Stay at homes that babysit for extra cash, or have a home daycare, what are some of the pro's and con's??

Question

I am a stay at home mom. A 4 month old and 1 in school. Looking to make extra cash.

Answer 1

Pros...

Make your own hours, amount you charge, children have friends, spening money.

Cons...

You may not get paid if you don't charge up-front, child may be brought up different (lack of dicipline at home can expose your child to another childs bad behavior), lose your job if child is removed on the spot.

Answer 2

Pros: you are making money and getting to stay home with your child

Cons: you may be home with your child(ren) but you can't give all your attention to them

Answer 3

Good way to make money, if you're good at discipline (that is, have the personality for it).  Otherwise, it can be a lot of headaches.

Answer 4

It's a business, so you have to remember to run it as such.  

Pros:    you can wear your pj's all day if you want--seriously, though, no dress code;  no commuting to and from work-save $ on traveling; get to take care of your baby and not worry about someone not treating them right; earn extra money.  

Cons:     even though you are working for yourself, you will still have a schedule to keep, so no running to the store or taking a day off 'cause the parents that hire you need you for the days you've committed to;   your children will not be able to have your attention all of the time;   your house will get messed up and you'll feel like you are constantly cleaning up;    you won't be able to go to the school for parties or on field trips unless you arrange for a sub to stay w/ the kids you've agreed to watch;   you have to be firm with your pay policy or you'll get stiffed;   the hours could be long (6 am - 6p.m., Monday thru Friday);   you could have sick kids at your house with your kids that are well.  

Have you considered maybe doing a parents night out once a week or once every couple of weeks where you would watch the kids from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until  9:00 a.m. on Saturday.     You would feed the kids dinner on Friday, watch movies, put them to bed, give them a light breakfast on Saturday.    Charge $15-$20 a kid.    I'm sure you wouldn't have any trouble filling your spots and it wouldn't be a full time committment.    

Advertise at your husband's work, church, in your neighborhood.

Answer 5

pro- cash

con- more responsibility

Answer 6

I did this starting at age 12-16 and I loved it! I was always way more responsible and mature than other kids my age and parents completely trusted me and knew their children loved me. I was able to be in other families lives and get to know them very closely and grow to love their children like they were part of my family. It's a great side job but I just cant live off of the low income now that it brings in. However if money and bill paying isnt an issue than go for it.

Answer 7

a home daycare is a business, and you can't raise a family and run a business from home.  Don't try.

As for babysitting, when I was the stay at home, I had a lot of fun babysitting, and so did my kids and the kids I sat for.  We always sat kids my own children's age, and I say we, because my kids did as much if not more then I did.

The big difference between the two is the amount of time the kids stay with you.  As a babysitter, your children will come first, most of the time, and some times you will have to deal with other kids.  As a day care provider, your kids will have to compete for your attention on a full time basis, making the benefits of "stay at home" negligible.

Answer 8

pro  - EXTRA CASH

con - well, it's a lot of work to do that plus you're own kids, and then if you're kids don't get along with them, then it's a problem... ugh...

Answer 9

as a child i was watche by a sahm and as a pregnant full time worker i will be using the services of a sahm for childcare because i feel that it is more personal.

pros for you- if you really enjoy kids, it is a very rewarding thing. it's not for you if you just want to make some money so you decide to keep kids, you have to want to play with them and enjoy doing it.

the extra money is great, if you just keep a couple of kids you shouldn't have any interruption in your daily routine.

cons- it is extra work, extra lunches to fix etc, you really can't to a lot of errands during the week in the daytime so it can get tedious staying at home all day every day.