What Would You Pay An Overnight Babysitter.... Help Me?

[TaylorTots]

So we are looking for a babysitter. We have never looked before as Grandma or my sister loves to watch them, but we wanted a little more reliability in terms of setting up dates

Here's the mini-ad I put on some of my facebook swaps in my area:

"REGULAR BABYSITTER WANTED We live in Ankeny and are looking for a late night/overnight babysitter at least one Saturday a month, but would love a regular every other Saturday arrangement. Our kids are 6 and 3 1/2. They are potty trained (younger does wear a pull up at night but they both handle their own night routines) and enjoy an easy popcorn and movie night before bed (when they are put to bed they do not leave their beds either). A great gig for a younger babysitter. We don't drink when we go out so we can provide transportation if needed. We would be looking for a sitter from 6 or 7 till 3am or overnight till 6am before the kids wake. Looking for someone dependable and responsible (no outside visitors!). If you think this sounds like a good deal for you (or maybe your teenager), message me!"



That being said - what type of compensation should I offer or negotiate? I have paid $60 overnight for both children from 6pm-8am before and not sure if that is an accurate rate. I realize it varies by region. The going rate for childcare in my area is $135-150 per week if that helps. I'm at a loss of where to start regarding babysitter rate for the above needs. Anybody help? It's weird being on the "other" end and needing care vs. being the care provider!

[blandino]

So we are looking for a babysitter. We have never looked before as Grandma or my sister loves to watch them, but we wanted a little more reliability in terms of setting up dates

Here's the mini-ad I put on some of my facebook swaps in my area:

"REGULAR BABYSITTER WANTED We live in Ankeny and are looking for a late night/overnight babysitter at least one Saturday a month, but would love a regular every other Saturday arrangement. Our kids are 6 and 3 1/2. They are potty trained (younger does wear a pull up at night but they both handle their own night routines) and enjoy an easy popcorn and movie night before bed (when they are put to bed they do not leave their beds either). A great gig for a younger babysitter. We don't drink when we go out so we can provide transportation if needed. We would be looking for a sitter from 6 or 7 till 3am or overnight till 6am before the kids wake. Looking for someone dependable and responsible (no outside visitors!). If you think this sounds like a good deal for you (or maybe your teenager), message me!"



That being said - what type of compensation should I offer or negotiate? I have paid $60 overnight for both children from 6pm-8am before and not sure if that is an accurate rate. I realize it varies by region. The going rate for childcare in my area is $135-150 per week if that helps. I'm at a loss of where to start regarding babysitter rate for the above needs. Anybody help? It's weird being on the "other" end and needing care vs. being the care provider!

That is around the going rate for childcare in my area, so we are probably pretty similar in terms of economics.

In my area, adult sitters charge around $10.00 per hour. Since it is an overnight, I would discount that a little - but probably $80.00ish seems fair to me for the 6 am shift. I think $60.00 is fair for the 3am shift.

[TaylorTots]

Great input! That was what I was thinking as well - and offering a gas stipend if they don't need transportation.

[daycarediva]

My area rates are a bit higher (175) and my dd is paid 100 for overnights if they provide transportation, and 125 if we do. $80 seems reasonable.

[Cat Herder]

Here the general overnight guideline for daycare providers is 2x the daily rate.

The irony is that "babysitters" make almost 5 times that.

Still have not figured out how that works.... ::::

[melilley]

Here the general overnight guideline for daycare providers is 2x the daily rate.

The irony is that "babysitters" make almost 5 times that.

Still have not figured out how that works.... ::::

Our babysitter makes more for 4 hours than I make on my daily rate!

[melilley]

$ 80.00 sounds fair to me!

[TaylorTots]

I have had a lot of interest in less than a day (who wouldn't want to watch 2 easy kids that require minimal care other than a reminder to brush teeth and an announcement that it was bedtime ). I decided to offer $60 for 6-3 and would negotiate if I was interested enough and a $10-20 gas stipend if they are transporting themselves. We could easily be driving 20 minutes away to pick up and 20 minutes back, etc. depending on where in the urban area they live.

A couple younger girls were super interested and had experience, felt the price was right. A couple older girls felt the rate was low and should be $100 for 6-3. I simply said thank you for your interest and moved on. I am the boss of my home daycare business and it is hard to relinquish being the boss. I see this as a gig and since I'm deciding who is getting the job (no different than I decide which daycare kids to enroll), starting off with such a vast difference in compensation expectation seemed unwise. I cannot justify paying $10 per hour or more for two children that involves 3-4 awake hours, no meals, no dressing/diapering, etc. I make $3-4 per hour per child I watch on average - and I expect to pay around that or less for evening care :/

[KidGrind]

I have had a lot of interest in less than a day (who wouldn't want to watch 2 easy kids that require minimal care other than a reminder to brush teeth and an announcement that it was bedtime ). I decided to offer $60 for 6-3 and would negotiate if I was interested enough and a $10-20 gas stipend if they are transporting themselves. We could easily be driving 20 minutes away to pick up and 20 minutes back, etc. depending on where in the urban area they live.

