Is $25 an hour, four hours guaranteed, for a weekend not enough?

[Anonymous]

We aren’t in DC but another high cost-of-living area. We have two children, a 3.5 and 3 month old.

A great nanny I know gave us two glowing references for two weekend daytime sitters - one a full-time nanny and another preschool teacher. The full-time nanny lost our phone number after meeting us and has been ghosting me. The preschool teacher nanny calls in sick about half the time.

Our baby sleeps a lot, 3.5 is a quiet good kid, and we’re respectful nice people with a large playroom and fenced in yard. I always have lots of food in the house and 3.5 yr old is allowed to watch a movie when the sitter is here.

I am a SAHM but need a few hours to myself on one day on the weekend. DH works weekends.

What’s up? I think $100 cash in your pocket guaranteed for four hours on a Saturday afternoon is a good gig! Am I wrong?

Thanks for any insight.

[Anonymous]

Sounds good to me OP. Maybe they just don't like giving up their Saturdays? I'm a nanny and prefer to never work on weekends.

[Anonymous]

I don't think most professional nannies that already work full time would want to give up a Saturday for $100.

Have you tried a local high school or college student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most professional nannies that already work full time would want to give up a Saturday for $100.

Have you tried a local high school or college student?

This! You might think $100 for 4 hours on a weekend is good but, honestly, it’s not enough. Who wants to work all week then work on the weekend. Either up the amount or look for college students.

[Anonymous]

Another thought is where do they live...do they have to drive far to get to you? Our former nanny does weekend work, but she asks for a minimum of five hours worth because she lives about 45 minutes away. It's not a big deal to come on weeknights when she's already in the neighborhood, but she wants to make it worth her time to drive out on weekends.

[Anonymous]

Depends on where you live. For those ages in LA, I’d want $25-30 on weekdays. If you want me every weekend, then it’s $30-35. If you are in SF then add $2-3/hr to those numbers.

[Anonymous]

It could also be the hours you want. If it’s 8-12pm Saturday, sure. But I’m not doing 12-4 or 2-6 on a weekend day. That ruins the entire day!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks - I hear you. The preschool teacher lives maybe five minutes away but I guess $25 an hour isn’t enough. Or at least isn’t enough for this preschool teacher (who, btw, asked this mutual friend/nanny if she knew of any weekend work).

I am totally flexible on the four hours too. If 8 to 12 works better than 10 to 2, that’s fine. I’ll ask the new sitters which they prefer.

Thank you again for the responses.

[Anonymous]

I think you will have much better luck with 8-12 at $25/hr but you need to make it flexible, if you can so sometimes they don’t have to pretend to be sick to get a weekend off. 12-4 ruins the day because you can’t do anything before or after, and it doesn’t feel like a real day off. I have a family who has me come 7-11 and it’s flexible for when I want to come or not. I quit a family that paid more because they wanted 2-6 and it took up the whole day- it felt like at least!

[Anonymous]

Are you home and hovering? Is there weekend mess to clean up or is this just childcare? I have a family who has me come 3-4hrs here and there but they expect me to fold laundry, do piles of hand washing dishes and clean the playroom. I turn them down on weekends because I know their house is a pig stye and at least during the week it’s not as bad.

[Anonymous]

More than enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you home and hovering? Is there weekend mess to clean up or is this just childcare? I have a family who has me come 3-4hrs here and there but they expect me to fold laundry, do piles of hand washing dishes and clean the playroom. I turn them down on weekends because I know their house is a pig stye and at least during the week it’s not as bad.

OP here. No, I am out of the house. It’s the only time I can get my hair colored, nails done and meet a friend in peace. Our house is always clean as I have a housekeeper two times a week. And regardless, I would never ask nor expect a sitter to clean anything. The preschool teacher who keeps canceling on me never even did her lunch dishes much less my 3.5 yr olds - or washed a bottle.

I will offer the next sitter more hourly and let her choose the four hour slot. Having these last minute cancellations is just too hard.

[Anonymous]

Nanny here. It’s the daytime hours and short hours. On Saturdays I can easily find babysitting jobs where I come over around dinner, do the bedtime routine, then from 8-midnight I get paid $20+ to watch tv. That is going to be better money and much less stressful than working from 10-2 on a Saturday, for example.

[Anonymous]

I think the preschool teacher likely is sick from working w/all those children.

I can only imagine all the germs in her work environment.

And the full-time Nanny likely realized she would burn herself out adding an extra day of work to her weekly schedule.

OP, I think the price is more than fair for two kids.
I live in SoCal (my town is on fire now!).

[Anonymous]

You need to find a babysitter (someone who does not work taking care of children as a job). If a nanny or teacher is working on the weekend, it means she really needs the $ and would take a job with more hours. If she doesn't really need the $, she probably needs the break from taking care of kids.