To charge my MIL for childcare since she’s stopped helping halfway through the summer holidays?

If I was your MIL and recieved that bill I'd be sending you another bill for all the free childcare provided.

It's shit she let you down but I cannot see any way in which it could be even slightly reasonable to bill her for your childcare.

I would have been so grateful for any offer of help that 'only' being able to save 20% thanks to the generosity of a relative would still seem like a win. I realise that MIL's timing is shit, but I wouldn't bring finances into it at all. Of course it's going to cost £300+. That's part of the cost of having a child. They're fucking expensive.

Yes my mother was doing childcare for my niece and nephew after school 5 days a week at age 70. It knackered her but my SiL is a bit thick and didn’t see how it tired my poor mother out. My mother felt an obligation to help as my SiL is not a very good at coping.

Does she have the money?

What would you have done if she hadn’t offered to help in the first place? You can’t charge her but don’t use her for childcare in future.

You cant charge her. 😂 Just in future when she offers refer back to this.

No, you definitely can’t ask for money towards childcare.
Annoying that she’s put you in a really shitty situation, but at least now you know she can’t be relied upon for future childcare.

Of course you shouldn't demand she pays. Why not make your parents pay if you think childcare is grandparents responsibility equally to parents.

And why doesn't your husband sort something out seeing as it's his mum who pulled out?

Were you going to be paying her?
If not, why not? Because she's 62 and 'fit', she's got nothing better to do with her time than care for your children for free? Most 62 year olds work full time. And have lives of their own.

So she clearly doesn't want to and that is completely fair enough.

Did MIL offer or was it like my DS abd DDIL who just told me "oh you will do one day for us" I was knackered and bored ridgid. Glad it didn't go on too long

Also your husband should be sorting this out, not you

if you tried that, in your MiLs position I'd say no - and announce her proposed charge for the day that she has offered.

You cannot be serious?

as a result of last minute booking of childcare, it has cost us double per hour what it would have cost back in June’ ?

why has the cost of child care doubled?

What would you have done if MIL hadn't have offered in the first place?

What a joke.

I’m sorry you had to learn this the hard way, but parents and ILs helping with child care is never a good idea IMO for this exact reason, they can and do pull out at any moment.
I don’t think you should ask her for money, but don’t ask her for help or accept any offers of childcare help again. It’s just easier to pay for it, you know where you are then.

All the pps are right : why is this “your problem”? Presumably dh is happy that you’re contributing financially to the home. He has to take the rough with the smooth. Just make it HIS problem. Dont even offer to help.

You can’t charge her, no. But I still think she’s being unreasonable - shouldn’t offer to help and then leave you in the shit last minute. I hate unreliable people.

Don’t be so stupid. Her MIL committed to helping so she didn’t book childcare. Now she’s changed her mind. My MIL would have recognized the predicament she’d left us in and offered to pay, no question!

You are ridiculous to even think it - hilariously so OP

You can't charge a family member for not providing childcare 😆 I completely get that it's immensely stressful but she doesn't owe you childcare just because she's your MIL. Yes she should have let you know earlier, and yes it's awful timing and hugely expensive, but I really think you can't make her pay towards the costs!

This...

Watched my 56 year old mother in law be absolutely run into the ground doing childcare for my gorgeous but incredibly intense nephew. Three years later she’s been left with chronic health problems and yet now she’s having to do it again for a new niece because she feels like she has to. Don’t be that person to your MIL. 3 days is a LOT, I’m not surprised she’s had to change her mind.

Of course you can’t charge her!! You sound so entitled.

Did you miss the following line out of your op

‘as a result of last minute booking of childcare, it has cost us double per hour what it would have cost back in June’ ?

bevause that’s the only way it would make sense that you expect mil to contribute if her reneging on her original plan has cost you more than it would have done in the first place.

I expect your bigger problem is the fact that you casually dropped in that your dh is useless with a whopping great example of you taking all this stress onboard to sort as if it’s only your problem, not his. That dynamic is not good.

So breezily set up a family WhatsApp and say with mil and dh, say “okay I’ve have done as much as I can to replace the days’ childcare. Here’s a list of the dates I’ve replaced with other childcare . @dh you will just have to sort the rest of the days out either use up vacation as I haven’t accrued any yet, or take unpaid leave, or book childcare. Let us know what you have sorted out so we can get the calendar updated and MiL knows which day she’ll be needed each week. Thanks both!”