What does your college-educated babysitter do when kid is sleeping?

[Anonymous]

let her hang out!

at the most, i would ask if she could do the baby's laundry...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have her sort baby clothes. Weed out the stuff that the baby has overgrown and box it up. Organize the 'next step' clothes so they are by season and by size. Do baby laundry. Balance the checkbook. Prep for dinner - baking is awesome! She can even research convertible carseats for you, or search for baby stuff that you need on craigslist/amazon.

It's one thing if she's perfectly happy chilling on the computer, and I'd flat out tell her that if she needs a mental break, then by all means her (and your) first priority is giving her breaks so that she can be a happy, involved, energetic babysitter. But if she's one of those people who can't sit and stare at the computer, or who just needs to be doing something when earning a paycheck, then please please please give her things to do!

Oh sure, also ask her to rub your feet and have a second child for you.

$12/hour is already low for babysitting, if you want this person to do cooking and cleaning, you need to pay her accordingly and ask in advance. If I showed up to babysit and you asked me to fold your underwear and make you a salad, I'd think you were a creep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was a part-time nanny through grad school for a family I love very much, I would have been appalled if I was asked to do housework or cooking (other than preparing food for the little one I was watching). I also can't imagine that the mom or dad would ever ask me or anyone else to do anything other than watch the child, especially not for $12 an hour. She is there to give her full attention to your child when you can't and that is why you are paying her for her time even through naps.

So what did you do, sit there and stare for hours at the sleeping child? I find that a little bizarre.

Don't be a dope. What do you do when your kid sleeps? Is the only choice staring at the child or cleaning? She could read a book, watch tv, knit, relax, surf the Internet, write a manifesto on cheap parents, etc.

[Anonymous]

Seriously? Have you never babysat before? Let her text/watch tv, read while the baby is sleeping. That is--if you want to keep her. It really bothers me when people take advantage of childcare. She's there to watch your kid while he/she is sick. Period. Not to be your housekeeper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was a part-time nanny through grad school for a family I love very much, I would have been appalled if I was asked to do housework or cooking (other than preparing food for the little one I was watching). I also can't imagine that the mom or dad would ever ask me or anyone else to do anything other than watch the child, especially not for $12 an hour. She is there to give her full attention to your child when you can't and that is why you are paying her for her time even through naps.

So what did you do, sit there and stare for hours at the sleeping child? I find that a little bizarre.

Don't be a dope. What do you do when your kid sleeps? Is the only choice staring at the child or cleaning? She could read a book, watch tv, knit, relax, surf the Internet, write a manifesto on cheap parents, etc.

I'm not a dope. Nice. I had just posted that I ask my sitter to do things like watch TV, surf, or read. You followed with this. That's why I ask. If she's reading, she's not "giving full attention." I can't see how reading or rinsing dishes are different in terms of attention given to a sleeping child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was a part-time nanny through grad school for a family I love very much, I would have been appalled if I was asked to do housework or cooking (other than preparing food for the little one I was watching). I also can't imagine that the mom or dad would ever ask me or anyone else to do anything other than watch the child, especially not for $12 an hour. She is there to give her full attention to your child when you can't and that is why you are paying her for her time even through naps.

So what did you do, sit there and stare for hours at the sleeping child? I find that a little bizarre.

Don't be a dope. What do you do when your kid sleeps? Is the only choice staring at the child or cleaning? She could read a book, watch tv, knit, relax, surf the Internet, write a manifesto on cheap parents, etc.

I'm not a dope. Nice. I had just posted that I ask my sitter to do things like watch TV, surf, or read. You followed with this. That's why I ask. If she's reading, she's not "giving full attention." I can't see how reading or rinsing dishes are different in terms of attention given to a sleeping child.

I am the former part-time nanny PP - obviously I didn't just sit there and stare at the kid. I was a grad student so I did work. My point about the "full attention" is more related to the idea that unless it is worked out in advance (i.e., OP hired a babysitter with housekeeping responsibilities), I would assume that my only job as a babysitter is to watch the kid. If I felt like my employer was trying to get her money's worth out of me, I would be offended. I obviously cleaned up after myself and my charge, prepared her meals, etc. but never folded laundry or anything like that.

[Anonymous]

I regularly have evening sitters that I pay to basically sit there while my kid sleeps, and it never even occurred to me to ask them to do something else around the house. Unless there was discussion beforehand of them helping out in other ways, I would never ask them to do household chores.

[Anonymous]

I have used several, and they all watch TV. I try to make sure that they know how to use the computer, dvd player, tivo, etc... I think that is my responsibility. This is a babysitter, not a nanny. When we had a nanny, we had a no TV policy, and she had some light housework. Totally different situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So what did you do, sit there and stare for hours at the sleeping child? I find that a little bizarre.

Don't be a dope. What do you do when your kid sleeps? Is the only choice staring at the child or cleaning? She could read a book, watch tv, knit, relax, surf the Internet, write a manifesto on cheap parents, etc.

I'm not a dope. Nice. I had just posted that I ask my sitter to do things like watch TV, surf, or read. You followed with this. That's why I ask. If she's reading, she's not "giving full attention." I can't see how reading or rinsing dishes are different in terms of attention given to a sleeping child.

I didn't say you you are a dope, I said you're being one about this issue. I don't believe that you can't see a difference between asking someone to do your dishes and allowing someone to read a book.

[Anonymous]

I'm a new poster on this thread. I moved to this area not long ago, and not knowing that DCUM has its own ideas about what to pay babysitters, advertised a job that paid what we paid in our old city: $10/hour. It was only babysitting, nothing else. I had about a dozen applicants for the job.

Isn't the market supposed to set the price? If there are people who want to work for this rate to take care of my 5 year old, why am I supposed to pay more? Because of their cost of living? $10 is what I could afford to pay based on my own income. Is that a factor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say you you are a dope, I said you're being one about this issue. I don't believe that you can't see a difference between asking someone to do your dishes and allowing someone to read a book.

Not in terms of the attention it takes away from the child, no I can't. Parents do it all the time. Whether it's appropriate to ask a sitter to do chores, however, is an entirely different matter. Personally, I like them to have some down time so they are refreshed when my little high energy boy wakes up again.

[Anonymous]

When our babies are asleep our sitter watches TV, which is totally fine with us, and I wouldn't ask anything more of her.

[Anonymous]

Both of our kids go down at 7:30. Our evening babysitter never even SEES the children, as we have fed, bathed, and put them to sleep before she arrives.

She charges 17.00 an hour and we pay it. Our joke is that she sits our tv, not our kids.

I often think it is a lot of money for, well, watching OnDemand Netflix (she picks her movie before hand.) But it is what it is I guess.

[Anonymous]

I don't look for ways to get my "money's worth" (being there and being responsible is enough), but if there is some clean kid laundry to fold or bottles to wash or something, I ask if that can get done. It doesn't take long, is kid-related, and is a nice help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a new poster on this thread. I moved to this area not long ago, and not knowing that DCUM has its own ideas about what to pay babysitters, advertised a job that paid what we paid in our old city: $10/hour. It was only babysitting, nothing else. I had about a dozen applicants for the job.

Isn't the market supposed to set the price? If there are people who want to work for this rate to take care of my 5 year old, why am I supposed to pay more? Because of their cost of living? $10 is what I could afford to pay based on my own income. Is that a factor?

Of course the market sets the wage. If you can find good quality candidates who will work for $10, don't pay more. We have a nanny who makes less than the DC average and she is amazing. Paying more does not always get you more. If you pay what you can afford, don't try to take advantage, and are a kind employer, I think that's enough.