How much to pay a friend to watch our baby?

bethann3181 · February 2010

I am due with our 1st baby in May, and am taking my 12 week leave and then returning back to work full time. I have 2 close friends that are SAHM that have offered to come to our house to watch the baby once I go back to work. I am so thankful for this, so that I don't have quite the expense of daycare, plus our LO will be at home, and with people I trust. We will most likely ask each of them to do 2 days a week, and my mom will be doing the 5th day.

My question is - I'm not sure what is a reasonable amount to pay them. WDYT is a good daily rate? I was thinking $30-40 per day, but wasn't sure.

Some things to consider:

I live in North Wales, they live in Phoenixville and Schwenksville. A decent commute with gas for both of them.

They will be in our house all day, using our utilities with their LO's as well.

How would you handle food, diapers, etc? They both have LO's of thier own they would be bringing with them for the day - 1 will be 16 months, and the other will be 9 months.

TIA!

MAprincess · February 2010

I'm not sure I'd factor in utilities for them as if you had a nanny or any other home care, your heat and electricity would be the same. They'll be bringing food, etc for their own children and I highly doubt they'll be utilizing your washer or anything all day that would really dent your utilities. I think $40 a day sounds about right, but my geography skills are terrible. If they are driving more than 30 minutes one way, I might bump it to $45. You'll still be doing better than a center that way. Also, won't taking care of a newborn and a 9 month old be insane? Kudos to her.

joseandelena · February 2010

I was thinking, $30-40 a day, two days each will come down to $120-160 a week, or even up to $180 a week if you bump the pay to $45. The pros are your baby will still be home, you trust your friends and also it is still cheaper than any babysitter you'd hire to stay in your house. The cons are - the money you will spend are pretty much the same as in a day care ($120-185 a week), and them babysitting for you could dent not your utilities but your friendship and you might loose a babysitter and a friend at the end. So you really have to thing before you make your choice

MAprincess · February 2010

Where is there a daycare that is $120 a week? Ours was $1000/month (or$250 a week) in Delaware County. $120 is a very good deal if you can find that. But I agree with the PP that you might want to consider if this might dent your friendships- that is a good point. What if they do something you disagree with? It might be hard for you to order them around like hired help and I am sure they wouldn't really appreciate it.

Mrs_Springbride · February 2010

i live in lower bucks, and have had a few people offer to watch the baby for $25/day.

aynjc · February 2010

I live in Collegeville which is right between where your friends live. The ride to North Wales (especially during rush hour) can be pretty long. How many hours are they going to be at your house? I would think of this hourly. I feel like $40/day is low. I would say more like $50 per day...your total cost would be $200/week which is less than what the darecares I'm looking at are. Do you have a backup plan if one of them can't do it or their kids are sick? Just some things to think about. Good luck!!