r/workingmoms • u/filamonster • Mar 25 '26
Daycare Question What should I charge as a SAHM?
I am a SAHM with 3 kids. Someone is asking me to watch her kids for 3 months 2 days a week, 9.5 hours a day. Infant and toddler under 18 months. She is offering $50 a day which seems low. I am not licensed nor do I need to be in my state. I am CPR certified. I have experience in childcare on top of being a mom. Of course I will have my children home with me. Can someone guide me in how much to counter with?
For context, I’m in Minnesota.
UPDATE: After reading all of your very helpful comments and talking to my therapist, I decided it isn’t the best decision for me. I appreciate all of you wonderful working moms who helped me come to my decision! I did let her know I can fill in occasionally if needed.
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u/Weary-Place-6600 Mar 25 '26
I pay a teenager to watch my 1 year old twins while I’m working from home $15/hr. If my older kid is here it’s $20/hr. If I cancel because somebody is sick, I pay her. If I ask her to stay later, I pay her regardless of whether we need it or not. She’s welcome to bring her little sister.
So one of your days would cost me $142.50 and I’d probably round to $150 and provide her lunch, snacks, energy drinks.
$50 is a criiiime.
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u/ladyluck754 Mar 25 '26
Most daycares offer tuition like that, but with the caveat they’re watching multiple kids at a time. So yeah, 50 a day seems low.
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u/BlueberryWaffles99 Mar 25 '26
We pay my 16-year-old sister-in-law to watch our toddler for $20 an hour. I definitely think $50 a day is way too low, that is more of what I would expect family to pay for a much shorter time duration.
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u/library-girl Mar 25 '26
We’re in a HCOL area with a $17 minimum wage. I pay a SAHM $20/hr to watch my 3yo at her house and $25 if I need her to come to my house. Since your minimum wage is $11.40, I think MINIMUM $15/hr or $150/day ($15.78/hr).
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u/AnnieFannie28 Mar 25 '26
$110 a day (minimum wage is $108), and she supplies all diapers, wipes, snacks, and lunch for the kids. If she wants you to supply diapers, wipes, meals, and snacks, that's an extra $30 a day.
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u/ljr55555 Mar 25 '26
$50 a day for 9.5 hours is ... $5.26 per hour?!? And this is to watch two young kids?!? And, I assume, feed them. Entertain them. Teach them.
Where I live, any unskilled retail position starts at $15/hr. Of course, you cannot bring your kid with you to those jobs. But you're also not responsible for a small human's life or anything. Look around and see what's "normal" for your area with small in-home daycare. And remember that most people listing prices are *per kid*. Not a two-for-one deal.
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u/readweed88 Mar 25 '26
two young kids
Not even, an INFANT and a toddler < 18 months. $50/day is absolutely bananas for those ages. I hope this mom finds a childcare swap or something instead that let's her make this work.
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u/Alarmed-Doughnut1860 Mar 25 '26
Great point! Food and supplies are going to eat into that $50 fast.
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u/PapayaForever1013 Mar 25 '26
There are no unskilled jobs. All jobs require some sort of skill to execute.
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u/Burn_ThemAll Mar 25 '26
I’m wondering if that’s literally all she can afford. If it’s not and she has a good job, then yes I would at least double it. But if she cannot afford daycare otherwise, I would try to find a way to sweeten the deal a bit more for myself without asking for more money.
For example, the $50/day plus she comes over to clean on her day(s) off, or she takes laundry and does it at her house and brings it back washed and folded. Or maybe she has a gift for cooking for baking…could buy ingredients for meals/baked goods and have her fix everything and bring it back ready to eat. Or maybe she has some other talent that can be used to benefit you..a craft, a professional skill?
Not everything is about money. Childcare is hard work but maybe there’s a way both of you can feel happy and like things are more in balance.
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u/Responsible-Fan2709 Mar 25 '26
$50 a day is a crime. I’d look into what in-home daycares charge for an infant and a toddler in your area as that’s essentially what you’re doing (maybe reduce it a bit since you’re not licensed, although not necessarily since in-homes can likely have more kids than this so the ratio will be worse…) It’s going to be MUCH more than $50/day.
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u/AristidLindenmayer Mar 26 '26
$50/day is less than we pay for our dog to go to daycare in a HCOL city
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u/SunshineSeriesB Mar 25 '26
Who is this person to you, do you want to help them or is this purely transactional? Do you need the money? Is she struggling really bad? Is she a good person or is she the type you don't trust?
