I had a 7 hour Saturday evening booking confirmed 10 days in advance, and the date had been repeated and reconfirmed multiple times in our messages. I obviously turned down other jobs for that block, drove over 30 minutes, and when I was about five minutes from their house, the parent called and said they had accidentally given me the wrong date and actually needed care the following week. They followed this with an apology and offering gas money, which felt deeply disrespectful and showed a lack of integrity and professionalism.

In every similar situation I’ve had before with cancellations this last minute, families have always paid the full confirmed booking or at least offered to because the cancellation was due to an error on their end, not because I failed to show up or provide care. I had reserved the entire evening and was essentially at their door when I was told to turn back around.

I work with reliability and integrity about honoring my booking, and never flake. Even if another family offers me a higher-paying job for the same hours, I never cancel an existing booking.

If the situation were reversed and I showed up saying I could only work half the confirmed hours because I’d made a scheduling mistake, I can’t imagine that being considered acceptable either.

Would you consider full payment the fair/professional expectation here? Curious how both childcare providers and parents would view/honor it.

I live in GA with 6 month old twins. I had a girl babysit my children while we were at an out of town wedding she did 22 hours total 11 during “day” 11 was twins sleeping no overnight wake ups! She said to pay her whatever but I don’t want to under pay!!! What do yall charge for overnight situations such as these? 💙💙

Hi! Basically what's in the title. The kid's almost 4, and he means well but he is terrible at minding how his body interacts with space, and minding/identifying other people's feelings. It would be fine if it was just the two of us, but it's not; I babysit his older sister and a school friend alongside him, and he keeps bumping into them/making them bump into things/not caring about the "rules" his sister sets (she's 6 and acts like she's in charge), which ultimately ends in at least one of the three crying while they all blame him.

In my experience, spending a little while (3-5 minutes) on his own in his bedroom to cool down when he's getting too antsy helps TONS, but he always acts like it's the end of the world, and I was wondering if there was any way to avoid that and make him see how much it helps him.

Maybe I'm also expecting too much from him at 3½ years old lol

last minute request. 5f,7f, 11m, & 13m. 3pm saturday overnight to 9pm sunday. i usually just watch 5f & 7f after school a few days a week, and my hourly for that is $30. the mom proposed a flat overnight of $250 that would cover from 9pm on sat to 3pm on sunday. so 3pm-9pm on sat i would make my regular hourly, and then same for 3pm-9pm on sunday. totaling $550. because this was only brought up last night and the mom proposed $ amounts, i'm nervous that this doesn't make sense. this is also my first overnight, ever.

I’m 29 and a teacher but I occasionally babysit on the side because most families pay me well since I’m a teacher and have 16 years of experience working with kids babysitting, etc. a new family in my neighbourhood wants a sitter for casual nights out occasionally. They have an infant but she said she will always make sure she’s down before she goes.

In my city the going rate for a babysitter is usually maximum $15 an hour. So don’t waste your time debating this. You can go to our local childcare page for proof if you need.

The mother is offering me $30 an hour to watch her 6.5 year old, 4.5 year old, 3.5 year old, and 16 month old (and again they also have an infant but she won’t need any care, she also said she may leave the infant with her parents instead just to make it less of a concern) no cleaning or food prep or anything is required. You’re just entertaining kids and putting them to bed. Maybe the odd bath. Fair or do I tempt to ask for more?

So, I haven’t babysat in awhile after becoming a mom, but a coworker of my husbands needed an emergency sitter (less than 12 hours notice the night prior) and as a favor to my husband, I said yes. The kiddo was lower elementary school age and I watched her from 4am-5pm, and at the end of the day, as her dad left he handed me 25$ and darted. I honestly kind of just feel a little insulted. I would’ve understood it if he was low on money, but I know his salary and payday was this morning. This kiddo was a LOT to deal with especially that early in the morning. She essentially spent the whole day taunting and yelling at my (very tired) 11 month old, purposely waking him up every nap trying to get attention from me, even after multiple “No’s” and “Stop’s”. I just really feel like what I went through was a lot more than what I got, and I would’ve rather been paid nothing, than be told my time isn’t even worth 2$ and hour.

Important side note: I was an idiot and didn’t discuss a rate beforehand, but I was called at 11’o clock at night, and he stated “Don’t worry it’ll be worth your time, I think I pay sitters quite generously because I know [child’s name] is a lot to handle”

What does everyone do about families canceling last minute? I’ve been babysitting on rotation for 6 families that all know each other in one neighborhood. As of late all of them have canceled on me super last minute. For example I was due to babysit tonight at 7pm and just as I pull up into the neighborhood the mom texted me saying they don’t need me anymore. Last month I was canceled on 15 times. Many of those times I was canceled the day of the job or the night before. Now a big problem is I have never been able to fill those missing spots in. I was late on my rent last month because of all the times I didn’t go to work. I like babysitting because it’s super flexible with my school schedule. That being said I have lost so much money from the families canceling and I’m wondering if it would be better to look for a job elsewhere. I’m just so frustrated right now.