A couple younger girls were super interested and had experience, felt the price was right. A couple older girls felt the rate was low and should be $100 for 6-3. I simply said thank you for your interest and moved on. I am the boss of my home daycare business and it is hard to relinquish being the boss. I see this as a gig and since I'm deciding who is getting the job (no different than I decide which daycare kids to enroll), starting off with such a vast difference in compensation expectation seemed unwise. I cannot justify paying $10 per hour or more for two children that involves 3-4 awake hours, no meals, no dressing/diapering, etc. I make $3-4 per hour per child I watch on average - and I expect to pay around that or less for evening care :/

As a Sub Provider, I received a lot of difficulty from providers who complained about my rates. My response, “Hire another sub provider, good luck.”

Most called back because of my reputation and the fact that most charged the same rate as I did. Often their logic was, “It’s not fair that you make this much an hour and I only make this much.”

My response, “My rates are standard. I am certified to come in your home and run your program. I am trustworthy amongst your possessions and more importantly your kids. I give you an opportunity to go to your various appointments or commitments without having to close your program down for a day up to a week. What you pay me is also a tax write off. My rates are not based off of what you make. You are receiving a specialized service.”

I have a babysitter. I pay her $10 an hour for the most part. If she were to provide care for my kids from 6PM to 3PM. She cuts me a break and charges me $60. I hope you find the perfect babysitter for your family!

[melilley]

As a Sub Provider, I received a lot of difficulty from providers who complained about my rates. My response, “Hire another sub provider, good luck.”

Most called back because of my reputation and the fact that most charged the same rate as I did. Often their logic was, “It’s not fair that you make this much an hour and I only make this much.”

My response, “My rates are standard. I am certified to come in your home and run your program. I am trustworthy amongst your possessions and more importantly your kids. I give you an opportunity to go to your various appointments or commitments without having to close your program down for a day up to a week. What you pay me is also a tax write off. My rates are not based off of what you make. You are receiving a specialized service.”

I have a babysitter. I pay her $10 an hour for the most part. If she were to provide care for my kids from 6PM to 3PM. She cuts me a break and charges me $60. I hope you find the perfect babysitter for your family!

You are a sub provider? Do you have a lot of providers who use you? Is it decent income? Do you like doing it? Sorry about all the questions, but that sounds so interesting!

[KidGrind]

You are a sub provider? Do you have a lot of providers who use you? Is it decent income? Do you like doing it? Sorry about all the questions, but that sounds so interesting!

Yes, I was a sub/special event provider. I did. I now run a home daycare. It was a great income. I LOVED, LOVED doing it!

No worries about the questions, I understand. I only stopped because the area I live in now doesn’t have a high demand. So I needed to adapt.

[MsLaura529]

Yes, I was a sub/special event provider. I did. I now run a home daycare. It was a great income. I LOVED, LOVED doing it!

No worries about the questions, I understand. I only stopped because the area I live in now doesn’t have a high demand. So I needed to adapt.

What a great idea! I never even thought of doing that!

[KidGrind]

I don’t want to hijack OP’s thread. If you have any questions you can always PM me.

Have a great day!

[melilley]

I don’t want to hijack OP’s thread. If you have any questions you can always PM me.

Have a great day!

Thanks!

[TaylorTots]

As a Sub Provider, I received a lot of difficulty from providers who complained about my rates. My response, “Hire another sub provider, good luck.”

Most called back because of my reputation and the fact that most charged the same rate as I did. Often their logic was, “It’s not fair that you make this much an hour and I only make this much.”

My response, “My rates are standard. I am certified to come in your home and run your program. I am trustworthy amongst your possessions and more importantly your kids. I give you an opportunity to go to your various appointments or commitments without having to close your program down for a day up to a week. What you pay me is also a tax write off. My rates are not based off of what you make. You are receiving a specialized service.”

I have a babysitter. I pay her $10 an hour for the most part. If she were to provide care for my kids from 6PM to 3PM. She cuts me a break and charges me $60. I hope you find the perfect babysitter for your family!

I completely agree that you have to have your rate as any form of care provider and stick to it. Thus why if our compensation rates aren't matching up, there is no gain from negotiating. If someone offered me less than what I felt I was worth, I would move on and if I did take it at that rate, I would feel like I was respected less.

I have a couple of sitters lined up to try out in the next few weeks. happyface