$50/day = $25/kid/day. That's $2.63/hr/kid, $5.26hr total. I'd see if you can do $95/day at least. This will put you at $10/hr. In addition to watching her kids, it also limits your ability to attend appointments for the kids or yourself, meetings with school teachers, run errands, etc.
If they aren't hurting for money and you need it, you can also charge like $140/day - just under 15/hr.
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u/Sugarbean29 Mar 25 '26
When I babysat in the 90s I charged more than that ($5) per kid. And I didn't have to provide food.
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u/hermione_no Mar 25 '26
When people try and take advantage like this, I personally wind up just saying no. If she already doesn’t value your time it will cause conflict down the road.
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u/neverthelessidissent Mar 25 '26
So you would be taking care of 5 children at the same time, including your own?
This is an awful deal for you
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u/DefinitelynotYissa Mar 25 '26
$100 if you’re doing them a favor. I’m also in MN.
My kids’ daycare costs $100/day for both of them, so personally I’d see that as fair if you were doing kindness by offering nanny-like service for a daycare price.
If you wanted it more formal like a nanny, I’d say $15/hr at a minimum is more than fair. So that would be closer to $150 a day.
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u/NovelsandDessert Mar 25 '26
It’s not nanny service though. It’s an in home daycare.
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u/DefinitelynotYissa Mar 26 '26
I had my kids in 2023 & 2025, fortunately didn’t get such a bill! Granted, I met my deductibles during pregnancy & didn’t even lay my own eyeballs on paperwork after that
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u/Gyn-o-wine-o Mar 25 '26
20- 26 dollars per hour for both kids
What she is trying to charge you is criminal
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u/HardlyFloofin Mar 25 '26
For everyone asking for daycare fees context:
I'm in the Twin Cities, we pay about $400/week for a 4 year old in a class with like twenty kids. So $80/day/kid, for a child who is potty trained. Preschool provides all meals, and diapers were provided in the infant room.
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Mar 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/filamonster Mar 25 '26
Thanks for your perspective! I have only paid for childcare one time and it was 2 super easy kids for 2 hours and I paid $20/kid/hour. Your comment made me remember that! They are worth the price!
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u/irelace Mar 25 '26
If this were a good friend of mine, I would do it and consider it a favor. You never know when you'll need a childcare favor in return.
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u/Gyn-o-wine-o Mar 25 '26
They have to be a really good friend. They are charging her less than minimum wage.
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u/irelace Mar 26 '26
If it's just some rando, then by all means she should ask for more money. But if this is a part of OPs own "village" then they should be helping each other out.
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u/INTJ_Linguaphile Mar 25 '26
For 9.5 hours/day, 2 days/week:
Minimum acceptable: $90/day
Solid, fair ask: $100–$120/day
or anchor higher: $120/day and be willing to settle at $100
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u/fashionablylate84 Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
No one near me charges more than $200/week for in home care for one kid. Daycare is around $350 by comparison; this is a LCOL area. I would think $100 per day for two is more acceptable- more if the market rate in your area is higher.
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u/alastrid Mar 26 '26
Can you really take care of 5 kids at the same time? If you can, charge more.
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u/filamonster Mar 26 '26
Damn no you’re right. I was thinking if the price is right, I totally could. But your comment really hit me hard. You’ve helped me a ton. I’m going to tell her I can watch them occasionally if she cannot find anyone but definitely not for two days every week. I appreciate the wake up call!
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u/twerkitout Mar 25 '26
My part-time nanny is $25/hour for one child, in Boston, to give you a reference point.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 25 '26
I honestly wouldn’t take the job at this point. I agree with what another poster said above, this person asked for such a lowball offer and sounds so out of touch it doesn’t sound even worth negotiating. The person could’ve done the bare minimum of Googling “what do babysitters cost per hour in townname” before making an offer to you. Someone who can’t even do the bare minimum or understand logically that a babysitter is more than expensive than daycare is going to be really hard to have a business relationship with
You could earn way more working retail a couple of nights a week when your partner gets home from work or driving Uber after partners work or anything like that
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u/wildplums Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
Omg, definitely at least $100 a day. I think that’s completely fair (all circumstances considered) Don’t do it for any less, it will make the days the kids are there so painful and you’ll resent them.
ETA: After reading other comments, I think I’d ask for 150 a day. 300 a week.
