Advice needed on money to offer overnight babysitter please

[TheBeanAndTheBee]

We're getting married in a few months and are looking for someone to look after our 2 DDs overnight. They will be 18 months and 2.7.

We want our girls to attend the ceremony but basically for someone to be on hand to whisk them off later when they get bored) so after about 20mins then! We'd obviously want them to fed the kids, put them to bed and then sleep in the same room as them. We'd provide somewhere for them to hang out for the evening (ie another hotel room) so they don't have to go to bed at 7pm too!

Around 24hours would be needed - from about noon on a Saturday until noon the next day.

Was thinking of offering to staff at DD1s nursery so they already know the girls. It's an hour and a half on the train from where we are, we'd pay travel expenses on top. Do you think someone there would be interested and more importantly what should we offer (in cash).

We would provide food too, forgot to add that!

Bump!

As a rough figure I would think £8 per hour for the 24 hrs plus travelling time and costs.
I would charge £10 per hour but then I have full insurance and experience of proxy parenting and would be able to just get on with it. You will probably get a variety of answers including a different rate for sleepover etc. But if you have a figure in mind then perhaps sound out the staff checking they do not have a clause in their contract that says they are not to work for clients of the nursery.
An alternative would be to contact an agency closer to the venue or speak to the venue as thats where most of my work comes from as I deal direct with the hotels.

Thank you, was thinking around that mark, good to get a second opinion! I will talk to nursery staff tomorrow and see if they are able to work for us or not outside the nursery. Hadn't even realized that might not be possible!

We've always paid £8/hour babysitting (after the children have gone to bed) til 11pm. Then £50 overnight. Then £9 or £10 hour during the day from when the children woke up.
Nurseries usually able no probs with their staff irking during the weekend or evening it's only when you employ them for a nanny position that they complain. I wouldn't even ask.

It's a good idea. We did the same, and had an assistant from our nursery to do a similar thing at our wedding (years and years ago now though!). She brought her friend along for company and they both looked after DS, had food, evening meal etc. We didn't ask the nursery boss, but she did know and didn't mind at all (lots of the staff did evening babysitting etc.).

Presumably you've got a specific person in mind? To be honest - I would offer a fixed rate. If you person is a youngish girl, she could bring a friend. For the hours you're suggesting, with travel, food, meals and (eg) a room film paid and thrown in, I'd offer maybe £100 cash in hand plus a big box of chocolates.

I wouldn't go OTT with an hourly rate for a one off - if it works well, you may want to do it again at home.

bbcessex Offering two 'young girls' the equivalent of £2.08 each per hour to look after two toddlers overnight is outrageous. I would tell you exactly where to put your chocolates.

Would offer £10 per hr min. The children will be awake for a large chunk of the 24hrs, will need to be settled in an unknown place by someone they don't really know (or at least who doesn't usually do bedtime etc)

Would also look up things to do in the area with young children. If your saying wedding is a midday at by 3pm potentially they will need to leave, that will be a long time to entertain in a hotel room ( unless there is a pool or something)

malovit.. No problem, I'll eat them myself!!

You need to get real.... I suggested that whoever did the babysitting could bring a friend for their own benefit, not for the OPs. Nursery assistants can earn next to nothing. Something like this cld actually be an adventure for them, along with the chance to earn a bit of extra cash.

Or are you suggesting it should be via payroll and subject to tax and NI too?

Of course I'm not suggesting it should be via payroll - don't be ridiculous.

£100 is far too little for an extremely responsible 24 hour job.

Nursery assistants do get paid very little as a rule, but that doesn't mean that they should be exploited by others.

As a nanny, after Woking 60+ hours, working another 24 is not for 'fun'!
I enjoy my job but for me to have little free time at th weekend it would need to be worth my time. Hence min £10 per hour ( although personally that's my weekday rate so would be more £12-15). An 18 month in a strange environment is very unlikely to sleep through the night so whoever is looking after them will also get little sleep and will be up through the night settling them.

Crackers to pay £12/hour in my opinion.

I work on the basis that a highly qualified, awake a lot, maternity nurse would get £150 per 24 hours. I'd offer that and be done with it.

a nanny would get about £80 for a day, and overnight rate is £50. There would be a few additional hours in between at babysitting rate so £150 sounds right

I feel very tight now - I pay our babysitter (who also works at the kids nursery) £7 per hour.

Lels - How can you feel tight?? That would be £168 / 24 hours
Babysitting in London I pay £7 or £8 an hour (children are asleep though)

Mine used to be asleep by the time the babysitter got here but I ended up getting so stressed trying to get ready / put the kid in bed, it would take me half the night to unwind. I now get her to come an hour earlier and put the kids to bed whilst we go and get a drink.

TheBeanAndTheBee, Would it be feasible for the girls to be taken back to your house by their sitters and for them to spend the night in their own home?

I've done the 'night in the hotel' babysitting service once and it was a bit of a disaster - mainly because the newlyweds had put myself and their children in the adjoining room to theirs which had a lockable connecting door, and it was a bit close for comfort IYKWIM.

If you have to use the hotel option and you intend to stay there as well, may I suggest that the childrens' room is on another floor?

As a registered childminder with insurance I would do it for £7 per hour flat rate.

A registered childminder isn't registered to mind at other houses/ hotels etc apart from their own home though are they?

malovitt we're 2 hours away from home, hence the hotel being the only option! Thanks for the tip though, what happened, could the parents hear the kids crying?

I think £100 for the night max, plus a hotel room and food is more than generous! I would have done it for a lot less when I was younger, but nowadays I'm not keen on being away from my family overnight so it'd have to be worth it.

Saying that, if it was somebodies wedding I'd do it for free so long as food and room were covered - weddings cost a bomb as it is!

Is there anyone who isn't a childminder who can babysitt who you trust? A friends babysitter or similar?

I work as a nursery nurse and do babysitting work for some of the parents, i would be fine with £150. I also think its a good idea that you get someone your children know, and are use to having around and telling them what to do e.g i think a nursery nurse would have an easier time getting your child to sleep then a friend would. I am sure you would have a better more relaxing time at your wedding on your special day knowing that your children are with someone you trust, and someone they know.

forevergreek, yes my insurance covers me for babysitting in other houses and hotels so long as a babysitting checklist and a risk assessment is carried out.

OBV IF IM WORKING AWAY FROM MY HOUSE OR THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE THEN I WOULD WANT A HOTEL ROOM AKA BED AND FOOD AS STANDARD - its hardly the op being generous or an extra bonus lollybobs

whoops wasnt meant to be in caps

its very different babysitting children in their home, compared to putting them to sleep after an exciting day in a strange bed and room, so yes they are quite possibly likely to wake up/be restless

personally i would want paying at least £200 - this is £10ph and then sleepover fee of £30 midnight to 7am - but tbh im more likely to charge £10 through the night incase they wake up/get fretful etc - as i do with small babies so for 24hrs be £240

i do a lot of hotel babysitting and wedding crèches and insurance wont cover them if the sitter/nanny cant see or hear the children, so again not wise for the nanny to leave them alone in the room once asleep - tedious but means they either need an ajoining room or you have a large room and children sleep in a corner and they sit and watch tv on the bed

I would too charge £200 for 24hrs and think if I was to take a friend then that would be my choice and to split the cost myself

I would suggest £150 for 24hrs as this is the normal going rate most agencies suggest plus somewhere to sleep and food.