Dilly Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 My neighbor has a newborn and has agreed for a few months to watch my child for a few days a week. If I take my child to daycare, we're talking about $5.75/hour. I would probably prefer daycare if I have to pay close to this much an hour. Same situation for my quasi-mother-in-law who has suggested caring for the child. It's out of my way to drop her off at daycare. By like an hour a day... so I'm just not crazy about doing that many days a week, plus she'd be travelling with the MIL twice daily at least back and forth to drop off another child at school. I just feel sort of funky about things... like subjecting my child to extra car rides and so forth when she's probably just safe and sound in daycare. I don't know. I need to do a pro/con list for the MIL care. Pros: great love, reliable care, reduced transmission of illness as would be seen in daycare. Cons: inconvenience for me (possible one hour commute daily for transportation to and from the MIL's), gas for extra transportation, added commuting with MIL for child, question of compensation (I can not deduct for compensation to a family member for childcare. A little confused. Still, if my neighbor watches the child part time and the MIL watches her also, I will want to compensate both somehow. BUt if I don't save significant amounts of money, I would prefer daycare - it's a steady option and would allow Chloe to sleep during the day to give me extra good time at night. If she is kept up during the day, she's going to be crabby for me at nighttime. Just a little concerned by this last minute offer by the MIL to take care of her. I should be thrilled, right? But I have done my homework on my daycare selection and now, I'm second-guessing myself because she kept asking after my selection was made how she could help. If it's not added convenience, I'd rather use her for weekend coverage and date time so we can have a life outside of work. Not sure how to sort all this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chai714 Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 As a general rule, always overpay the babysitter especially if it's a neighbor. Babysitters often work as hard as you pay them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophie274 Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I would think 5.75 would be on the low end of what I would expect to be paid, as a babysitter. Of course it depends on your area (my sister is in California and gets 15/hour for one 9 year old, although she does speak a foreign language with the child), but I think 7-8 dollars/hour is pretty standard for a couple of kids. I would expect the same for a newborn, since they are extra work. Of course, since your neighbor already has a child, it might be easier for her to take care of your daughter. I would honestly come out and ask her what rate she would think was fair. It seems to me like daycare sounds like your best option right now, with your MIL helping out on the week-ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shikashika Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Hmm.. When I babysat 18 years ago I got paid that much, so I would expect it would be a lot more now. and I agree, pay a babysitter well.. who is more important than your child? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justpaisley Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I think you're making things complicated. You probably are quite happy that your MIL and neighbor have offered to babysit, but at the same time you don't want to refuse their offers of help because you feel like you'd offend them somehow, right? If I were in your situation, I'd go with daycare. Don't add on another half hour to your commute, and don't let the baby spend a few days a week with the neighbor - she'll be a lot happier if she's got a normal schedule that you can stick with every day. Also, many of the kids around here are charging $10 an hour for babysitting!!! I must have been very cheap. I charged $5 per child per night back in my day. I was stoooo-pid. GOSH Chloe's cute. I love the profile picture! Congrats on such a sweet little bunny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BellaDonna Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 If I were in your situation, I'd go with daycare. Don't add on another half hour to your commute, and don't let the baby spend a few days a week with the neighbor - she'll be a lot happier if she's got a normal schedule that you can stick with every day I agree. Also keep in mind that if your neighbor or MIL suddenly get sick or something- it puts you in a bind last minute because they will not be able to watch your baby. At daycare there is ample staff so that it's a reliable place that you can take her. plus she'd be travelling with the MIL twice daily at least back and forth to drop off another child at school That would worry me a little. I have a family member who will be watching my child a couple of days a week- but she has already made it clear that she will not be driving when she is watching the baby on those 2 days. (Which makes me feel good) I guess had I not been rear-ended quite badly 6 months ago I would not be so paranoid. I think daycare is consistent, and also secure- because you know when you drop her off there- she stays there. BellaDonna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToResist Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I agree, I'd go with daycare. I'm currently debating this as well...my ex's mother really wants to watch my son two days a week for free, which would be nice, but I really really want to get him as stable as possible. And I think daycare is the way to go. He'll be able to get on a routine...when mommy goes to work, he goes to daycare. And I've looked around alot at babysitters and nannys and daycares, and nannys and babysitters are wayyyyyy more expensive. Daycares are about $35 a day or $150-200 a week. And you have to consider the car rides. That would be a HUGE dealbreaker for me as well. The longer you're on the road, the bigger the chance something can happen, you know? And it's really sad to stick babies in carseats for such a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilly Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 You guys have all made my decision a bit less cumbersome. My boyfriend really wants his mother to watch our child, but I see no problem with securing the daycare and then, if she wants to pick Chloe up from time to time and keep her for a few hours, fine! I think Daycare is the way to go, as well. But one of our mutual friends told us how terrible daycare is due to the sickness transmission. That frankly does concern me a bit. Nonetheless, I am going to have to really let my boyfriend know how I feel and if his mother would like to take care of Chloe, maybe she can arrange for that on a few nights when I work late. AGAIN, thanks alot. The fact that I got unanimous feedback on this is something!