Baby Sitters

[Jill]

There are a few things coming up that I need to get a baby sitter for. Is it strange that the thought of leaving ds for even an hour saddens me? Anyway, how much do you pay baby sitter's per hour? I am going to have one of my neighbors come over when I am here so she can learn the ropes before I leave her with ds. Any baby sitting tips would be greatly appreciated also:)

[PBJ]

I have 2 that babysit and mostly they just ask for whatever the person is willing to give. They are happy as long as it's some extra money for them to spend.

[Mommy37]

:) My neighbour girl babysit's for us, as well as other young girl's have in the past. Usually they don't mind getting whatever you decide to give. I generally start at $2.50/hr. I'm in Canada though.

[JoyLynn]

Hi Jill!! [hug]

We had a babysitter every weekend from the time we brought our first baby home from the hospital [baby] (a promise we made to each other before getting preggo, and our very first babysitters were friends. :wink: ) We would ask how much the girl charged, and then without telling her, we would add a dollar or two per hour on top of that. When we found a babysitter we liked, we often ended up paying her more than we did for our dates, but we wanted her to keep coming back and doing a great job. We were very broke when we had our first, nearly 15 years ago, and more often than not, we'd end up going to McD's and for a drive so we could pay our babysitter really, really well. We wanted the best babysitter, and we wanted her to pretty much beg us to babysit, which did happen. :lol: We'd end up with one babysitter who babysat each weekend until she was too old to babysit. Talk about peace of mind. [cheerful] We also tipped each time, on top of what we payed, and we bought her favorite snacks and had them out on the counter for her. [dancing] And we made her feel special and treated her like family. Every one of my babysitters, over the years, became like a daughter to me. [heartbeat] We took them on vacations, let them come over and just hang out when they weren't babysitting (they'd bring their friends sometimes), and we even taught them how to drive. :lol: A good babysitter is someone you really want to treat like gold. She's a very sound investment. [OK] It's hard to put a price tag on having someone you truly trust take care of your babies, respect your home, respect you, and make themselves available to you whenever you need them.

[sheepjumpingrope]

Joy [welcomewave]

[gamommyto4girls]

I agree with the above- I always over pay! This seems to ensure that when I call the sitter will drop everything and come on over. The going rate seems to be $5-6/ hr here so I pay $7 and then I tip. Even if I'm out for only and hour or two I always pay at least $25-30 though because I feel like the sitter put a whole evening aside for me. I also tend to have some snacks available and have never had a sitter (other than adult family member) either bathe children or do any real cooking. I usually get the kids in p.j.'s and have them all fed or head out mid morning or afternoon. I always hire the sitter for a dry- run first and have them come over for a while when I'm home (entertaining or gardening) so that I'm not right there but within earshot. Now I'm getting a bit spoiled frankly :oops: and have a preference for sitters who drive- not drive my kids but so they can transport themselves. Also sitters who tidy up a bit earn extra brownie points (and tips) from me. The first time I usually give them a few gentle guidelines such as asking them to stay off the computer and not to chat on the phone. This usually isn't necessary once I get to know them. A good sitter is priceless!

[buttercup_97140]

I have to say that I only left my Dd with two really good friends from church (one actually caught our Dd when she was born) and only had to leave her for three days when Dh either had surgery or was sick. After that I didn't have a need for a babysitter until she was way older, and even then I only use these two women. Obviously I don't have to pay them because they are women with kids of their own, and don't mind me dropping Dd off, but I always try and do something special for them, like buying their favorite drink at Sonic.

Is there someone at church who you would trust to watch your Dc? Maybe do some kind of child care swap, that way you wouldn't have to worry about paying them, and hopefully you will know them and know if their hearts are for the Lord or not!

It is so hard to leave our children, no matter how old they are or who it's with. I have to say how blessed I feel that we have such a wonderful group of Mommies and sister like women who are willing to help out when needed!

I hope you find someone you are super super happy with and you trust!

Amber

[Jill]

Thanks so much for all of the advice. After some more prayer I have come to the conclusion that I am not ready to leave ds yet! I am sure there will be a time but he is still too young and I have to do what I feel is best for my family. Do you ever feel pressure from others to leave your kids? I think that's what was happening. People were telling me that he would never go to anyone but me and dh if I didn't start leaving him. I know that God will give me peace about it when the time is right :D

[myjoyoverflows]

AS a babysitter, I got paid pretty much whatever the people I was babysitting for would pay me. THE MOST I was ever paid was $5 an hour and that was with my mom talking with the people about it. :roll: I LOVE kids and I've always loved babysitting...but I was never treated as I should have been. I was a GREAT babysitter, and people walked all over me because I just loved being with the kids. I would not only babysit, cook (sometimes for the WHOLE family, parents included) but I would always clean the house...and I mean CLEAN the house. I hardly ever got more than a little thank you and I KNOW I deserved more than that. With the last family that I babysat for, I worked for them so much that I wasn't able to get a "regular" job...and they ended up going to my mom and asking her if I would like to work off a car instead of getting paid...and they agreed, WITHOUT even MENTIONING it to me :evil: ...that really got to me. Anyway...I understand not wanting to leave your son with a babysitter yet. The thought scares me to have Maddy go with anyone other than family...but from personal experience...treat your babysitter well...because they're taking care of someone pretty precious to you.

