091 - I Sit On The Baby!

[captain_slinky]

I have a second part-time job now, Babysitting (kind of). Our newest friend, Stacie (whom we have taken under our wings as a blank canvas on which to paint a geeky masterpiece upon), just got a job which means she needs somebody to watch her kid on a pretty regular basis including most weekends and nearly every day after school. The kid is one of Molly's classmates and one of her best friends, sooooo...

How much do I charge for something like that? On weekdays I'll need to keep the kid from 3pm till 6pm-6:30... 1:30 til 6:30 on Wednesdays and then like 8am till 6:30 on any weekend days she needs.

I was thinking of $10 a day for each regular weekday, $15 a day for Wednesdays, $25 for each weekend day. Crystal says this is *super cheap*, but can't come up with a better pricing structure or even a suggestion of one.

How about you? WHat's the going rate? SHould I make it hourly? If so, how much an hour???

Comments

[aquatwo.livejournal.com]

It's tricky. Since it's one of Molly's friends, there isn't /that/ much to do that you wouldn't already be doing anyway. If the situation was different I'd understand expecting more... As is though, it sounds reasonable. Tia used to watch a child for 4-8h 3x/wk for $500/mo total. He was a little younger than Keira, they liked to play together, but they would leave the place trashed. She also was doing potty training with him... so that's hazard pay right there.

[man-of-snows.livejournal.com]

Look at what regular daycare charges and then cut that price in half and see where you end up. I think you will be surprised by how much childcare runs these days!

Your first price may not even cover the cost of feeding the kid when they are in your care.

[valerie-valerah.livejournal.com]

So when I was originally looking into childcare for my daughter I found that $10/hour for a babysitter was the bare minimum. Most people were charging $15-$25, depending on what they offered. A daycare center with halfway decent ratings was about $400/week. It ultimately ended up being cheaper for me to quit my job and stay home with her. I'm not recommending you charge that much, but you could probably ask for a little more if that would be something you're comfortable with.