Daily Rates for Childcare

MRSVELA07 · May 2013

So as I've said before my MIL is demanding that we pay her to watch our son once we both go back to work. She's mentioned, even before we got pregnant, that we were going to have to pay her so she can she can make her income back as if she was still working. Hubby has Fridays off and my mom is retired so each mother will watch him 2 days out if the week.

We've come up with 40 a day however I'm finding out that that's a little over the average, even for a licensed day care facility. If you're finding your self in a similar situation how much are you paying daily/weekly/monthly? My mom refuses to take our money, her payment is having the opportunity to spend time with her grandbaby. So we save money there but I still don't want to over pay. They'll be coming to our house and we plan to have everything here i.e, food, breastmilk, formula, stimulation toys, etc..

drpayne · May 2013

I think 40 sounds low but I don't know where you live. That might be typical for an in home center where someone makes more because there are several kids but is it worth her while for 5 bucks an hour? You sound like you think watching LO is a privilege and put out that she wants to be paid, which I don't get.

MRSVELA07 · May 2013

I guess I'm old school because my grandmother never "charged" my mom. However my mom did give her money because watching an infant is not easy, I know first hand. I'm not trying to not pay her as I was raised with better morals than that but the fact that she's demanding it takes that gesture away. I live in California and she also watches my other nieces and nephews both turning 3 this month. We plan to increase the amount we pay as Chris gets older, more mobile and requires more stimulation and activities.

holly52 · May 2013

I live in California as well and I will be paying 25 a day for a family friend to watch DD. This is very cheap for my area. Everywhere else was 40 or more.

82Sonia · May 2013

Ours charges a monthly fee but if I left DD there for the max hours everyday, which we are not by several hours, it works out to 100 dollars a day. 40 seems like a steal to me. And honestly, why should she have to do this for free? Yes, it's her grandchild but as we all know, taking care of a baby is a lot of work, and it's not her child.

Also, daycares generally charge way more for infants than older children because they require more attention. You may want to rethink that payment strategy.

jobiann · May 2013

My in-home d/c charges $3 per hour for an infant and $2.50 per hour for kids over 18 months. We live in small town Iowa so it's pretty cheap.

drpayne · May 2013

MRSVELA07:
I guess I'm old school because my grandmother never "charged" my mom. However my mom did give her money because watching an infant is not easy, I know first hand. I'm not trying to not pay her as I was raised with better morals than that but the fact that she's demanding it takes that gesture away. I live in California and she also watches my other nieces and nephews both turning 3 this month. We plan to increase the amount we pay as Chris gets older, more mobile and requires more stimulation and activities.

Ah, I do remember your other post on this topic. I think a ton of people told you that you kinda sound like a jerk but I guess you still don't see it that way. I can't imagine having that expectation of someone. My mom and MIL already raised their kids. If they offered to watch my kids for free I would absolutely insist on paying them something and I'd still be thankful for their help.

My day care charges 280 a week for infants. It goes down from there. I have 2 kids there so 80 a week sounds like a dream to me.

zonagirlie · May 2013

A friend of mine in Baltimore so ends 300 a week. So about 60 a day if he goes full time. Ouch.

MRSVELA07 · May 2013

Hopefully you don't get flamed as this is what you've worked out with your family. And I don't think you're a "jerk" as a pp mentioned called me. I would never let anyone watch my child for free. If they don't accept my money then ill find other ways to compensate them, i.e, lunch, gift cards, etc. I just don't like that my MIL is literally demanding it. I don't agree with that at all. Then I have my mom on the other hand who refuses to take a dime from us. But like I said she will be compensated in other ways. I get where you're coming from though.

==N== · May 2013

I'd say 40 a day is about average for a licensed provider, or maybe a little more for an infant. I would pay that much to someone who wasn't licensed. I pay 25 for full days for a friend to watch him and 15 for a half day.

ungraceful13 · May 2013

My mom watches A for free but the daily rate around here is $30-40. We will be giving my mom a present for watching A though.

Kyleedawn08 · May 2013

PrivacyWanted:
. Also just want to point out that just because your MIL wants to be paid doesn't make her a bad grandma which is what you seem to imply. You're taking away her ability to take on other work and get paid those two days. Not everyone has the financial freedom to afford that

or if she is retired, her ability to go about her day as a retiree. you work so hard throughout your life to get to that stage, and if she isn't going to be able to do what she wants with her time, yes she deserves compensation.

we are going to pay my sister and mom half and half time to watch LO when i go back to work in late fall. & it was never even a question of whether or not we would. we asked, they accepted, then we brought up pay. if they denied that would be one thing, but thats an extra duty upon their day that we are putting upon them. and yes they will so very much enjoy their time with LO, but i don't think that just because they will enjoy it they shouldn't be paid. we are going to do $25 a day, but that is because we live in a small town and the daycare systems around here are just a little more than that.