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u/Chi_Baby Mar 26 '26
$50 is definitely pretty low but everyone here is glossing over the fact she’s bringing her kids to your house, where you also have your own kids to watch and take 1 on 1 attention away from her kids. It’s not the same as paying a nanny/babysitter hourly to watch her kids in the convenience of her own home with eyes on only her kids. That being said I think $80/day is probably fair.
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u/byneothername Mar 25 '26
Lol what? Nannies in my area charge $25/hr on the low end. I’ve seen $35-50 an hour easily.
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u/scratsquirrel Mar 26 '26
Nannies are likely coming with specific qualifications and presumably not also looking after their own children during the workday too. There’s probably a happy middle ground there somewhere
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u/Alarmed-Doughnut1860 Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
Im probably in a higher cost of living area, but around here nannies or babysitters are $20/ hr at the low end for one kid. For comparison you'd be making $5 an hour. That seems crazy unless this person is a close friend/ family member and you are doing them a big favor.
Adding: and an infant and a young toddler?! Infant care is usually more expensive than for older kids. Plus individualized care is typically more expensive hourly than a daycare would be. Like if I wanted a nanny share full time ( which is what you're providing) it would cost me more than what I'm paying for full time daycare.
Check around for babysitting prices in your area
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u/anxietylemons Mar 25 '26
I would look into what daycares around you are charging.
If they’re charging $2000 for full time for one child, and perhaps a 25-50% discount for the second kid, you’re looking at 3000-3500 a month. For halftime enrollment, maybe 1500-1750 a month.
$50 a day twice a week would be about 400 a month total. That’s really low for two kids. Of course it all depends on your schedule and how badly you need extra money, but I’d probably ask for $75-100.
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u/Wesmom2021 Mar 26 '26
I think the friend is using in home daycare prices for rate. I live HCOL and its about $75 to 60 day for kiddo aged 2 to 5 yrs old. They arent nanny or baby sitter rates. That's where the friend is using as her money reference point. Maybe compromise in between because let's be honest she's not nanny rate since she has her other kiddos there and its a friend and baby sitter rate that long is too expensive
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u/filamonster Mar 26 '26
I did look up what in home daycares cost near me and they are around 275 for an infant and that’s the low end and only one child. I am not sure how she worked out $50. Even if it were a daycare rate for two kids it’d be closer to $100 per day at the very least.
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Mar 26 '26
Is she low income and her state subsidy?
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u/OkCobbler9591 Mar 25 '26
In my country in Europe the legal amount for in home day care is roughly €10 / hour, per child
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u/Fit_Candidate6572 Mar 25 '26
She thinks her children's care is worth only 50 dollars a day? Does she want you to skip diapers and meals? Does she just want you to plunk them down in front of the tv? Is she providing prepared foods? Exactly what does she expect for only 50 dollars a day?
You should be making minimum wage or better, even if you aren't licensed.
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u/filamonster Mar 25 '26
I know her normal daycare is $150 a week which is why she’s asking that. I don’t know how she managed to snag such a low daycare honestly! So I think in her mind she’s paying more than what’s fair.
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u/library-girl Mar 25 '26
She should stay at that daycare!
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u/filamonster Mar 25 '26
She is but the daycare is closed for 3 months for summer. The other days of the week her mom is watching them.
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u/Kayy_menTw166 Mar 25 '26
That is pretty low/good, but that’s probably because Day cares charge can charge less per family and/or they’re getting subsidies etc
Def chat with her about food she will provide and diapers. $50 is way too low. I’d say at least $100/day and that’s still really low. If I was asking soemone to watch my two small kids I’d feel more comfortable paying $150/day. Infants require A LOT of time and attention.
You should also consider the liability of this, your relationship with this other mom. If something bad happens you don’t really have protection or liability insurance.
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u/SrslyYouToo Mar 25 '26
I hired a part time nanny when my kids were small, this was about 10 years ago, she would bring her daughter with her, and we paid her $16 an hour... 10 years ago. Watching someone else's kids for 9.5 hour days for $50 is not a job, it's a favor.
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u/punkass_book_jockey8 Mar 25 '26
Minimum wage where I am is like $16 an hour. You have 3 kids, you’re CPR certified so you’re not minimally qualified. I wouldn’t take less than $17 an hour if it was me. I am in rural upstate NY but I pay a 17 y/o $20 an hour for 2 kids when I need patchwork childcare.
This person is seriously lowballing you and I can almost guarantee will drop off sick kids with you, then you will be sick with your own kids. I’d demand at least $125 a day, in cash, she packs all the food, and they cannot come sick. If they destroy something in your house then she has to replace it. Also I’d charge extra PER MINUTE she is late because this person is going to take their sweet time getting their kids.
