Babysitting fee

[nosha]

Hi everyone,
I would like to hire a babysitter for the first time, and I was wondering what are the usual fees for babysitting for three children ages 8 years, 4 years and 6 months

No, for the two of them. I'd leave them some snacks too.

Many thanks Missus

I found a baby sitter who works at my son's nursery, she charges £10 per hour but the problem is that she has yet to babysit as she keeps cancelling on me

where abouts are you?
maybe someone on here could help out with babysitting when the sitter at your son's nursery can't or when she cancels.

I wouldn't rule out using a teen/non-professional but I'd be a lot more careful about leaving explicit instructions and checking their First Aid knowledge and common sense. I tend to look at the worst case scenario - meningitis, house fire etc - and wonder whether they'd cope. Some would, I babysat at 14 and would have coped, but some wouldn't even much older.

Distance is also a factor. What if it snows? Or there's a pile-up on the motorway? And the age of the children. I wouldn't leave a child who still needed bottles at regular intervals with a teen unless they had some kind of childcare training and had learnt to make/heat up bottles safely.

At the end of the day it's all down to the individual.

Just to add Sitters does not equal massively experienced. I was on their books at 21 with 3 months in a nursery, a bit of FT nannying from my gap year and 2 years part-time at Uni. That did not, IMO, automatically make me particularly experienced. They were more interested in the fact I had some bits of paper and a car. I also know for a fact they didn't check one if my refs.

I found a sitter who works at my son's nursery and she charges £10 per hour, the problem is she has yet to babysit as she keeps cancelling on me

I just realised I poseted the same message twice, sorry

I live in NG

Nosha I can believe someone would be so unreliable as to keep cancelling on you. I have only ever cancelled a booking once and that was because young baby and I had had D and V 24hrs previously. I have still gone with a headache or cold just rung parents beforehand and said I am happy to do the booking but have x ailment and they have been fine.

Hope she has good reasons for cancelling or I wouldnt book her again