4Real Forums: 2 Babysitting questions

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Mothering and Family Life
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Topic: 2 Babysitting questions

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Becky J
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Posted: May 26 2008 at 9:26pm \| IP Logged

Hi -- For those of you who have experience paying a babysitter or mother's helper, could you let me know what you think about the following questions?

1) Is it proper to pay a babysitter for travel time? When I was a teen and sat for kids, the parents did include travel time in the pay, but I lived only a 5-10 minute drive away. The sitter I have now lives 35-40 minutes away (this is the closest good Catholic teen I could find). I have been paying her for the travel time (whether or not I get her or her moms does) because I figure that time is not her own. But it's not like she's exactly watching the kids during that time either.

2) I have used that sitter on two occasions now and think that I may be overpaying her (partly because of the travel time, and partly because I have been paying her $10/hour to watch two kids even though my husband or I is usually at home with them all anyway). Is there a polite for me to use this sitter again but scale back what I have been paying her? I don't want to come across as cheap but in rethinking this whole issue I think that I have been setting an exorbitant precedent.

I'll appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

Thanks!
Becky

mavmama
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Posted: May 26 2008 at 10:01pm \| IP Logged

We presently pay $10 per hour for 4 kids, and I add $5 for her gas, as she drives herself. HTH

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Philothea
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Posted: May 26 2008 at 10:03pm \| IP Logged

Gas is $4.00 a gallon. Pay her for time spent with your kids, and kick in something for fuel costs. 35-40 minute drive is nothing to sneeze at, that probably eats up a lot of her pay. I think it's worth it to do what's necessary to keep good babysitters happy.

folklaur
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Posted: May 26 2008 at 11:15pm \| IP Logged

My dd18 sits a LOT (well she did before we moved) and she has never been paid for travel time - however, we have lived pretty close to all the jobs - no more than 20 minutes, but most 5-10 minutes away.

I think $10/hr for 2 kids is pretty high. I just asked her what she thought would be a fair price for two kids ( I have no idea of your children's ages - so I said "ages 6 & 8" as a guess - she said she would expect $6 - $6.50 probably ( but she has babysat for more and much less too.)

These were prices in a relatively large metro area (outside of Phoenix). I am sure there will be variations due to regional differences....

She did say having the parents home while sitting is much, much more difficult.

mellyrose
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Posted: May 27 2008 at 12:55am \| IP Logged

I currently pay our sitter $7/hour, but she gives me a cut rate as she usually earns $8-10. I do not pay her for travel time, and admit I never thought of it. I don't know anyone who gets paid for their commute, but with gas costs these days it would be a nice bonus!?

If you want to re-negotiate her rate lower, I suggest talking with her. With our current sitter, I asked her what her rate was, and admitted I couldn't afford that -- but could afford $7/hr and she agreed.

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Tina P.
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Posted: May 27 2008 at 2:51am \| IP Logged

Becky, to answer your first question with a question:

When you were working, did your employer pay *you* for travel time? We've never paid for travel times, but when we had a sitter, her mom drove her *to* our house and we'd drive her home.

Our sitter babysat for six of our children and we paid her $12.00 to $20.00 per hour, depending upon the change my husband had in his pocket. My daughter (more recently) babysat for friends of ours and was thrilled to receive $8.00 for 2+ hours. That was her first and (so far) only babysitting job outside of our house.

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