Should I charge more to babysit?

So I recently started babysitting for a family member. I watch her three kids and only charge $30/day; everything started great. She drops them off at 7:45 to be at work by eight and picks them up by 5:30 pm except for Tuesdays and Thursdays when she’s busy until around 6. Well, she recently has started to take advantage of my kindness; I feel like and some days doesn’t pick up the kids until after seven or sometimes closer to 8 pm! Mind you; I feed her kids three meals as well as 2-3 snacks a day out of my own pocket. I have two kids of my own and just found out I’m expecting another in Nov., and I am changing diapers on 1 of each of our kids. Am I in the right to feel angry and frustrated? Is it wrong of me to want to charge her more? I was waiting for her to pick up her kids tonight and planning on an early night only for her to message me right before 6nand say she wouldn’t be able to pick up the kids until probably after 8 pm

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Yes she’s taking advantage of the situation. I’m not sure what the amount of money it should be but $30 for 3 children that’s too little bit. 1)Also you should charge more for extra hours.
2) She should either give you money from groceries/bring groceries or tell her make breakfast and lunch for her kids before dropping them off. If things don’t change then she needs to find a new babysitter. You have your own family to worry about as well.

I would charge more or tell her to supply the things needed for her kids as you are going to have a full house soon with a little on the way

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Charge more… I would ask for like 45-50 a day 3 kids and all them hours… a day care would be way more.n ask her to send in snacks and drinks .

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More money and 6pm pick up. Or you czn no longer watch them

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I sense she’s taken advantage of your kindness

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She needs to respect you more. If you have set times, she should be there to get them or start paying you more.

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I would talk to her and be like I don’t mind having the kids but I’m going to need to charge more. I can’t keep feeding them 3 meals for 30. And if she doesn’t like it let her know that she can always find a different person to take care of her kids

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I would charge more especially her leaving them there that long and tell her to pack food for them

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If she would take them to a daycare she wouldn’t be able to work due to the cost. Raise your price. She is taking complete advantage of you.

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Easily should be $20 a day per kid. She’s totally taking advantage.

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50/day plus $10 an hour after 5 (that’s a 9 hour day) I think that may save u from babysitting til 8 bc that would be $80 for one day which is very well deserved when your dividing your time with your own family

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3 kids for 30 bucks a day :joy: Nah girl charge her way more. Daycare charges like 50 for one kid. Easy 20 per kid especially that long. Raise it to $60 and pick up by 6. If not late fee

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More money, food contribution and firmer big up times. You are raising her children. Don’t sell yourself short.

I would immediately inform her of new prices an charges for late pickup

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Charge more and ask her to send her kids with their lunchboxes and bag

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Every 30 mins she’s late that’s an extra 10-15 dollars per kid if she don’t want to pay it she needs to find a new babysitter or think about day care and then she has absolutely no choice to get her kids at that time

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Start changing hourly happen to me too see how fast she comes have kids waiting ready when comes give her list of daily snacks on sat to bring for week tell her cost of groceries went up you need help not a lie

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Yea. Anything over a half hour late I’d absolutely charge.

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You need to charge more, we pay 10 an hour !!!

Definitely and she needs to bring a meal and a snack or $10 a day extra for food

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Write up a contract so each of your expectations are clear. This is to protect each of you and that there are no misunderstandings. Make sure everything is outlined, including extra charges for over and above. This has to be set up as a business deal, nothing personal.

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I would charge an extra $15 per hour for every hour shes late

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3 kids for 150.00 a week?!?!?!? She should be thanking her lucky stars for you. Tell her you are saving her at least 300.00 - 400.00 each week but she is welcome to go pay that or pay you more.

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I was paying daycare for 2 school age kids $200 a week. That’s 80$ a day and they were only there for a couple hours after school. You need to charge more. Especially if you are providing food and everything…

Anytime after 6 charge extra per child I bet that will hurry her up

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Charge her more for each extra hour. Also ask her to provide their weekly snacks at least. She has one hell of a deal with you.

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$20 PER KID with her bringing them food OR $30 per kid you providing food!

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You should be charging more but also tell her to pick the kids up on time. You have a life outside of her. She may not think its a big deal if you never said anything so say something now before you get really angry.