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justpaisley Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 The fact that I got unanimous feedback on this is something!!! From me and BellaDonna, no less, confessed germophobes! I think that if Chloe gets sick repeatedly, you might want to not reconsider daycare altogether, but specifically that daycare. I had some friends in California with a daycare and they were deadly serious when it came to sickness control - they gave parents one warning against bringing sick kids, and then they'd kick 'em out. (Some parents will know their kid has a fever, give the kid some Tylenol, then claim they didn't know their kid was sick - my friends would have none of it.) They'd cycle the stuffed animals every couple of days so they could clean them, clean everything else nightly, and make hourly hand-washing a game with the kids. Their kids hardly ever got sick. I think it's a GREAT idea to let the MIL take her every couple of days! And at least the neighbor is a backup plan on holidays or days when the daycare is closed! How lucky that your MIL is so willing to help out. My mother's help has been priceless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BellaDonna Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 But one of our mutual friends told us how terrible daycare is due to the sickness transmission. That frankly does concern me a bit. Well, it's inevitable if you think about it. If the baby does not get a lot of exposure to other children when she is small- it will catch up to her once she enters preschool or school. That's what happened to me when I was a kid. I was the first grandchild- my mom stayed home with me- my parents did not have friends who had kids- no cousins yet- so I was never really around other kids until I entered Kindergarten- and then I caught EVERYTHING within that first year: Bronchitis Strep throat (ultimately had to get my tonsils out) Mono etc. I literally missed 3/4 of Kindergarten because of it. Luckily my mom taught me at home while I was out sick and I vaguely remember taking some kind of test in order to move on to 1st grade. You can only shelter them for so long, eventually the world of germy kids will catch up with them. My guess is that a child who goes to daycare is probably less likely to get bombarded with illness later on (like I did) when they enter school because their immune systems can handle it better based on previous exposure to kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilly Posted May 26, 2007 Author Share Posted May 26, 2007 I decided on the hybrid daycare option. Two days with the MIL and three days at a 3-day-per-week daycare ($900 for the month of three days per week). It's expensive, but that's what kids are, priceless little gems that we have to protect and that protection is costly. Thanks Bella and Paisley, both sets of feedback are very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandy27 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 i work 40hrs a week and pay 125 babysitter but she only wtch them after school from 300 to 500pm so 125 for 2hrs a day ; / is the daycare is cheaper than go for daycare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilly Posted May 27, 2007 Author Share Posted May 27, 2007 THANKS WANDY! Everything is more expen$ive in NYC, right? Gosh, that's $125 a week or a month? I presume weekly!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandy27 Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 yea is weekly lol everything is much higher here ; ( so thats why i pay that amount but if u live in a city where life isnt that expensive where then u could ofcourse not pay so much.....ask ur coworkers or friends around how much they pay that way u will have an idea of what to pay ; ) good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittItaliano Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I always charged $5 an hour and a $1 extra per kid if there were more than three. This was a couple years ago, but still. I ususally got paid more than I asked for. Last summer I babysat three boys two and 1/2 days a week and got $150 a week (I had to feed them two meals a day, and drive them to music lessons and stuff tho). I think you'd just be better off sticking the child in daycare. You'll probably end up paying around the same amount either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilly Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 Great guideline PittItaliano... THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southerngirl Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 I have my children with a friend who baby sits them. Then I dont have to worry about a teacher that has way too many kids...... Other kids and hitting, biting and other bad habits, or a teacher who may choose to let my 5 month old cry. That said, my 9 year old was in daycare from the time he was 14 months old. Always before that I used a trusted person to babysit. They are only little once. Theres nothing wrong with a daycare/preschool though provided you find a good one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilly Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 That's just it, I went into the daycare and found that babies were crying, twice. But then I speak to parents in the area and they said it's the best daycare around. I decided to use it for a few weeks and decide based on how I feel and what I find when I do dropoffs/pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southerngirl Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 See, thats my problem with daycares. I dont want my babies to be in a room with a teacher that is overworked with 5 kids, 8 kids or even 10 kids. Even if there were 10 kids in the nursery and two adults...... that scares me. What if the baby cries and they have to tend to other babies so they leave my baby there crying and crying. That is my main reason that I have stayed away from them. Sure, my oldest was in daycare/preschool but well after his first birthday. One thing you'll get if your mother in law or a friend watched your little one is peace of mind that the baby is being spoilt and loved on and kissed as she should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dilipv Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 hi Dilly, i 've read your quotes and would like to reply that the price variation depends on the locality to stay.if the the locality and even the experence of babysitters matters.The going rate in the suburbs of Chicago is $5-10/hr, depending on the age and experience of the sitter and how well they know the family.you can search through link removed by typing the line = babysitting charge per/hour USD and select the fifth one from starting you can san select any one you like but the fifth one will give u the idea that you you want. hoping that this will help you to make you to come to a decission. Thank you Dilip link removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atticus90 Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 You look like you have a newborn. I don't think a newborn belongs in daycare. They require special attention, that a daycare worker can't do, because he/she is attending to 20 different kids. Babysitting is the way to go, because all the attention is to the baby and you should pay them about 5- 10 an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythical_Suicide Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 You look like you have a newborn. I don't think a newborn belongs in daycare. They require special attention, that a daycare worker can't do, because he/she is attending to 20 different kids. Babysitting is the way to go, because all the attention is to the baby and you should pay them about 5- 10 an hour. I worked in a Daycare center for awhile and that is not true Legally no one person can attend to 20 babies!!!!. A childcare provider working in a daycare center is only allowed up to 6(or 8 in some places) infants to 1 provider. For infants (birth-15 months), a group of six infants should be supervised by one teacher for every three infants (1:3). Eight infants is the maximum number of infants recommended and should be cared for by one caregiver for every four children (1:4). But must I also mention and point out, this post was posted 7 months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 You'd like to pay less than $5.75 an hour ? how much lower can it go ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 Over pay the babysiter. Definently overpay. Overpayed babysiter = happy grateful babysiter = good baby siter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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