Honestly the fact that she offered $50 for her two kids makes me hesitant to have anything to do with someone with such poor judgment.
Also your kids now sharing you will make their behavior usually much worse.
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u/NovelsandDessert Mar 25 '26
You’re going to need to look at your local rates. Most cities have a Facebook nanny/sitter page, and those will also have in home daycare rates.
Ignore anyone here who is saying you should charge nanny rates. You’ll be an in home unlicensed daycare and those rates are very different than nanny rates. My LCOL area has rates under $200/week for full time care. Depending on your COL, $50/day could be very reasonable.
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u/HeyheyitsCAB Mar 25 '26
I pay my nanny $25/hr for my one child. If she had two, I’d do at least $35/hr. While watching your other children?? I wouldn’t do it for less than $40/hour. This person is trying to take advantage of you. $50/day is laughable.
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u/WillRunForPopcorn Mar 25 '26
She’s offering you $5.26/hour. That’s absolutely ridiculous.
Where I live, a nanny runs around $25-30/hour for ONE child. Add a bit more for a second child.
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u/Natural-Honeydew5950 Mar 25 '26
You should charge $25/hr minimum.
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u/DogOrDonut Mar 25 '26
She could get a nanny to come to her house and watch her kids solo for less than that.
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u/EmployeePotential622 Mar 25 '26
The lowest rate my local center offers is $90/day, MCOL suburb. This covers food but we supply diapers, wipes, cream, etc.
For two days/week the rate is actually higher to incentivize full time enrollment, it’s $137/day.
These rates are per child. For in home care, I’d assume SOME savings versus a center, but half the cost (at best) seems like too steep to me. So I agree, $50/day does seem low to me.
I recommend doing some research on the rates in your area, if you’re in a LCOL area this may all be irrelevant.
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u/PierogiCasserole Full Time, Two Kids Mar 25 '26
I pay our neighbor girl (junior high) $12-13 an hour and that’s in my house with my food.
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u/PaddleQueen17 Mar 25 '26
We get charged $45/day for a licensed in-home daycare in upstate NY, full time 7a-5p 5 days a week. We've been charged this since our son started going at 12 weeks, he is almost 4 now.
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u/Live-Ad-740 Mar 25 '26
Thats the minimum wage from 2006 😅 idk $5.25 an hour for two kids seems very low, which I mean she may not be making much more than that either if shes making $10/11 an hour and giving you half but unless youre doing it as a favor or charity idk if itd be worth it
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u/formertalley Mar 25 '26
This is insane. I paid a friend to do this exact scenario during 2020-2021. I paid her $200/week for 1 kid that was 14 months old when the arrangement started. Her son was 9 months older so they were on the same schedule for eating, naps, etc. I still felt a little bad paying that low, but she was willing to do it and gave her son a playmate during Covid.
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u/SnooGiraffes1071 Mar 25 '26
Find out what a home based childcare in your area charges and charge that, with maybe a 5% sibling discount.
When we finished up with home based daycare (2020, in another state), I think it was $70 per child, per day. Maybe more. That would be $140 for 2 kids, $133 with a sibling discount.
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u/Maroon14 Mar 25 '26
Min $15 an hour. I do this two days a week and still feel like I’m undercharging. Honestly, I’d do min wage in your state.
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u/Cat_With_The_Fur Mar 25 '26
My local babysitter fb group would go wild if you charged anything less than the going rate which they say is $25-$30/hr. They are insane but there you go.
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u/nymph-62442 Mar 26 '26
A few years ago I used to pay $75 a day for 8 hours for one toddler. Inflation has gone up since then so if I needed her again it would be more like $85-95 for 8 hours.
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u/Scarjo82 Mar 26 '26
I paid $60/day for one child in an in-home daycare. I honestly don't know if she gives discounts for multiple kids because I only have one. $50/day for 2 kids is way too low.
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u/beingaubrey Mar 26 '26
I guess it depends on if you know them and what the set up is like. If it’s purely transactional then it’s way too low. My friends and I watch each other’s kids for free, sometimes all day. There’s a group of us who WFH and we just help each other out.
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u/A-Friendly-Giraffe Mar 27 '26
I just want to point out that unless you have a car that can fit five children or maybe a giant stroller, you're pretty much going to be stuck at home for the whole day if you're taking her kids.
