How much should I charge to watch a 4 month old?

Question

I am an adult and have a lot of experience with kids. However, I have never watched one baby at a time and don't have a clue how much is okay to charge these days.

I am watching him temporarily until the daycare his mom chose has an opening.

I will be watching him at their house for 4 days, 5 hours a day. The drive from my house is almost 30 minutes.

How much should I charge?

Answer 1

I have a qualified childminder. I pay her £7 pr hour, when she was taking my daughter to nursery she was charging for petrol, they only asked for the actual amount it was costing them. You need to work out how much petrol you use and your cost and even if they pay you an amount that covers the journey at least you are not out of pocket.

Answer 2

How much would the daycare charge?  That should give you a guidelines as to how much an hour you can charge.  If daycare is $10 an hour then you could charge $8 (you're not licensed) and it would be reasonable.  

I live in Las Vegas.  Infants cost more, b/c they require extra care.  For one week it is $180. That only averages to about $4.50 an hour, but I also pay a yearly registration fee.  When I hire a baby sitter I pay $10 an hour.  I also bring my child to the sitter, so you have the extra expense of driving to her house.

  

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

this is a discussion you should talk with the parent about, everyone has different type of budgets, if she asks you what you charge, say 5.00 a hour plus say 20.00 a week for gas. thats 120.00 a week. For part time work, that sounds reasonable.

Answer 4

$18 an hour

Answer 5

In Arkansas, I get $75 for 5 days at my house.  If I went to their house, it would be more.

Answer 6

What you're doing is technically nannying.  The baby is getting the special one on attention of a nanny and the parents are getting the benefit of someone coming to their house to care for him.  I would definitely say that is worth a pretty penny, even if you don't charge that high.  Nannies where I live usually get a good salary for doing so.  In the very least they will make $8/h.  Experienced Nannies can make $12-$15 per hour!

I would say how much you should charge should be based on your relationship to the parents, and the going rates for the area.  You can check out going rates at Craigslist.com for free in the childcare section.  

Its hard to really pinpoint a good price for you to give without knowing your situation.  In general, I would say you need to charge between $7-$10 per hour.  If it were me, I would charge $40 per day (for a non-relative).  But you should really work this out with the parents . . . just don't let them take advantage!  Arm yourself with knowledge.  Sometimes it seems like parents think people should be watching their children for practically nothing . . . which isn't very practical.

BTW**  Nannies charge MORE than commercial daycares.  Its the home daycares that cost less.