Babysitting
 

Do any of you out there still do this? I dont know, i always thought it was something only high school girls would do. I personally never did it anyway, in high school i was more into going out on friday and saturday nights.

Well actually there was a couple of times that my friend asked me to go along with her when she babysat this family because the parents had friends coming in to town that also had kids so they would need 2 babysitters instead of one. They lived in this neighborhood that had HUGE houses and they paid really good. Besides that, i never did any babysitting.

Anyway yesterday at work this parent of a little boy in my class came up to me and told me some parents told him to ask me about babysitting which i found odd since i have never babysat anyone from there. He needs a babysitter for tomorrow night, but i told him i dont babysit. I asked him who told him that i do, but he didnt say, maybe he didnt want to, maybe he was making it, but whatever. Then today i get a call from work asking if i would be interested in babysitting the same little boy for tomorrow night, they said his mom asked and so they told her they'd give me a call.

What do you guys think I should do? The boy is really sweet and only 3 years old, but i dont want to say yes and then have then call me every week or maybe have the whole school start calling me to babysit.

Plus, if you do babysit, how much do you charge? Do you think if i do babysit, i should charge more since I am 21, have a car, and I am certified in CPR and first aid??

haha, its babysitting - if you like kids, which i would think you do b/c you work in a preschool, do it! i babysit 3 little girls (8, 4, and 1) on a semi-regular basis - i love it but thats just becuase i love children. its an easy job, and again since i love kids its enjoyable. and, its easy money - i usually babysit for about 3-4 hours at a time, and the mom tesnds to give me about $10 an hour - basically because they love me - but i've never "charged" a certian amount, i like doing the job, so whatever they give me is fine.

if you decide to do it - don't worry about them calling you every week asking you to babysit, you can say no i'm busy ;)

Well, I sort of babysit on a much larger scale (work as a preschool teacher), and if you have all of those qualifications, you absolutely should ask for more money. With the CPR/first aid training, the parents have that extra added security; and with your own car, you can work around their schedule. You absolutely should be paid more than the "normal" babysitter.

Collin

I NEVER babysat, EVER! As a matter of fact, the first diaper I ever changed belonged to my first daughter and I had to have the nurse explain to me exactly how the Pampers worked!

If you do decide to babysit, as far as what to charge, I pay my babysitters $10 an hour for my 6 and 4 year olds.

I babysat all through high school and college. For me it was a fun way to get some extra money. I only had a couple of select families I would sit for in college, so it wasn't like they were on me all the time. Plus, in college it isn't such a big deal because who only goes out on Friday and Saturday night???? I figured I was able to go out any night of the week so I didn't care.

As a parent I can tell you I honestly prefer older girls to watch my kids. We have one college girl in particular who we like to use and we pay very well....we pay 5 bucks an hour per kid. High schoolers are fine in a pinch but I just feel more comfortable with someone a little more mature and experienced.

That said, if you really don't want to or don't like to babysit, I would suggest you not do it. Don't take this the wrong way but if you resent being there and wish you were somewhere else, you probably won't be the best sitter in the world. Kids are great but they can be hard to deal with and really try your patience....if you are already not thrilled about it you might not always handle things in the best way. Just my 2 cents as a mom.....

Re: Babysitting
 

Yeah, I think you have gotten some pretty good advice. One little boy will probably not be that hard, in fact he'll probably some cute baby crush on you and just worship the ground you walk on. I think my first Crush was my babysitter when I was under 5.

As for money, its a job where you can sit there and do your homework. So you figure you want to make at least as much as you would from a university student worker job but in cash .. . which is worth a couple more dollars an hour. A nice way to do it sometimes is to ask the lady how important she thinks it is and what she would think a fair value is. Put that way most people will overcompensate a bit so as not to appear cheap . . but I wouldn't be doing it for 3-4 dollars an Hour . . hootie do you live in an area where the living standard is low? Because that is not even min wage around here. :)

Have fun and good luck . . .

thanks for all of your advice!

Actually i LOVE kids, and Matthew (the little boy) is in the class i work in. He does have his times, but is overall a cute little kid! All the kids love me because I am a little kid at heart, and all the other teachers are all moms with the exception of a few who are always complaining about how terrible the kids are. Which, yes they can be a handful at times, but they are adorable!

Another lady that im really good friends with asked me to babysit her daughter sometimes if she and her husband decide to go out every now and then which i said yes to, so i might do that soon.

It turns out my plans for tonight fell through so im going to the rodeo tomorrow night instead, so im not going to babysit this time. I am, however, going to tell them next time im at work that i changed my mind and would love to babysit Matthew, just to let me know in advance! I guess picking out just a few families to babysit for would be fun! thanks guys!

Okay another job has come up for me!;)

This is another child, she is a little girl, 5 years old who should be in kindergarten but her teachers felt she was ready and dont really think she is ready to start in august but i doubt they will tell her parents that.

Anyway, her parents are going out of town. The little girl, Mollie, has 3 older siblings. One is away at college and the other two are in high school. I dont think her parents trust her with them so asked me to take care of her. The thing is its the whole weekend. She even wanted me to take her to school on friday but i told her i have a morning class which is at 8am:eek: (i like early classes) so she said nevermind because she didnt want Mollie going to school that early. Their classes start at 9am. Anyway, she wants me to take care of her friday night, spend the night, all day saturday, spend the night, and sunday until they get back into town. She told me her daughter that is in high school cant watch her because she works on the weekends.

