Reasonable Rate - Daly City,CA

It doesn't matter if your daughter will be sleeping or not. Yes, if she does, it is a much easier situation for the sitter...but you still have to have a sitter. Think about any time that you had to change your schedule around an activity because it was naptime or the baby went off their "normal" schedule.

The reason it is $4 at the gym is 1) part of member perks and 2) it a group setting, not one on one. In California, the Federal Minimum is increased in some counties. I am in Texas, and it is easily $8-10 an hour for an adult babysitter (again in a one on one situation). I'd easily pay $15 so that I could go to the gym.

When she goes "full" time for you, the rate can always be negotiated. Make sure you have a clear agreement. Also, you said it is his girlfriend...how stable are they? Do you like her more than your brother? If they break it off, you are going to be without childcare and in more of their life than you may want!

Oy. Where we live childcare is avg $10 an hour as well... but infant care is double instead of half.

Since you're looking at having this be a mock up... why not pay her the same hourly rate you're looking at paying her when you go back to work? That way both of you can get used to things?

Personally, I wouldn't watch a baby for $4 an hour. I'd either watch them for free, $8-10 an hour for a friend ($20-$30 for a stranger... which is midrange nanny fees here), or a set "lump" (like x amount for the day/week).

You'll probably want to ask around for the going rate, from your other M.-friends if you have them, since it will vary by area. Here in VA, I pay $10/hour for my three kids, so $4/hr for a baby doesn't seem unreasonable to me at all. Maybe suggest $3 an hour and see if she blinks. With childcare, you get what you pay for, but if you trust her completely, then it shouldn't matter. Just don't try to get a "bargain" when it comes to caring for your baby; it's something you shouldn't compromise on, IMHO. Good luck.

20-30 dollars an hour for childcare???? I think a safe bet is to ask her what she charges. Expect her to ask 6-10 dollars an hour. I would set a rate and stick to it. It gets too complicated if you figure the impact of nap versus no nap. I mean, lets say one week your child naps and you pay her 6 dollars and the next week she is up the whole time. Then you pay her 10 dollars. Ok, what about the week after she is cranky and not fun...how much then. Set a rate and stick to it. I pay my babysitter 8 dollars an hour here in NJ.

It's not so much of an hourly as it is hourly with a minimum. There are much better things I can be doing with my time other than greeting M., listening to the run down of when baby ate and pottied last, waiting to see if baby will go to sleep, on alert for when baby does wake up or need something, and then M. comes back in a couple of hours and wants to pay less than 10 bucks. No way. I won't answer my door for less than $25.00 regardless of the amount of time or if the baby is asleep or not. Considering many daycare providers in home are getting $160-175 per week for 40 hours and daycare centers up to $250 per week, what makes you think that anyone should get paid 4-8 dollars while you go to the gym? If that's what you think of the person and the value you intend to put on her, then don't expect to get much in return. It's true what someone else said, you get what you pay for.

We pay $10 regardless of awake or asleep. :) Taking her to a gym daycare will mean if she's awake and there are toddlers, she's going to get hauled around or put down in a corner, exposed to all kinds of germs, and beaned in the face with a toy and NOT get familiar with a babysitter for when you return to work!

Sorry, but I hate gym daycares....they are always overcrowded and calling moms to come deal with their kids b/c it's more of a holding pen staffed by employees than a daycare.

This is the most underpaid, undervalued job out there. I know there are a lot of people that consider this job skill-less but it takes someone that knows how to handle an emergency and handle it, the way you want them to. You don't have to go overboard but make sure she understands you are paying her to actually work, whether the baby is asleep or not. She should be alert and ready for anything. I guess I'm saying don't lowball her for two reasons. You want to be fair to her but you also want her to know this is a very important job and to take it seriously.

Is your brother's girlfriend 16 or is she 30? My 14 year old gets paid $12.00 hour in Atlanta whether the baby is asleep or awake, whether M. is home or out of the house. I believe average around here is about $10.00 an hour plus tip.

God bless!

M.