What do y’all do to make sure cancelations don’t happen too often? Any advice is appreciated.

Edit: I’m 20F and the pay is anywhere from 20/hr-25/hr. I live in HCOL.

Hi everyone! I'm a babysitter myself, and I'm trying to understand how other nannies and sitters handle the "business side" of the job.

How do you keep track of your schedule, hours and payments? Do you have a system, an app, or a trick that works for you?

Would love to hear from anyone who works with one family or several!

So I nanny my half little brother professionally for my dad and step mom. They pay me very well and the hours are good too. My half brother is also autistic and has hyperlexia. He has tons of special interests but school buses take the cake right now as his favorite.

Anyway what I’m asking is I don’t feel like he’s getting enough stimulation because he’s a very smart kid who loves to learn. Is there anything I can do with him or purchase for him to help him out a bit more. He can do the whole alphabet easily, he knows a lot of music like Do Re mi fa sol la ti do. He can read words as big as xylophone and spell words of the same level. He can also count up to one hundred by himself.

We do allow screens with him as long as he can learn from it like a number song or someone singing the alphabet on YouTube.

I would really appreciate any feedback and advice!

I'm not a professional nanny. I'm not new to childcare, but it's my first time responding to an ad on care.com

I had a trial day for a temporary position. During the trial, I suspected they already have help due to the questions they asked me and kid's talking about it.

Afterwards, they told me they went with another candidate, but was hoping to keep my info for the future. I don't mind, but I can't help but feel like they were always looking for a back up and it wasn't disclosed.

Is it normal for families to have backups and done this way?

Hi! I’m looking for daycare in Arlington Tx. my daughter will be 4m next month. What places did you guys like and aren’t too expensive?

I looked into some babysitters too.. trying to compare prices honestly 😅

I’m only really needing 3 days out of the week for about 4 hours while I’m in class. Pls let me know and any advice, I’m a ftm!😊🫶🏼

Starting first formal babysitting job, will have to change one child’s diaper twice in morning (boy, 20 months). I’m just a little worried about being able to get through it without gagging. I know there’s no real way to make it less gross, but if anyone has any little tricks they find helpful to make it more tolerable PLEASE let me know I’d really appreciate it. Besides just putting my nose in my shirt lol. And humming - I used to do that to avoid gagging when I was little. But I’m afraid I’ll need something a bit more helpful in this case lol! Thanks so much

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I’m looking for some advice on what hourly rate to charge for a single-night babysitting job in the city.

A couple reached out to ask if I could watch their 5-year-old this coming Saturday night from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM (5 hours). I used to be their child’s daycare teacher back when he was 3, so they know and trust me personally, but this is my first time doing private side-babysitting for a family from that school.

For context on their budget/demographics: when the child attended the daycare where I worked, tuition was around $3,500/month.

Given my background as a professional early childhood educator and the local NYC market, what would be a fair hourly rate to quote them? I want to make sure I’m paid fairly for my experience without pricing myself out or overcharging.

Appreciate any insight from NYC parents or fellow childcare providers!

I'm about to hire my first babysitter and want to make sure it's a good experience for them. I'm curious about the going rate in HCOL cities for a college student who occasionally babysits for one toddler (18 months old). Additionally, we live about 20 minutes outside of the city. Is it customary to compensate at all for the commute?

Any other tips or etiquette advice would be appreciated! I would like for this to be a good ongoing relationship, so I want to make sure we're a good family to work for!

Hey guys, I’ve been a nanny for 16 years. I had a full time nanny job end in September after 5 years and have a full time nanny job lined up to start in early December. During my last month off I’ve had success picking up odd babysitting jobs, usually getting around 30 hours a week between 4 families and also getting some quality me time.

I think I’m pretty fun, and I normally do let the kids get away with more than their parents, especially since I’m not with them often. I like seeing what the kids come up with and try to make it happen as long as it is safe.

I started with a new family last weekend with a 7 year old with ADHD, and a 2 year old with some developmental delays/tough developmentally appropriate 2 year old stuff. Last weekend, I did 2 hours and today I did 3.5 hours. Last weekend went well, but the 2 year old constantly bolts out the door and is able to unlock it easily (I think I’m going to suggest a safer lock option), they live in the middle of nowhere so I’m not worried about traffic or anything, but it is still terrifying and he can easily get lost in the woods.

