How much to pay for 5 kids?
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Anonymous
| We need are using a babysitter from 6pm-12:30am for my kids and their cousins. Ages are 6,6, 4, 3 and 2. We normally pay her $20hr for my 3. What should I pay for all 5 kids? |
Anonymous
At least $30. Maybe even more. I would actually hire two babysitters for five children that young who aren't used to being together. Perhaps your sitter has a friend you know. |
Anonymous
| 5,kids, for $30/hr. Dream on! |
Anonymous
I’ve babysat 5 kids and asked for $32/h. I’ve worked at preschools so I’m used to having more than one kid. However, if she doesn’t have experience with so many kids I also agree with PP to ask another person to come |
Anonymous
| Yes, hire two sitters, $20 each. Ideally they are friends and you know the second, or can easily check with other families he/she sits for. Alternatively, if you have a favorite preschool teacher who would do this, that might be a good option. |
Anonymous
NP here. I earn $25 for one child who is usually asleep. Not a dream to think $30 or more for five kids. The world is changing, PP. Between the three of us, you are the one in the dream world. |
Anonymous
I assumed the PP meant the OP would have trouble finding someone to do five kids for $30--not that it was too high! 
Our preschool teachers do group sits and charge $32/hour. But they also know the kids (and the kids know each other) and I do think that's easier. |
Anonymous
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$30 an hour is fine. They will I assume be in bed for half this time.
Its evening so she can do an easy dinner then get all the kids ready for bed, Let the older ones have a movie while she gets younger ones in bed. Then bedtime for older ones. Its not that hard of a gig really. |
Anonymous
What did she quote? She may say $30, she may say $35. Unless she's asking for over $40, you're better just paying what she wants, because you'll end up paying more $40 total if you have to hire someone else too. |
Anonymous
That's silly. I used to be a teacher's aide and can wrangle a class of 30 kids by myself. Five kids for six hours? They'll all be asleep by 9pm at the latest anyway. One sitter, $25 is plenty. |
Anonymous
You have no clue what these kids are like or how well or ill behaved they are! Glad you are so confident. |
Anonymous
You, apparently, take supersonic planes to conclusions as I meant that $30/hr was cheap. OP should dream on. $15/hr for each child. |
Anonymous
On this forum? Are you joking? The most observational conclusion would be that you were saying that $30 as entirely too expensive. This is the DCUM forum where parents want a nanny to care for five children, scrub the house, and clean the dogs teeth for $15 an hour all while never complaining about working late. |
Anonymous
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We had a sitter for similar hours with my four kids and my brothers two year old. We had dinner before we left, and kids were playing outside. I gave the sitter popsicles to give all of he kids when we left, so even the two year old was pushing us out the door. About 30 minutes later, the sitter changed kids into Jammie’s and had them brush teeth. Then they watched a movie until 8pm. Sitter read a couple of stories, then sent older kids up to read in bed while she tucked in the little ones. All kids were asleep by 9. We got home around midnight. I paid her $100 for the whole night.
OTOH, a few years ago, I hired a sitter to watch my three kids and my cousins two kids ina hotel room at a wedding. She had to order room service, come up with games that could be played in a small space, and deal with relatives occasionally popping in to see the children. I paid her $200 for the same amount of time. |
Anonymous
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If your sitter accepts $20 for 3 then you pay $20 for your 3 and the other parents pay $20 for their children (or whatever her rate is for less children)..
Any time I babysit a group of kids (for parents night out) all the parents pay the hourly rate (for their children). It’s not a nanny share, you don’t split the cost. |