Your reasoning for wanting to lower her pay is silly. Whether the child is sleeping or awake, whether you are in the house or not, none of that affects pay.

Having said that, you are overpaying in general. Find someone else with a lower rate.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. Just seems weird to me since I often get Child A when if Child A wakes up when she is playing with Child B, which makes me feel like I am responsible for one of them even when she is here. If that's market though, I'll address the responsibility aspect as opposed to the pay aspect with her. Appreciate the quick responses.

If you feel that way, you can take action to change the way you manage your sitter and your time. It sounds as if you make the conscious choice to get child A. Does the sitter refuse to do that? Or is she incapable of doing it? If she is ready, willing, and able to do her job, you need to choose whether to get out of her way and let her do the work you are paying her to do, or to continue to act as her unofficial "assistant".

If you want that sleepy kid cuddle time, take it, then pass the child to the sitter and go back to work.

Part time rates are generally around this much but if you want to pay less, you should find a new nanny. I would hate to commit to a job then get told that I am get my pay reduced during naptime hours or reduced bc the parents no longer wish to pay me that much. You should have thought of this before hiring her

Anonymous wrote:Yikes, you are paying $21/hr in DC for two kids? You are paying way, way over market.

$18/hr for two kids is market rate around here. Ask around. You will discover you are overpaying in a big way, especially if she isn't doing anything other than watching the kids.

+1 I thought the same thing. I pay $15/hr for my sitter. Two kids1 & 3.

Its a part time position people. She isn't overpaying big time. If part time jobs don't come with benefits, they come with a higher hourly rate. Its a high rate, but not unheard of depending on the schedule, which we don't know.

Op you're overpaying.. BIG time!

It's normal to pay a sitter's normal rate regardless of nap, sleep, who is home, etc. The problem you are having is that you are paying a very expensive sitter (who may be worth every penny, who knows) for what is more of a mother's help position.

Yikes, you are paying $21/hr in DC for two kids? You are paying way, way over market.

$18/hr for two kids is market rate around here. Ask around. You will discover you are overpaying in a big way, especially if she isn't doing anything other than watching the kids.

She should get paid more for having to deal with a SAHM, she prob enjoys her day better and prefers when you are gone. Docking her pay made me laugh a little, you seem to have very little nanny experience. If a family interviewed me and asked if I would take 1/2 pay when one child was napping I would walk out, glad you posted on here before bringing that up with her.

If I can go out and have a quiet lunch hour, you don't have to pay me for that time.

You don't change the rate for nap time, and you being home has nothing to do with it, unless you are the one who will care for the child if he wakes up early, skips a nap, or has a difficult time falling asleep.

Thanks. Just seems weird to me since I often get Child A when if Child A wakes up when she is playing with Child B, which makes me feel like I am responsible for one of them even when she is here. If that's market though, I'll address the responsibility aspect as opposed to the pay aspect with her. Appreciate the quick responses.

I'm a nanny and even though both my charges nap from 12-3 each day I get paid for those hours and I would find a different job if I didn't. The mom works from home so she is in the house for a majority of each day and works from upstairs. I can't go to a different job while they are napping, so how is that fair to me if I don't get paid for my time there?

This is the market. If you are doing nothing with the kids when you are home, regardless of whether they are asleep or awake, that is the market. She shouldn't get docked because your child is napping. Does that mean you will dock her pay then add extra pay when the child wakes up from nap early? What if the child takes longer to fall asleep than normal? Will you be paying her extra? This is just silly.

Hi all,

I currently pay my part time sitter her rate for two kids ($21) as opposed to one kid ($16) when she and I are both home and one or both kids are napping and I am doing paperwork etc. It's starting to grate a bit since one has such a predictable sleep schedule and with taxes, it really adds to our weekly bill. I have no problem paying her both kids when I have left the house but when I am home, and one is (and will definitely be) dead asleep for two hours it feels weird to pay her for looking after him. Can you all gut check me please? Is this market? Thanks!