Hey Mommas,
I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 2 month old. We are invited to a wedding in a couple of weeks that is at 7pm on a Saturday. We usually don't have babysitting issues as my in-laws live in town and love to babysit but they will be out of town that weekend.
A colleague of mine has 2 daughters aged 19 and 15. She has always reminded me that they love to babysit and usually come together so they can hang out together and help each other. I asked her to "book" them for this wedding and asked how much they charge and her response was "whatever you think is fair." Ugh...hate that! So I'm turning to you moms for advice. What IS fair to pay 2 of them for 2 kids? My toddler will be bathed, fed, and PJ'd ahead of time so all they'll have to do is read books, etc, and then leave his room by 8 and he should be down for the count. The baby is of course unpredictable...could sleep peacefully all evening, could need to be constantly held.
Thoughts, suggestions?
thanks!
Since you really only need one, you pay them what you'd pay for one. They can split the profits.
I would pay whatever you would pay one sitter. If they choose to split the money that's something they can work out. I give my sitter $40 - 50 dollars for an evening of babysitting for my 3 children.
Personally, I feel that most babysitters are WAY over paid now-a-days. $10 + an hour is ridicilous! My daycare provider who is a 28 yr old mother of two charges $30 for a full day of care which breaks down to roughly $4 an hour. Why would I pay a teenager well above that?
Since you obviously don't need then both, and the 15 year old is probably more there for the experience (the 19 year old could do it solo), I'd pay what I'd normally pay a sitter, maybe a few dollars more an hour (like $12 rather than $10), and let them split it. It's not like they are doing much work anyway if you've already prepared the kids, you know?
The only exception to this, one time, my friend Ray and I babysit about 9 kids between the 2 of us, together in one house. We got paid full price, each, but that was a different situation!
I would pay what you pay for one - I usually pay $10/hour, but that is for one kid. There's no way you could get away with paying $5/hour in the Dallas metroplex....
I say $10-$12/hr, and they can split the total however they choose to.
I would probably give them 12.00 per hour (for the both of them)
Okay since you've never used them before, I would do a trial run (especially since you have 2 young kids).
Since wedding isn't for 2 weeks, how about you have them both (AND YES I'D HAVE THEM BOTH BABY SIT FOR THE WEDDING BECAUSE IT'S AT NIGHT, YOU HAVE 2 KIDS ONE BEING AN INFANT & YOU NEVER KNOW HOW A TEEN IS GOING TO BABYSIT ((TEXTING, TALKING ON PHONE ETC).
So trial run, have them both sit on night of wedding and yes pay both maybe $20 each for wedding night since it will be longer).
If you don't feel comfortable w/the trial run then skip the wedding. Sorry probably not what you want to hear but I say better to err on the side of caution when it comes to your kids.
I would give them $20 each
i would pay $5 per hour. if my sitter brings her younger sister along, i hand the money to one of them and let them split it as they want to.
I would give them each $20 - $25.