Eags · May 2013

DS is in a DC for 2 days a week and we pay 40/day. My grandmother keeps him the other days for free.

Schrodinger · May 2013

Its not really fair to her to compare rates at a center, since they have economy of scale to keep costs lower. A more accurate price would be the equivalent of a private nanny. Our local nanny service charges $12/hour + $1/hour/additional kid. So your $40 payment that seems low to you would get you 3 hours and 20 minutes of care for one child. A full 8 hours of care would be $96.

82Sonia · May 2013

Schrodinger:
Its not really fair to her to compare rates at a center, since they have economy of scale to keep costs lower.nbsp; A more accurate price would be the equivalent of a private nanny.nbsp; Our local nanny service charges 12/hour 1/hour/additional kid.nbsp; So your 40 payment that seems low to you would get you 3 hours and 20 minutes of care for one child.nbsp; A full 8 hours of care would be 96.

This is true. I looked into nannies in my area and they are 25 to 30 bucks an hour. Too expensive for me. I still think you're getting an amazing deal. My MIL is going to watch our DD one day a week and I plan on offering her our DC rate of 100 per day.

I know you're getting bent out of shape over this but I really think you're missing the big picture. She's family which is awesome, your kid will also be with cousins which is awesome, you're paying someone you trust to care for your kid, that's priceless.

babyhannah2013 · May 2013

I think 40 per day is fair. My nanny charges 70 per day. Childcare isn't cheap!

dlbrous · May 2013

MRSVELA07:
Hopefully you don't get flamed as this is what you've worked out with your family. And I don't think you're a "jerk" as a pp mentioned called me. I would never let anyone watch my child for free. If they don't accept my money then ill find other ways to compensate them, i.e, lunch, gift cards, etc. I just don't like that my MIL is literally demanding it. I don't agree with that at all. Then I have my mom on the other hand who refuses to take a dime from us. But like I said she will be compensated in other ways. I get where you're coming from though.

What do you mean by literally demanding it? Would you rather her not express her expectations to you? I think it's good that she let you know what she expects so far ahead of time. I'm just wondering why you haven't found other arrangements if it bothers you so much.

Mason&Mama · May 2013

I was paying $50 each time my father watched my son. I am not sure what the going daily rate is here for daycare, but I know that it is on the high end. It definitely differs by region. I found $50 to be a good deal for my son to be able to be in my on home with someone I trusted.

stardust317 · May 2013

We pay our sitter who keeps babies in her home $20/day. We only pay on the days that DD2 attends.

We pay the daycare that keeps DD1 $130/week and we have to pay whether she's there or not.

We live in a rural/low cost of living area.

MRSVELA07 · May 2013

No my mil is not retired...she offered to watch our son as long as we pay her. However my mom is retired and also offered to watch our son and refuses payment. We will compensate her in other forms. It doesn't seem to be clear, I have no problem paying its just the fact that she's demanding it! I think we're sticking with 40.

MRSVELA07 · May 2013

Just to be clear she offered to watch him. So I'm not taking anything away from her.

LaurelBee · May 2013

You mentioned your Mil watches your nieces and nephews? What does your Mil charge your Sil?? I would match that.

drpayne · May 2013

b0710:
MRSVELA07:
No my mil is not retired...she offered to watch our son as long as we pay her. However my mom is retired and also offered to watch our son and refuses payment. We will compensate her in other forms. It doesn't seem to be clear, I have no problem paying its just the fact that she's demanding it! I think we're sticking with 40.
I think the  issue people are having is that you keep using the word demanding. If you are ok with paying and she wants to be paid I guess I don't see what the issue is unless you were secretly hoping she would do it for free. Using that same wording, Target demanded that I pay for the items I bought there yesterday, Outback demanded that my husband pay for my Mother's Day dinner, and our daycare provider demanded I pay for my sons's care too. I think people might be responding differently with a different word...like asking I pay.
On a different note, did she ask you to pay 40 a day? Did you ask her what she wanted per day to be paid? I was just curious because I didn't remember seeing that in any previous posts. If you are setting the price at 40 a day, then I don't understand why you're so upset. Fwiw, we pay around 30 a day, which I think is a good price. It's an at-home daycare. If you haven't asked your MIL what she wants to be paid it might work out better for you cost wise. Good luck! 

Geez, thank you. I'm still not understanding why if you're so annoyed by this, maybe you should look for care elsewhere...?

ashcody2 · May 2013

We pay $3/hr. for in-home care, we are in IA.

Daily Rates for Childcare

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