[Rach]

It was really hard for me to leave them when they were really little. Now that Aiden talks, and understands a lot of nuances, I am more comfortable leaving them. I can ask him what they did, etc, etc. He knows what's right and wrong around here.

I usually pay $4-7 per hour, depending on when and how long. When she started she said she wanted $3/hr. I just think that's not enough, so I always pay more. Sometimes she just comes over so I can go downstairs and work. For that, usually $5/hr because she's only here a couple of hours. I don't pay less than $10 per session.
If she's here mainly after the kids go to bed, I pay less. If it's a Fri or Sat night, I pay more. I figure she's giving up her 'life' that night.
Most of the time it's dictated by when denominations of money I have to pay her with, LOL.

I always set out snacks and make sure I have some cans of pop in the fridge. I never expect any cleaning or cooking. I change diapers right before I leave. The only thing I want is that they pick up the toys when they are done - that's a rule for my kids tho, not for the sitter.

[buttercup_97140]

Yes, I had some people pressuring me to leave my Dd in the church nursery for a long time. We do have a nursing room where they have a video of the service going on, but even then, I didn't want to leave my nursing baby in the nursery, and Dh totally agreed with me. I think some people truely want to "get rid" of their kids for a while and have a break. This may be ok for some people, but I never felt the need for a break, and Dd loves other people and is not just a huge Mommy's girl. She knows I am there for her when she needs me, but she will go into the nursery just fine, and she didn't go for the first time until she was almost or just after she was one.

I think it's wise that you prayed about it, and that you are doing what you feel is best for your family. Neither Dh nor I left Dd with anyone but each other (except for those three very rare days when I worked and Dh was sick/surgery) unitl she was much much older than 4 months!

You are this baby's Mommy, you keep doing what you feel is best!!

Blessings,
Amber

[4Angelz]

When I was a sitter. I got paid like $8-$10 dollars an hour. I never asked for a specific amount... I just took what I got. Now that I'm a mom, I haven't had to pay for a sitter yet, but I know that I would pay the same that I used to get. I was a sitter and a teacher at one time. With both of these jobs people are entrusting their children's lives to you. I can't really put a price on this. :? I would say that my kids lives are priceless! $10 an hour isn't much to ask in that case! And it always encourages people to do a good job when they are well compensated. Hope I helped! :)

[kanaclark]

if the kids aren't with a grandparent, we usually go $10 per hour if we know them well and they're good. If my "little sister" is watching them for a "run to to the store" or something quick, (she's almost 10 and my mom is within hearing distance, anyway) i give her five bucks.

if brian watches the boys for me to run to the grocery store or something, even though he's daddy, I do either "pull" some extra spending money out of the weekly budget for him or buy him a surprise snack or something. I don't HAVE to do this, but I just feel so blessed to have an ACTIVE husband, I think he deserves small rewards for it. Besides, he does small stuff for me "just b/c I raise his kids", LOL

[RhysMom]

When I have to pay a sitter I pay around $5-7 an hour. I agree that even if I am gone for a few hours I always pay a $20 minimum. I also swap babysitting with co-workers and friends from Church. Usually I will watch their children and then they will watch mine. It gives me some peace to know that my children are with parents and friends of mine. It also tends to be a lot cheaper.

Sara

[Jill]

I haven't left ds in the church nursery yet, either. He loves the worship at church and even though he can't understand the words yet, I love the thought that he is praising the Lord with us! Also, the nursery is mostly teenagers that I don't know very well. I thought I was strange for not wanting to leave him but after lots of prayer, I realize that I have to do what feels best for me b/c God gave me ds. My dh agrees and really leaves it up to me but he likes to keep ds close, too :D
As for the baby sitter thing, I am going to have my neighbor come over one day a week when I am here so she can get to know ds better and know how the house works. This way if I ever need someone, I can feel ok knowing that ds knows her. Also, her mom is right across the street if an issue were to come up.
I value all of your opinions! Thank you so much :D

[Rach]

I never left my babies in the nursery either. We were always more comfortable together in worship. If I went somewhere I'd just take baby. They are still 'easy' at that age.

Once he starts walking and talking you might change your mind and use the nursery, LOL.

I'm glad you found some peace with your answer. God is good!

[love2bmom]

If my mom or MIL is not available to watch the kids we do use a sitter. I happens so rarely that I totally appreciate the help that I am getting from the sitter. We use a girl that lives right up the road from us & goes to our church. Her parents are in our care group and is a volunteer in the the children's church.

We tend to pay between $6-10. We figure the amount & then round up to the closest amount... ! I know how much responsibility it is to have children.. so the least I can do is *try* to show my appreciation.

As far as tips. I try to have the children fed before leaving them. I don't like the thought of anyone choking.. :shock: I also leave a very brightly colored info sheet posted on the fridge. All the kids info is on that paper including all the necessary numbers.

Hope that is helpful!!