born May 16, 2012!
The shop is closed. Our perfect family is complete
Such good stuff.. thanks ladies. Well I'll tell you right now, I won't do it for $1.50/hour, it would absolutely be at least minimum wage and I agree, it wouldn't be under the table, so I have to take all that into account. She approached me about it, I never even thought about doing this... so if (IF) I decide it's a possibility for me, I'm going to set what terms I would like and then we can negotiate it out, or she doesn't have to go this route. And we just assumed I wouldn't be working, so any extra money is just that, extra money. And again, it has to be worth it for me.
There are plenty of day care centers around that charge an arm and a leg... we're not in a super expensive area, but I've lived in more affordable places, so I'm sure whatever I would charge would be a deal for her. I did tell her that I would want to wait to make a decision until at least our baby is born to see how I do with him, and then I might call around to some day cares to see what the average rate is. Obviously, I couldn't (and wouldn't) charge what they do, but it might give me an idea of what the alternative is. Minimum wage here is $7.25/hour (I believe), so taking taxes into account, I would probably charge no less than 8 or 9 bucks/hour. And like I said, she doesn't have to go this route. So we'll see...
Again, thank you so much ladies, you have really given me a lot to think about!
Again, that wage was b/c I chose to do only one child instead of six and I also forgot to mention that I had to be insured incase something were to ever happen so that should be brought up w/ your neighbor to. Kids get hurt all the time and the last thing you want is for your friend sueing you over a broken arm etc. Oh, and be sure to take an infant-child CPR and first-aid class. Even if you don't take the job,it's just good to know:)
StinkyPants: Oh, and be sure to take an infant-child CPR and first-aid class. Even if you don't take the job,it's just good to know:)
Oh, and be sure to take an infant-child CPR and first-aid class. Even if you don't take the job,it's just good to know:)
Absolutely! I was thinking about doing this, just so I know what to do for my own baby.
Apologies for not reading everyone's responses -- I read a few of them, though :)
Just wanted to say that I paid a lady $10/hr to watch my son when he was younger after DH went back to school. I wasn't ready to have him in daycare where the ratio was 1 teacher for 5 babies, and nannies were $12-15/hr. The lady was at home with her 3 year old, but given the one-on-one attention my son got from her, it was definitely worth the pay. Heck, my friends were making $10/hr to babysit when I was in high school 10+ years ago.
Now, given that you're not licensed and aren't an official nanny, you could probably get by with charging a little less - but in my opinion, childcare is so important that parents shouldn't be trying to find the best bargain, but should be willing to pay what they can for quality care -- I'm not saying they need to go all out and hire an au pair or something, but I would never expect someone to charge me the same as a daycare if my kid was getting more hands-on attention. I hope that makes sense.
My mom used to watch several kids for a measly amount of money - she did it only to help those women out, and she got paid squat. My sister-in-law used to watch another lady's kid, and she got paid next to nothing. In both situations the moms tended to take advantage of the person watching the kid, because they were getting the care at a steal.
You may also want to look into legal issues -- if you don't get licensed, you could be in serious trouble (remember that news story about the mom who got charged for having her kids' friends come over to her house before school - ridiculous, yes, but that's the type of society we live in these days it seems). You can get paid under the table, but you run a risk of not reporting it on your tax filings every year. Just something to consider? I know for me, personally, it's not worth all the liability. I'm not saying I don't watch my friend's kids every once in a while for a few hours so they can get errands done, but it's a whole other ball game when you're providing regular care for someone else's kid. We paid our "nanny" under the table, and I was nervous the whole time -- the taxes and such are the reason I decided against hiring a real, licensed nanny and we went with a daycare we felt comfy with.
Hopefully all of this made sense - I feel kinda rambly and out of it ;) I blame my preggo-brain ;)
My Charts
DH Me, and
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. ~Romans 12:12~
I pay my in home sitter $45.00 a day. Most day cares in my city are around $60.00 (for an average of 8 hours).
I agree with PP about the legal issues. Plus add in what your back up plan (or hers) will be if YOU are sick, either baby is sick, vacation time, emergencies (death in the family, injury, etc).... all things that will effect the both of you!
Also, you'll be parenting another person's child. I discuss in detail DD's care/behaviors/schedules/milestones/illnesses etc with my sitter (mostly asking her advice because she has been raising children for 16 years). More so though than her pedes even. So far we haven't disagreed on anythying but I couldn't imagine the discomfort or road block if there was. I think it's so important for the day care provider and parent to be on the same page.
Not that you wouldn't be, it's just something to consider. There's a lot involved in raising a child, more than I ever expected and dd is only 15 months old. I think we are just getting to some of the hard stuff. DH and I even have issues with this half the time, communication is key and can be strained by fatigue, cultural differences, personal history and a slew of other things.
I feel like I"m making a bit of a mountain out of a mole hill... just playing devil's advocate a little. I don't want to scare you, but just putting it all out there. It could turn out to be a wonderful wonderful working relationship and how fun for your little one to have a playmate!!! And there are times when it's just her and I when I think, just one more for her to play with would be so helpful. But I know that doesn't always run smooth either (fighting, sharing, attention seeking etc).
Anyway... babbling a bit. Just (lots) of food for thought. I know it's a ways out but keep us posted on which every you decide!
Me 36, borderline low progesterone, light endo & fibroids removed 10/6/09.... Dh 37, borderline low morphology TTC#1 March 2006 TTC Charts TTA Charts
Me 36, borderline low progesterone, light endo & fibroids removed 10/6/09.... Dh 37, borderline low morphology
TTC#1 March 2006
First BFP 1/09/2010 wild yam root 500 mg cd 1-9, maca root 900 mg until 11 dpo, clomid 50 mg cd 5-9, NPC from 3 dpo, procheive suppositories 1st trimester
16 dpo beta 397, 18 dpo beta 863
9/26/2011