Childcare - Pascagoula,MS

Updated on March 22, 2011
H.N. asks from Pascagoula, MS
7 answers

I have 4 kids, 5 yr old, 3 year old twins, and a 1 year old.... my husband and I very rarely get out because we cant afford to pay a sitter and the price of going out... the few times we have gotten a sitter i paid her (teenage girl who doesnt drive, so i would have to drive her home when we got home) about $10 an hour.... my 1 yr old is hard to get to bed for anyone but me so every time we have gone out i put her to bed and the twins to bed so she just hung out on the couch with my 5 yr old till he fell asleep on the couch about an hour into the gig... The last time she sat for us, my husband and i went to lunch for our anniversary and had her watch the kids when they were all awake for the first time and still we paid her $10 and hour.... my question, 1) what is a reasonable amount to pay a sitter without breaking the bank? I want to be fair so she is willing to come back but I wanna be able to afford for her to come back. 2) my 5 yr old is playing teeball now and there are times when my husband isnt home from work yet and i need help with just the 1 yr old so she doesnt have to go to the ball field... does the sitter require the same hourly amount when she just has 1 kid? if i can pay her less, what is a fair ammount??

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B.M.

answers from Chicago on

I depends on where you live. In Chicago I pay a college student $10/hour to watch ONE 10 YEAR OLD. So, $10/hour for more than one kid is a steal.

I would ask her.

You can also go on sittercity.com and use their calculator, it will have you put in your zip code and give you rates for your area.

Also - look at 'trading out'. So, if there is another mom on the team who would watch your 1 year old if you took the boys to practice that might work out for both of you! Or - look at someone at your son's school, another mom or teacher who might want some extra income.

Good Luck!

3 moms found this helpful
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L.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

Every area is different from what I have found. when I lived in chicago, $12-$15 for 1 kid was the going rate. Now that I am in KY, I pay our HS girl $8.00 per hour for 1 kid. My friend how lives in Rochester NY pays $10.00 for 2 kids (ages 5 and 3)
Whatever the going rate for 1 kid is, i would add $1-$2 per hour per kid.
With my sitter that we have now (she is 18) I just flat out asked her what she wanted...she told me $7 (for 1 kid)..I laughed and said I would do $8
I think if you look at sitters.com and plug in your zip code they have pre screened people that are available for hire. you can look at what THEY expect to get paid and go from there.
EDIT Brennas idea is GREAT> I forgot that I trade out sitting with a mutual daycare mom for our kids..that has saved us a BUNDLE of money.

2 moms found this helpful
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H.W.

answers from Portland on

I think $10 an hour is perfectly reasonable on the sides of both parties. Five kids is a lot of children to watch. I actually pay my babysitters about $10 for my one son--precisely so they'll keep coming back--, but if you are looking for care for the baby only, expect that some providers are going to want the same rate. With your present young woman, also consider that t-ball might coincide with her after-school/homework time. You might need to find an adult who can come in for those hours. If your sitter can come for that time, offer $7 for the baby alone, and see if she's amenable to that.

I like Brenna's idea of trading out care, too. We moms have to be inventive!

2 moms found this helpful
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A.P.

answers from Gainesville on

I also know it depends on where you live. I have 4 kids and when they were younger I did pay my sitters a little more to make sure they would come back I just think 4 little one can be hard. I would look into a mom's group or a play group near hwere you live. I belonged to one where we traded out babysitting...So I sometimexs watched other kids and sometimes my kids were watched by other moms. To the kids it was like a playdate.. to me I had an adult watching my kids and it was basically free. Also I paid a young teen to come over and help me when my youngest was born she also came with me to my son's t-ball games. I paid her about 1/2 of what I would to be alone with the kids, but she got to know themand saw how I interacted with them and then we both felt comfortable with her babysitting..

Any way to save money you could bring the sitter and the 1 yr old to ball field with outside toys and you would pay less than them being home alone and it might be fun...Just an idea.. Good luck

1 mom found this helpful
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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Wow, $10 for 4 kids including an infant is cheap. We pay $9/hour for one child, we paid a different sitter $10/hr when he was an infant.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We just put the kids in a double stroller and took them to all the practices and games. It is cheaper than paying a babysitter. We had a baby plus 1-2 toddlers most of the time. I usually had 1 in my lap and 2 in the stroller.

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M.G.

answers from Little Rock on

since she is not certified in anything i think 10.00 is A LOT i paid a teenager 20.00 a week for before and after school sittings (bout 6 hours a day)

i don't have to worry about the date thing though cause dh and i have no kids together (they are all at the other parents houses when we go out) so i don't know what to tell you there

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