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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cost of baby sitting

376 replies

Niloufes · 18/05/2016 13:07

Our baby sister recently told us that she is putting her costs up to minimum wage per hour, £7.20 an hour. Am i being unreasonable to think this is too much? She comes round when our 3 year old daughter is asleep and waits until we get home. Only once has she woken up and needed a drink and so the sitter is just sitting watching tv the rest of the time. Is this a normal amount to pay? we paid £6 before. aibu?

OP posts:
wonderingsoul · 18/05/2016 14:28

Your not paying her for just what she is doing though. You are paying for her time. Im sure shes not babysitting because she thinks it fun.

Out intereast how much you ask for babysitting if you was to do it?

toomuchtooold · 18/05/2016 15:26

You're really not paying someone to "sit on your sofa". You're paying them to be in loco parentis and to keep your children safe.

Which, 99 times out of 100, consists of sitting on my sofa watching TV! And of course yes I realise it's a big responsibility to take on, that the 1 time in 100 I'd be glad I had someone I could really rely on etc etc and I certainly don't begrudge babysitters the minimum wage if not more - I just don't personally find it worth it as it's as expensive as daytime care with, for me, far less benefit.

ExConstance · 18/05/2016 15:31

My children are in their 20's now and we paid £50 for a full evening 6pm to around 11pm when they were toddlers. It is called "minimum wage" for a reason - the least you can pay.

finp06 · 18/05/2016 15:31

you are paying someone to look after the most precious thing you own. Why would you pay more for someone to clean for you? I used to pay between 8-10 an hour 2 years ago in Surrey

Beepbopboop · 18/05/2016 15:32

ShockShock yabvvvvvvvvvu
£6 an hour! She should be getting at least the living wage.
The cost of living rises all the time ya know?
Why should she give up her evening for not even minimum wage??

Beepbopboop · 18/05/2016 15:34

And of you think she's 'not doing anything' then why don't you just go out and leave your child on their own?

teatowel · 18/05/2016 15:54

Exactly Beepbopboop. They could turn the TV on and just go out .

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 16:24

I am perfectly happy to babysit for anyone for £5 an hour. There are plenty of us out there who will do it for this, and thus we get most of the work.

The reason I'm happy to do this is because I am essentially doing exactly the same as I would be in my own house on those evenings. Watching tv, working on laptop, mning, whatever.

People can throw around dramatic statements like 'well if your kids aren't worth that much to you' etc etc but the reality is I'm doing nothing.

I reckon there's a really good business idea thrown up by this thread - don't employ a babysitter, employ a cleAner at £10 an hour to come clean from 8pm, and throw in an extra couple of quid cos the Dc are in bed. Two birds with one stone. Great idea.

kw1091 · 18/05/2016 16:31

I babysit regularly for lots of families in NW London and I have been doing so for about the last 9 years ( I am 24), I don't have any childcare qualifications but an awful lot of experience as well as 2 months nannying for a family friends wee boy, he was 16 months at the time.
It NEVER fails to surprise me at how little parents are willing to pay for babysitters.
I have had mothers that want to pay me as little as £5p/h when they will more than happily pay their cleaner £10p/h!
You do realise these are your children that are being looked after? Your precious angels that you love so much? Why on earth would you want cheap childcare?!?!?!?!
Pay peanuts get monkeys.

whois · 18/05/2016 16:34

My boss gets his cleaner to baby sit. So she cleans and irons whilst the kids are in bed. Win win.

grannytomine · 18/05/2016 16:34

In the care industry they are supposed to pay NMW for people who are in bed sleeping, cases were won at tribunal last year. You are paying for her time if you expect her to stay in the house and not decide to just pop down to the shop if she feels like it then you should be paying NMW. As others have said NMW is alot less for teenagers.

whois · 18/05/2016 16:35

I have had mothers that want to pay me as little as £5p/h when they will more than happily pay their cleaner £10p/h!

Yeah but for a "kids asleep in bed" gig it's much easier ban cleaning.

kw1091 · 18/05/2016 16:37

What about when your kids pukes in its sleep? Wakes up? Is poorly? God forbid something awful was to happen. There is a lot of responsibility involved.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2016 16:44

'employ a cleAner at £10 an hour to come clean from 8pm, and throw in an extra couple of quid cos the Dc are in bed. Two birds with one stone. Great idea.'

As long as you can find a cleaner for weekend nights who's happy to be on hand for the kids if they wake up.

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 16:47

I bet you can expat.
I've never done it, never thought of it till this thread, but I'll wager there'd be many a willing cleaner who would happily accept £2 per hour over and above their usual wages, just because there's some dc asleep in a few of the rooms.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2016 16:57

Yes, but then you won't be paying them just the NMW.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2016 16:57

And then you'll have to clean the room/rooms the children are in yourself.

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 16:58

Exactly. Win, win.

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 17:03

Xpost with your second post expat.
True, re dc rooms, but not the end of the world.

FrenchJunebug · 18/05/2016 17:05

I am appalled by some of the comments and suggestions on this thread. As some have said it's minimum wage for a reason. Yes the babysitter sits and 'does nothing' but he/she is also there for your peace of mind, in case your kid wakes up, and in case of emergency and enables you free time to go out.

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 17:08

'Pay peanuts get monkeys' doesn't apply to this.
'Pay peanuts get a perfectly sensible person who recognises babysitting when dc are in bed is money for jam, and gets on with other stuff whilst remaining perfectly capable of dealing with the unlikely event of a child throwing up or whatever' .

LillyGrinter · 18/05/2016 17:14

I last babysat or money in 1985 when I was 16 for £5 an hour, cheese and biscuits, cake and as much, tea ,coffee or squash I wanted.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2016 17:17

'Pay peanuts get a perfectly sensible person who recognises babysitting when dc are in bed is money for jam, and gets on with other stuff whilst remaining perfectly capable of dealing with the unlikely event of a child throwing up or whatever' .'

And that 'getting on with stuff' doesn't extend to cleaning after your mess or doing your washing or ironing unless you agree to pay for those services, too, in which case, it's going to be more than NMW.

Because I have a feeling that the response you would get if you hired a babysitter, not a cleaner who has agreed to also sit for an additional sum/hour and then told him/her to clean up your mess, too, the resounding answer would be in the region of fuck off.

expatinscotland · 18/05/2016 17:20

In fact there was a thread on here not too long ago from a poster who works as a language tutor and who went to see a parent as a favour to a client of hers. The parent had older children, and wanted the tutor to tutor them and then remain in the home until she got home, and in that time, to become her cleaner, too. The answer was, 'No, I'm not a cleaner.'

arethereanyleftatall · 18/05/2016 17:28

To clarify :

  1. £5 for a babysitter - who gets on with their own stuff. Not necessarily any less capable of looking after precious dcs should the need arise.
  2. £12 for a cleaner (normally £10) who cleans whilst dc are asleep.