I don't think I would do it just because I wouldn't want to be home for 9 hours 2 days a week, even if I was making substantially more money.
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u/Top_Department_6137 Mar 28 '26
I like to think of this as a nanny share. With TWO young ones, 20 dollars an hour MINIMUM.
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u/thearcherofstrata Mar 25 '26
$50 a DAY?!!!!! Wow lolllll. Nannies in my area get per HOUR lol.
I would do $20 per HOUR for the baby and then add on $15 per hour for the toddler, but only because you’re in the midwest. I feel like even that is low because the kids are very, very young and require a ton of attention and care!!
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u/DogOrDonut Mar 25 '26
Your view is very skewed by the COL of your area. The most I have ever seen a nanny make in my area was $30/hr. OP said the daycare her friend sends the kids to during the school year is $150/week. That tells you something about childcare prices in their area.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 25 '26
Daycare and nanny are comparing apples to oranges. An individual babysitter or nanny is always way more expensive than daycare
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u/DogOrDonut Mar 25 '26
That is true but daycare prices still anchor nanny salaries. If daycare is $150/week then a nanny isn't making anywhere near $35/hr.
However this isn't a nanny situation, it is an in home daycare. A nanny comes to you. If a nanny comes to you and brings their own kids then you still generally go by nanny share prices which are 1/2-2/3rd of regular nanny prices.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 25 '26
Nanny share prices are way more than what this person is offering OP. And it’s not an in home daycare, which would have multiple, families laying money. It’s a babysitter. OP charging even $10 an hour which would be EXTREMELY generous is still closer to $100 a day. I would definitely charge more than I could earn in an evening or weekend retail job at the very least
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u/DogOrDonut Mar 25 '26
She is unlicensed. In many (maybe all?) states unlicensed daycares are limited to watching children from 1 family at a time (in addition to their own). I see posts for this type of arrangement all the time on my city's childcare Facebook page.
Everyone has a different price for which they would be willing to do different jobs. I would do this for the price OP's friend offered but I wouldn't even remotely consider working a retail job for $10/hr or even $20/hr.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 25 '26
No that’s not true in all states, I live in one of the biggest and unlicensed daycare can do whatever they want. And OP isn’t a daycare. She’s just a person who was asked to babysit
I think it’s so weird how you are trying to make up stuff about OP being a daycare and rules about unlicensed daycare etc. to justify her feeling good about her friend’s offer. People are allowed to value their labor and value themselves more than you value yourself and your own time and labor
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u/DogOrDonut Mar 26 '26
I'm not saying OP actually runs an unlicensed daycare. I am pointing out what type of childcare would be comparable for establishing market rate prices. If OP is trying to figure out what she, "should," charge a friend then understanding the market rate is a good first step. From there she can decide if she would want to do it for less than market rate for a friend. Of course anyone can always demand more than market rate for their labor, but that almost always means not getting hired. In circumstances like this it is generally more polite to just tell a friend sorry you can't than to ask for more than market rate.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 26 '26
You stating the market rate doesn’t make it so. You are simply making incorrect comparisons and giving wrong information
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Mar 26 '26
The DogOrDonut is in many comments trying to argue it’s a daycare 🤷🏻♀️
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u/thearcherofstrata Mar 25 '26
I mean, of course my views are skewed by the COL where I am, but that still doesn’t mean $50 a day is fair or in any realm of reasonable. We are not talking about pet sitting. This is an entire human baby plus a toddler. The price should reflect how much care each requires, and $5 per hour for TWO children under 18 months isn’t going to cut it.
Think about when your kids were under 18 months and whether $5 an hour would’ve began to cover the attention they required. Or if you hire a nanny to take care of your precious LO…I would be sus if they accepted $5 an hour.
Since it’s the midwest, I’ll lower to $18/hr + $10/hr, but I still don’t think that’s enough unless the kids are the Chillest Children in the World.
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u/Tim-Lala Mar 25 '26
I’m paying a friend $50 a day to feed and clean my guinea pigs 2x daily while I’m out of town, she will be here around 15minutes 2x daily and she lives in the neighborhood. I can’t imagine doing $50 a day for nine hours for 2 human children.
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u/lattelane682 Mar 25 '26
Babysitters cost $20-$25 per hour so I would go off that. And that’s probably the low end
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u/LilacLands Mar 25 '26
$50 way too low.