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Ask her, her reasons for picking up at 8. Tell her YOU have a family, YOU are pregnant, if it’s not a good enough reason tell her to pick them up at normal time or she’s getting charged more. Not 30 a day that’s low balling for what she’s doing.

I’ve learned the hard way family or not always write up a contract. In this case the contract should include
*payment figure out a per hour rate then multiply by the number of hours she needs per day so she’s paying you more for longer days)
*A set schedule.
*A penalty rate for her being late (like $15 every 5 minutes late to be rolled up to the closest 5 minute intervals) Give her a leeway for traffic or whatever. Don’t make it much like 15 minutes. If she feels this is unfair raise your rate for an hour worth.
*It should also include a plan incase you can’t watch them. An alternative babysitter, you pay her for emergency care etc.
It’s too easy to take advantage of someone. Make sure it’s in writing & your both on the same page.

$30 a day? You need to start charging her by the hour. Child care is about $100 a day, per child if she isn’t happy with what you suggest.

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Charge her xtra $10 every 1/2 hr after 5:30 like daycares

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$30 for 3 kids. No way. daycare $25 a day pd
Per kid. If she goes over 9 to 10 hrs charge more

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If you haven’t discussed this with her you should not feel angry or frustrated.

Open communication is key. She has to know that she’s got a great thing going.

Be honest. And good luck.

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So your watching them for bare minimum $1 each an hour and providing all meals… :woman_facepalming:
There’s taken advantage n then there’s WOW your being screwed… Not even the state pays that low, and they have a max of 10 hrs a day unless proof at work

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That women is taking the piss… tell her to pay u more and pay for the food u provide and don’t ever be any later than 6pm… or go find another mug to take the absolute piss out of… u have EVERY right to be angry… he is a very selfish robbing mare… tell her to jog the f on x

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Charge extra after 6 and definitely say something because it’s not fair to you. Maybe she doesn’t know it’s bothering you.

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My daughter is charged 6.50 an hour. 228 for 4 days 8.30 till 5pm. Charge her more

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She is completely taking advantage.

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I paid $150 for 2 days a week to my best friend. That was for my 2 kids. Both under 2 and I always felt it was not enough to pay just what I could afford. She had a 3 year old too. She would watch them Tuesday and Thursdays from like 7:30 to 4 the latest. She gave my oldest breakfast and lunch and snacks. And I supplied diapers and formula.

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Not sure where you live or what prices are like—- but I’ve always paid my sitter (for one child, 4 y/o) at the least $12 an hour and if I work late I pay for that as well. I always provide my own food, diapers, games for activities, ect…

So I pay 35$ a day /kid for daycare, she provides meals and we provide diapers/pull-ups. We have set times to pick up/drop off. Anything after the set time is an additional fee, Our daycare is amazing and only charges 5$ / hr after that set time.

Sit down and talk to her explain to her how are you feeling, and what your expectations are about the babysitting situation. I don’t pay for child care I usually have 1 kids stay full time with my sister in law, I have 2 but the lil one didn’t like the rules so I took her home with my Mom. Find an agreement on making your situation less stressful, I know kids are a handful don’t be afraid to talk about it will better give her a reason to stop taking advantage or abusing the trust. Good lucl

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Definitely charge more, you aren’t making any money off of this. I watch 3 kids from 1 family, 12 hours a day and make $75 per day.

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Charge her more - that’s taking advantage

Tell her you need more money OR you’re not babysitting anymore

Yes you need at least 60 just to recoup what ur spending and if you have to watch them till 8 and 30 bucks

Think about it this way on a basis of 8am to 5.30pm you are getting paid $3.75p.h for 3 children that is $1.25p.h per kid. That’s absolutely ridiculous! You need to charge so much more.

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Make a contract. Set times unless discussed otherwise. You have a life too and your own kids. She is not paying enough at all.

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My mom watched kids when I was little and had to tell one of the mothers that she was watching her kid to help her while she worked and she wasn’t watching her kid for her to go out and do things other than work. After that the woman started showing up after work.

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Where I live, I’d have to pay $30 per kid for an hour or two (not including meals or diapers)

Talk to her! I know people are always scared of this, but if I ever had a great babysitter such as yourself, I was willing to go above and beyond to keep that. Tell her it would help if she provided some meals or snacks sometimes and tell her your situation has changed so in order to keep babysitting she will need to be there on time to get the kids. If she cant sometimes that’s alright too, but you’ll need extra compensation for overtime just like with any other job. You dont have to be rude about it. Hopefully she understands.

