Okay, so, I want to lay it all out and get some great opinions from moms who know. Mamasource has helped me out a lot in the past so hopefully you great moms will pull through for me again! Basically, I am a SAHM for a 1 year old boy, very active and we take classes and have a pretty busy schedule. However some friends have asked me to watch their almost 4 month old little boy 1 day a week so his mom can work part-time. I am fine with that and it is on a "down-day" with no classes, however, I am not sure what to charge. A few things- the baby doesn't sleep well so it is going to be a lot of extra work (my son is on a great schedule so I am not too worried about that), I would like to charge hourly so there are no miscommunications (like they got caught in traffic and were two hours late, etc.). I will also take him with me to the park, playgroups etc. at my own expense. I want to give them a fair price but also want it to be worth my while. It is a former co-worker of my husbands and they tend to maintain the friendship. They also are okay with paying it is just akward to figure out a fair number for both. Oh, my husband has to do everything on the up and up as we get audited annually for his job so I will have to pay taxes (30+% off whatever I make) and they will also get a childcare tax benefit. Help me!!! Oh, they will drop him off at my home so that is another thing to consider. Please let me know your experiences or thoughts on this. I have friends who have nannies but the circumstances are much different so it is hard to compare.
Addendum- I should say that they want to pay me what they would pay another childcare person, they didn't pick me to save money or as a favor but so the baby would be with someone they trust. It is not as a favor but for them to have trustworthy childcare and for me to get a little extra money. Basically neither of us know what is fair which is why I threw the question out there- I appreciate the responses so far!
I charge $50 a day, but for a friend it might be different. Like the other person asked...are you doing it more as a favor or more for the money? If it was b/c we needed the money I would probably charge a friend the same rate (b/c if I didn't watch their child I would be watching another one.) It's great that you can take this child with you and keep your schedule the same...and it's only 1 day a week.
If she's working part-time, trying to charge her $8 an hour or some $50-70 a day, after taxes, your friend will be making probably less than $10 a day for all of her hard work. What's the point? She's asking you as a friend (who has the fortunate circumstance to stay at home with your little one) to help her. Cut her a break! Tell her--as long as it's just one day a week-- that you'll do it pro bono or charge her something that will allow her to actually keep some of her earnings--maybe $4 an hour. That will help with your grocery bill or allow you a new treat every once in a while for yourself.
The other moms who have commented are talking about running a business. They have to make a decent profit--but put yourself in your friends' shoes for a moment. Can she afford to pay you as she would a regular daycare or does she really need the break that only a friend can give?
I do in-home daycare and I charge $70 a day. I charge by the day regardless of the hours that the child attends. I clearly define that my hours are 7-6 anytime after that is $20 an hour. The benifit of charging per day is so that if the parent decides to only work half a day you will still get a full day's pay and not waste the time that you scheduled around this persons schedule.
I think it depends on the situation. Are you doing this more as a favor, or to earn some extra money? If you are going to go on with your schedule like normal (ex. playgroup, classes, etc), then I think $8/hour is good. It will be harder for you to have 2 with you, instead of one. I'm guessing they asked you because they know you are a great mom and they trust their child with you. This is a tough one...Good luck!