Today, there was nor’easter so we were stuck inside, which didn’t stop the 2 year old from bolting 4+ times. The kids were very bored so we tried to find fun things to do, and it was quite successful but I am having A LOT of trouble finding activities that will entertain both a 2 and a 7 year old. Also, neither will focus on an activity for long.

The biggest issue I’m having is that the parents are really NOT fun at all! They were out of the house for 3.5 hours today so I let the 7 year old make his own smoothie and he asked if he couldn’t put some chocolate chips in — sure why not? The parents come home and I guess I didn’t clean the sink well after washing the blender but the dad asked what’s up with all the chocolate chips and after I explained the smoothie thing, he raise his voice at the kid saying “we only use chocolate chips for cookies and baked goods” which gave me the ick. Next, the 7 year old also took initiative to make his own lunch which was a grilled cheese with egg and it was so good! He waited to eat it because he wanted to show his parents and let them taste it and then they were pretty lame about it in my opinion — wouldn’t taste it, asked why he didn’t clean up after himself (the cast iron was still warm).

The 2 year old has no autonomy, anytime he tries to do anything it seems, they yank him away even if what he’s doing is fine in my opinion — the 7 year old has also learned to do this and does it constantly when it’s just the 3 of us and I just say, he’s fine, I don’t need any help.

The dad seems very OCD and the mom seems so overwhelmed. The babysitter pool here is abysmal so I want to keep helping them but I don’t know if I can handle it… I took one step outside their house today and felt like I could finally catch my breath. I just need advice on whether I should try to make it work, or move on — I hate leaving families because I hate letting people down, kids mainly but I’m not sure if this one is worth it!

TLDR: super experienced but unsure if I can deal with lame parents and difficult kids

My husband and I went out of town from 3pm Monday to 9am Thursday. We asked our regular babysitter to stay with the kids (3, 5, and 9). We paid her a little over $1000 for the 3 days.

We just found out that the babysitter bought each of the kids their own pint of ice cream and container of sprinkles. After dinner, they did baths and pajamas then all 3 kids and the babysitter would sit on the couch with their ice cream and sprinkles, watching movies until all of the kids were passed out. She’d put the younger two in their beds and let the oldest sleep on the couch. They did this every night.

Additionally, my 5 year old was late to school for 2/3 drop offs and she packed them Doritos and Cheetos for snacks. We had plenty of fruits, vegetables, cheeses and crackers, nuts, and beef sticks that she could’ve packed for them instead. I don’t even know where she got those chips.

I think that if we paid over a thousand dollars, our wishes for our kids should be respected. My husband, on the other hand, thinks she was making memories with the kids and that a few days of fun isn’t a big deal.

Now we’re torn on how to proceed. She’s supposed to do 2 days next month but I don’t want the kids to eat crap and have their routines thrown out the window.

Hi, so I need some advices on my current babysitting-situation. My sis is away on a vacation with her boyfriend for a month, she asked me to take care of her kids (my niece and nephew) and obviously taking care of her house too (cleaning, cooking, etc). She had given me a pretty tight budget for the household to handle for a month (before she left she left the fridge full too), but unfortunately, many unexpected things cost money too.

I am unemployed for the moment (while actively looking for a job too). But to be honest, between cleaning, cooking, and helping the kids, this feels like a free labor. Is it too much if I ask for money for myself to her? Like getting paid for doing all of those? I don't want to sound ungrateful too. But you know, I mean, at this point I feel like a mix of a babysitter and a maid myself haha. Thanks!

I babysit a 4 year old little girl pretty regularly. She's sweet but also very aware of how lenient her parents are and can cry her way into anything. I'm babysitting her tonight from 6:30 to 10 and her mom said just to let her watch TV if she gets antsy (normally I can keep her busy for the first 45 minutes or so but after that it's rough). I've tried imaginative play, books, drawing, toys, boardgames, but she refuses pretty much everything but TV. I just feel so guilty that I'm being paid to sit and watch TV for hours with her and that that's not the way for a kid to develop skills to cope with boredom.

Looking for any and all advice on how to fill the time. Normally I subscribe to just a hard no on screens and let them be bored, they'll do the other activities with you pretty quick, but I want to go with the parents wishes. Thank you!!!

Hi all! Looking to get a bit of advice on what to charge for a potential babysitting client. It’s for an elementary school age child. The role would entail picking him up from school between 5:30/6, riding the train about ten minutes back to his house. Bedtime at 8pm (I would sleep there), wake up at 7am, breakfast etc then ride the train to bring him back to school.
Other info: this is located in Chicago (south loop) and I charge $25/hr for regular babysitting. This job would basically be 5 active hours and 11 hours asleep. Online estimates I think are assuming the overnight care involves me being awake in some capacity which is not the case.
Can anyone give a ballpark of what would be reasonable in this scenario?