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you need to talk to this person and say I need more money and kids must be picked up by 530 and this person should be packing breakfast lunch and snacks … what you are doing is more than babysitting

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Charge more! I was getting $150 a week for 1 child 7am-3:30/4pm Monday through Friday

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Girl! Set some dang boundaries! She is fully taking advantage. You absolutely should be charging more, and she’s gonna be hard pressed to find anyone willing to do what you are for anything even close to what you are. I’d start with what’s bothering you most: Daycare closes at promptly at 6 pm, daily. Any extra time after that your rate triples. $X.00 per minute late. And be stingy about it! If you dont take your time seriously, neither will she. Number two, you shouldn’t only charge her enough to cover food, you need to charge her for your time. Think about that. In my area, a licensed provider charge anywhere from $125-$250 per week for ONE child. Think about that, and talk to her, but stand your ground. You are getting screwed here.

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Kayla Renee sounds familiar :joy::joy::joy:

Do you want her to follow agreed upon hours or would her paying you more make it okay. She is out of bounds doing it this way. You have to decide and tell her, then back it up, if she doesn’t do what you want…stop sitting for her. You would have no trouble finding others to sit for…

I made that babysitting in 3 hours. 10 dollars an hour. I was 14. They are taking advantage of you.

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You need to set boundaries with her NOW. She is definitely taking advantage of you pulling these things. It would probably be best to quit babysitting them in the near future, seeing that you are expecting. Let her know she needs to start looking for new childcare.

U need to tell that u meed more money and u need to set a time and if she’s over that time u need to charge extra every 30
Minute she’s late

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I have told my family I will pay 100 a day for my 3 kids and still can’t find a baby sitter and it’s only for 1 day a week unless I choose overtime then I would pay them $150 a day!

Honesty and communication. 530 pm. Ur gonna start getting tired. U need rest. And advise her now also that she needs a sitter when ur getting close to ur due date.

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Communication is great thing. Talk to her. And yes maybe ask for a little more on the days she is late. But, she doesn’t know you’re having an issue with it unless you say something to her!

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$15 probably $20 per kid per day I would say. And set time boundaries for pickup

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I would calmly explain that they are to be picked up at a certain time every day! And if she wants to continue to only pay $30 for 3 kids which is 10 per kiddo. Then she needs to provider meals & snacks & drinks for them while there or she can pay a little more so you are able to cover that extra expensive,

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You just need to calmly communicate and set your boundaries. Explain you are not available after certain hours (as that is time for your own family). Tell her you must begin charging extra after the agreed pickup time and that if she still continues to be late she’ll need to find another sitter. Explain that providing meals is also an extra expense and she must either provide food or pay extra. If you’re direct and professional she should also act the same way. If not, I would ask her to find someone else.

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Definitely charge more

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Sounds like you need a cut off time and anything after is an added fee. Usually daycare and after-care at schools charges by 10 or 15 minute blocks of time.

Chelsea Marie Henry. This sounds kinda like your delima too

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Definitely taking advantage, I would stop babysitting immediately.

I pay my sitter who is family as well 70 a day for my 3 kids and I provide breakfast lunch and snack. You are charging her way to cheap especially if she is always late.

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So your basically raising her children for $30 a day.so when does this woman spend time with her own kids ???

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30 a day??? I’m sorry! What? I mean if you’re struggling I’m a person who will watch your kids for whatever fits your budget. As long as you aren’t screwing me over. But 30.00 a day??? No!

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Definitely have a sit down and let her know that if she plans on continuing not to pick up the children no later than 6pm that you will need to charge more. Yes day cares will cost more and if you can become certified you may be able to qualify to have her sign up for child care assistance with the state and that can help pay you some. Child care assistance can pay partial or all day care costs. If she doesn’t qualify then she absolutely should be paying you more for sure. I would tell her if she continues to go past 6pm any longer you will charge and extra $5 for each 10 min she’s late or something. I’m sure you can figure out something reasonable as you are the cheapest day care I’m sure she’ll ever find. And probably the best since you’re family.

You could tell her that from now on if she picks them up after 5:30 your charging her 20$ extra. And you should be charging for food. Hugs hopefull you haven’t been doing it long and can just sit her down and explain the fees it costs you. It would cost that per child anywhere else and nobody would put up with the whenever she wants to pick them up thing. Decide what you would be willing to pay for your own kids including food and charge that.