I would feel more comfortable taking Mollie to my house instead of me spending the night at her house. For those of you who are parents, how would you feel about this? I guess i can understand her not being okay with that, but i know she trusts me so she might say yes. Plus we have a ton of disney movies, a huge trampoline outside and so many things she would have fun with.

Another question is how much do you charge for an entire weekend?!:confused: People at work are telling me between 100-150 and some lady said 200.

My mom told me to ask her how much she has paid in the past if someone has watched her daughter for the weekend, or tell her what she feels comfortable with, which is fine with me, but i dont want her taking advantage of that either!

help!;)

$100.00 is good for just housesitting- no kids. With kids - I would go up to $200.00.

Just remember THE MOST important thing about working out of someone's house. Finding someone you can trust with your house and children is a #1 priority for people. If they do luck into finding you- they will do anything to keep you. So don't ever get ripped off by someone. If they pay you cheaply- just accept the money, say goodbye and don't go back. But I guarantee you- once they find you... they will pay you very well to keep you :)
Especially with your personality and qualifications!

okay well this afternoon i worked in the front office and was able to call the mom today and talk about everything. Basically she wanted me to pick her up from school friday and spend the night, be with her all day saturday and spend the night and they get back sunday around 1pm. I told her i didnt feel comfortable spending the night and if she would mind me taking Mollie home with me. She said she wanted her to sleep in her own bed for a few reasons. 1. even though she knows me, this will be the first time i take care of her outside of work. She said if everything works out and if i am interested in watching her again because they are going out of town in april, then maybe she could spend the night at my house. 2. Mollie's parents were in the world trade center on sept. 11 in a meeting, luckily they got out okay, but Mollie's sister came home from college so she knew something was wrong, and then a couple of days later, the kids at school talked about the people dying in new york ( i dont think they really did that, but whatever). 3. Mollie's mom has had a rough couple of years because she has had heart surgery, and two cancer operations, but she is okay now. So i fully understand why she would want Mollie sleeping in her own bed. We agreed on me being able to go home when one of her sisters gets back from work, and then go back the next day before one of them leaves for work.

She also asked me how much i charge and i went with my mom's advice and told her what she feels comfortable with. She asked if 150 would be okay, and i said yes. Plus she said i can use the internet at home, watch cable, use her blockbuster card, and she is leaving cash and signed checks for us to use for groceries, fast food, or any emergencies.

I think everything worked out fine and I am kind of excited about! ;)

Well babysitting can be fun at times, if it's something you want to do for like a one time thing only, then I would let his folks know,that you don't want to be his babysitter on a regular basis, that way it will eliminate them calling you all the time for a babysitter.
But I work in a Childrens Museum(*#4 in the nation, ,lol, sorry had to thrown that in there) but I baby sit technically everyday and it is kinda fun, sometimes frustrating, but I think u have to really like kids or being around kids, to be a babysitter
But babysitting is fun, it's like being a kid again, just with a few extra rules . Anyways, if you do babysit, I hope you have a good time, and the kid is good and everything works out for you:D
Good Luck
DGP~Honey~

i am 20 years old and STILL babysit. it is a great way to make some extra $$$. i get paid in between 9 and 12 dollars an hour to watch tv with the kids, put them to bed and then do what i please until midnight. five hours later...i am $50 richer! some families even let me bring my boyfriend along which gives me some company my own age and gives the boys someone to play with since i am not exactlly a gi joe and video game expert having no brothers! anyways, i guess i just have a passion for little kids so babysitting is fun to me, and like i said, it is easy money! :)

BUMP!

I'm 23, and was chatting with a co-worker today about going out, kids, etc, and he mentioned how hard it was to get a babysitter. I love kids, and have met his son when he's been in the office and he's great, and I offered to watch his son if he ever wanted...I was sincere, but didn't really think I'd be taken up on my offer.

Now he's saying thats great, and is going to talk to his wife about a night out, when I could watch their son.

I assume they'd offer to pay me...but I feel uncomfortable about asking for/taking money, or even how to discuss the situation. And if it does come up, what is the going rate now?? Back in highschool I was getting $4-6 an hour, but some of these posts from 2002 were talking about $10! Is it still around there?

I just don't want to come across as a jerk since I like this guy, and work with him pretty closely...its just weird to think of taking money from a co-worker...especially since I know that his wife doesn't work, so their income is less disposable than mine (being unmarried/no kids) is.

Thanks in advance! :D

Eek.. thats a hard one... I mean, I don't think they would expect you to babysit for free.... So maybe just ask for like a set fee for the night or something (30 bucks or something idk ) , i mean b/c you could be out doing something... But from my past experience... 10 dollars is the going rate depending on how many kids there are (if there is more than one- usually 2/3 dollars more per kid) I babysit for my sisters all the time, and i don't have a problem taking money from my dad... but i do feel weird taking money from my stepmom though.... Idk... what do the GC parents think?


sidenote.. this is my 600th post... woohoo lol