If you’d like the income and want the job:
Look at your competitors (daycare tuition amounts, not babysitting amounts), and then stay within that range. You could spend 15 minutes calling daycares around your area pretending you’re thinking about enrolling an infant and toddler under 18 months and just asking for quotes. Some will have the materials with tuition info posted online and you don’t even need to call.
Presumably there is trust and convenience in using you over another provider, so you don’t need to go cheaper than what you find out.
And on your end this is income willingly presenting itself without any investment or marketing costs on your part, so you don’t want to set your fee too much higher (meaning, don’t want to go too much higher potentially driving away your customer to a cheaper provider out of financial necessity).
I’d be charging AT LEAST $100 a day. Do not agree with the recommendations about charging by supplies - that’s too messy. Mom should provide diapers food bottles etc. But if there is an issue and you need to use your own goldfish and sippy cup and a few diapers and wipes then you will. Nickel and dime-ing over those things is impractical and is a recipe for conflict and resentment.
Set a fair, all-encompassing price (you are not going to be itemizing occasional snacks, a diaper here or there) that you feel good about from the jump.
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u/Competitive_Score904 Mar 25 '26
For reference, Babysitters in my town (NJ, VHCOL) is $35 per hour for two kids.
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Mar 25 '26
So let’s assume a going rate for a nanny for a single kid is $20h where you are and $22 for two kids. Nanny share (which is basically you have 3 of your own and 2 hers) are 2/3 or that rate so $14-15/h. X10 = 140-150. I’d rates do 3 kids is the same as for 2 and you want to be more proportional it’s still $12h for 2 kids. So closer to $120
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u/NovelsandDessert Mar 25 '26
Home daycare is not the same as a nanny share and does not command the same price.
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Mar 26 '26
But it’s not a home daycare. I guess that the mom can send her kids to daycare if she can find one which will take two kids those ages for those days and hours only.
FYI we are in more expensive place but a daycare (if you choose daily) is easily $130-150d for a toddler+ if you do part time. And the ratios would be different
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u/NovelsandDessert Mar 26 '26
Yes, it’s legally an unlicensed home daycare. What do you think it is?? https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=CCAP_1109
A daycare at a center is more expensive for a variety of reasons, including that it’s licensed.
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u/Fluid-Village-ahaha 7M/5M. Working my by choice Mar 26 '26
You are contradicting yourself. It’s unlicensed providers , not daycare.
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u/NovelsandDessert Mar 26 '26
Oh good lord, that’s not a contradiction and you know it. An unlicensed provider giving care from their own home. Or colloquially, a home daycare.
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u/Interesting_Kiwi_657 Mar 25 '26
That person sounds ridiculous. I wouldn't even counter and they can try care.com.
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u/MagnoliaProse Mar 25 '26
There are plenty of nanny positions where you can bring at least one to two kids and still charge $20/hr minimum. Infants also cost more to care for, so that’s probably $25 minimum. I get that times are hard but $5/hr is an insult.
With 3 of your own kids, hers obviously aren’t getting individualized care but I assume you’ll still have to track wake windows for the infant and naptime for the toddler, plus likely potty training them. Unless you absolutely need the money, $15-20/hour seems fair considering you’re watching two high needs ages. If you need the money or want to do a favor, $90-100 a day is the bare minimum you should do.
With that, they need to bring their own supplies (lunch, snack, diapers, pull ups, wipes), and spare car seats if you’ll be driving the kids anyway. This STILL has you paying extra for cleaning supplies minimum.
That said, you can look to see what your local daycares charge and match. (They will have more kids per adult.)
You’ll also have to check your local laws to see how many kids in the house makes you technically an in home daycare because that will change things.
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u/lynrn Mar 25 '26
We pay $17 an hour for a sitter (at their house). $50 a day seems crazy low especially for kids that young. Both are still in diapers!
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u/ragdoll1022 Mar 25 '26
I've discussed with my husband and the minimum I can accept is $10 per hour to disrupt my family's routine.
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u/momojojo1117 Mar 25 '26
Well my teenage niece watches our two kids, 4 and 18months, for 5-6 hours while we are home, and we pay her $80
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u/hyemae Mar 25 '26
Minimum wage in my area is 21.30. That’s way too long. I would negotiate at least $100-150 a day.
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u/Ok_Caterpillar2375 Mar 25 '26
Oh hell no! Look up nanny rates around you and charge that. With three kids of your own it would be a very busy day though...
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u/KFirstGSecond Mar 25 '26
MINIMUM $95/day which is $10/hr, which is still crazy low. But obviously this isn't a normal job situation as you will have your kids home with you too.