You’re undervaluing yourself. The going rate for this scenario is at least $15/hr where I’m from. From what you just explained, you make about $3/hr (plus you pay for food!). You should set some clear boundaries about pick up time and her providing food, or just paying you more. Good luck. :heart:

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Definitely charge more. Regardless. 30$ a day for 3 kids is way too little. You should charge atleast 70 a day.

Charge an extra $15/day minimum for food. Than I’d tack on an extra dollar or so per kid for every hour shes late. So say she’s 3 hours late 3 nights this week? That’s an extra $30.

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Instead of more money maybe opt out or if you continue doing put some limitations…I did daycare and if you don’t speak up they assume All is well

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Thats super cheap plus you are paying for the kids food… She is taking advantage of you. You should speak up and if she has a problem her kids can always go to daycare. :woman_shrugging:t5:

I would make her supply there food and snacks …and set limits on time that she has to come get them by

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We pay $55 per day for 2 kids ages 4 and 2. Drop off at 6:30am, pick up at 4pm. We provide breakfast, she provides lunch. There is no deviation on times. Everything was well negotiate before we began, and we signed a contract of sorts.

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Definitely charge more! Standard is $50 per day…and that is without feeding them and stuff… She needs to drop some money for food or drop food off and,if has a diaper age kid,drop off plenty of diapers, bottles or sippy cups,etc. Anything you have to pay for you give her a bill for on top of your fee… She picks them up later than expected…$30 late fee

You should start charging her a dollar a child for every minute she is late like daycares do . 10 minutes late that’s 30 dollars more and hour late that more for her to pay she stop coming late . I feel for you because he got it made 10.00 a kid ?

Tell her she needs to pack the kids lunches everyday as well!

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I’d definitely bring it up. Daycare charges late fees by each minute late. I would set a cut off time when you speak with the family member so there is no confusion. You have a life and a family of your own to tend to as well. The family member may think it’s not a big deal because you are “family”. That is a lot to ask of anyone family member or not. Just my opinion.

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30 a day is pretty standard for a daycare and daycares charge late fees for every certain amount of time the parent is late. Just say that you’ll have to start charging her an extra ___ amount for every ___ amount of time she’s late without letting you know. It’s fair :woman_shrugging:t4:

She is completely taking advantage of you!!! This mother knows EXACTLY how much it costs to feed three kids all week. She also knows exactly what the rates are at daycares. You are too nice. Shame on her for taking advantage of you!!! Stand up for yourself! :pray:t4::pray:t4:

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Stop allowing her to disrespect you and your time/kindness!
Ppl treat you how you allow.
You need to b charging at least $50 per day plus a late fee.
I’d draw up a contract. Including $5.00 per minute she late. I promise she’ll be on time.

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Back in the day I babysat which was 10 years ago… I charged 25 a damn day for 2 kids and that was just for the caring of them all food and shit was supplied by parents.

Start charging for overtime!

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Talk to her about it…

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You can’t pour from an empty cup, ma! Three extra mouths to feed is not cheap. Do what you have to do in order to get right financially. Even if it means having that awkward adult conversation. :woman_shrugging:t2: someone’s gotta do it for everyone’s sanity I think at this point

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Sounds like mom is taking more time to do other things…yes you should charge more. That’s the rate of one kid in a daycare in NC. Usually 100-150 a week. That includes food. But yes. Charge more. Most daycares do give discounts for more than one kid. Daycares also charge fees for being late. One daycare i had was a dollar a minute for late fees. :flushed: I made sure to be on time, all the time lol. You’re being too generous.

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I’d definitely ask for more.

Thats why I stopped babysitting! People take advantage of your kindness.

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Charge more. Charge for canceled plans on your behalf if shes late, set times for drop off and pick up. Call around local to see what the going rate is and go from there. Stop providing all the food, she should feed her kids before; feed them lunch and snacks only.

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I pay 100 a week for an hour a day Monday to Friday and that’s if she gets him one , two , three days or all week she still gets paid $100 some times she only takes care of him one day and still gets the $100 but that’s my deal I made with her and my boy loves going to her house after school and I know he will be feed and taken care of good so I don’t complain

Charge late fees like daycares do