Charge more for children who don’t go to bed?

[Alwaysforgetthecrackers]

I do babysitting/childcare over the summer in a busy, tourist area.
The majority of the time I’ve always had 1-2 children and when I arrive, they’re in bed sleeping and stay asleep for the evening, parents give me the remote, kindly say I can help myself to food and all is great.
I recently sat for someone who had three very active boys, they were still up when I arrived, wanted constant snacks mum asked me to make and tidy things away. They all had different bedtimes, mum wanted me to play games with them, put them to bed etc, little one fought with me on this and eldests bedtime was literally just before they returned home, so I spent the rest of the evening getting him snacks, tidying after him, playing games.
I’m ok doing this…it did make me wonder though, should this be the same charges as basically sitting with the child already in bed?
Also, nice as this mum was, she initially queried the price being a bit expensive, whereas all
others have been very appreciative

£15 ph to mind 3 energetic boys and she moaned about the price? I wouldn't be providing her with anymore service tbh.

@DaisyChain505 👏👏👏

When I gave up childminding and started work in an office, I signed up with an agency to do babysitting in the evening. Just in case I disliked my job and wanted to go back to childminding. I was still registered and my first aid was in date.
The agency charged £20 per hour and this was back in 2003. I got about £15 per hour.
One family in particular, very well off and with four children tried to get me to babysit for them away from the agency because they didn’t want to pay the full whack. They offered me £10 per hour which I turned down. I felt my experience with children of all ages was valuable and they made me feel like it wasn’t.

What a ridiculous suggestion, "It's £11.50ph but if your kid needs first aid or there's an emergency, it's £100 extra."

Pay your babysitters ffs.

@ClarafromHR Its not fair is it, I noticed it can be the v wealthy ones too, sending three children to private London schools, but bargaining over a couple of quid…sad

It sounds like you've been taken for a ride good and proper! I live in a working class Northern area and you will not get a babysitter for less than £12ph as an absolute minimum. Down south you can expect to pay much more.

£15 an hour for watching TV is ...easy work. I'm definitely in the wrong job! 😂

OP obviously doesn't like anyone who disagrees with her.

I babysat a LOT as a teen, and I always made deals with the kids I was looking after - they would get into their PJs an hour before their parents were due back (rarely after 11pm), and then scamper up the stairs when we heard the taxi/car or whatever coming home I loved babysitting and did a lot of it, both for evenings and for full days in the school holidays. My favourite kid and I sank paper boats in the bath and took the dog for long walks. I did an 18 hour day with them, once, at an outdoor music gig (their parents were both musicians). They were fabulous (and repeat customers!).

ANYWAY. My point is that I'd always expected the kids to be awake when I babysat, so, soft YABU, I suppose! That said, the kids I looked after were usually at least 8...

I expected a thread about a frustrated mother struggling to put her kids to sleep 😅

Why are people still suggesting babysitters should be paid more because they're looking after the "most precious and important thing" to their clients? Does that mean that parents who don't care about their kids are fine to pay a lower rate? Does £5 extra an hour really transform the service provided from "well if there's a fire, I'm outta here!" to "well, I'll make a token effort at least to save your kids"?

Tbh most neighbours or even strangers in the street would step in to try to help kids in an emergency so I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect the person caring for them, even if not being paid megabucks, to do the same.

The red flag was querying your price to start with. Always ask how many children, ages & bedtimes.

I'd be clear from the start you're not a housekeeper but if they want dishes washed & tidying done, there'll be an extra charge.

I babysat through my teens & uni & got stung once on New Year's Eve. I turned up & there was 8 kids under 11 - several different families. It was hell & I never babysat for them again

Yeah much more sensible and fair to pay them a wage based on an eventuality that for 99.99% of babysitters isn't going to happen.

Ffs get a real job if you want to earn more

Mysinglepringle - that's unnecessarily aggressive IMO

That's more like a Nanny to me, I would never expect a babysitter to do all that, and I have always made sure my kids are in bed for a babysitter.

@Mysinglepringle Good job I’m a decent person and not a nasty one making awful remarks about people online

Interesting to note that there was a post on another forum from a teen who charged £12 an hour for 2 x 12/14 year olds who put themselves and were no trouble. The parents had asked her if she minded if one of their friends oined her and said she would be no trouble and would put herself to bed too. Poster was asking is she should charge more. EVERYONE said yes!

Fine for them to expect you to put the kids to bed, but not fine for them to expect you to keep making them ‘snacks’ and cleaning up after them.

@medik7 You give off a bit of a creepy vibe 😬
No I’m not, I have my own child and don’t/can’t babysit every night, is that ok?

Yes, I'm afraid I do think you are being unreasonable..... Babysitting is just that.....looking after children. If they are asleep and all you have to do is raid the fridge and then sit doing nothing, that's a bonus , not the norm. After all, even if the children are asleep when you arrive, you can't be sure they'll stay that way......perhaps this isn't the right employment for you!!!

This sounds like a good approach

I suspect a lot of the dissent is simply "teacher bashing" sadly 😤

So you sit for kids who are asleep, and don’t know you at all
that’s odd