Author Topic: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?  (Read 3559 times)

jeromedawg

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5174
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Orange County, CA
"Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« on: July 19, 2017, 01:29:00 PM »
Hey all,

So my wife came across a post on Nextdoor of one of our neighbors looking for babysitting/daycare for her two kids, 10 and 13. We have no relationship with her or her kids. I'm very hesitant about doing this because of that fact as well as us never having babysat kids. My wife thinks it's a great idea and an 'easy' way to make some extra money. The mom wants a 1yr commitment every day at least during the times that her kids are in school. They would need to be picked up from school and can either be watched at our place or theirs from around 2:30-6pm and she would pick them up. My wife would want to pick them up from their school (which is maybe 5-10 mins away) and bring them here... the other thing is, we have two kids ourselves: a 23mo old and a 4mo old (they'll obviously be older by the time we would start). I work from home as well. Our place isn't exactly large, at around 1300sq feet, so I also have concerns about the mom's expectations of what it means for her kids to "play" - Ideally, she says, they would do their HW first and then can watch TV and/or "play"

Pay is negotiable but my wife looked online at some 'calculator' where she determined (or thinks) that $17 would be a fair ask.

We're still not so sure about this and I lean towards it not being the greatest idea. Was just curious if any of you have done anything like this or similar, especially for the first time.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2017, 01:37:37 PM by jeromedawg »

jeromedawg

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5174
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Orange County, CA
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2017, 05:06:40 PM »
Given the small size of your space, the fact that you work at home, and considering your own kids are still so young, I think this is ill-advised to attempt in your home.  If your wife is willing/able to pack your kids up every day, go pick up the other kids, and supervise them in their own home until the parents return, it might work.  But probably not for the rate she is thinking.  Unless they have special needs, most kids that age need little supervision.  It sounds like the parents just want someone around in case of emergencies, etc.

Yea, I think it could get awkward or weird in a small space like ours. I don't think my wife would be open to going over to their house all the time either, especially dealing with watching our own kids in addition. I don't think those kids have special needs - it sounds like it would be pretty straightforward but I think more of the concern is the priority of our own kids/situation and also the amount of space that would be needed. It *sounds* like if all they're going to do is their homework and watch TV, not such a big deal. But if they're the type of kids who want to get out of the house or need a yard to go out into or just more space in general, it would probably feel really cramped and uncomfy in our place... for everyone except maybe our kids, who have no sense of that concept lol

Pigeon

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1298
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2017, 06:03:43 PM »
I think it's a matter of how much you want to inconvenience yourselves for the money you are likely to make.  If you are going to do it, you should be committed.  That means day in and day out, and you can't flake on the people--their jobs depend on it.

If I had a couple of kids and really needed the extra money, I could see the appeal.   You working from home complicates things though. 

Personally, I don't see anything easy about it though.  Kids are a lot of work.  I love my kids but I generally don't find other people's kids particularly enjoyable and it will tie your wife down quite a bit.

jeromedawg

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5174
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Orange County, CA
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2017, 06:15:32 PM »
I think it's a matter of how much you want to inconvenience yourselves for the money you are likely to make.  If you are going to do it, you should be committed.  That means day in and day out, and you can't flake on the people--their jobs depend on it.

If I had a couple of kids and really needed the extra money, I could see the appeal.   You working from home complicates things though. 

Personally, I don't see anything easy about it though.  Kids are a lot of work.  I love my kids but I generally don't find other people's kids particularly enjoyable and it will tie your wife down quite a bit.

Yea, I was thinking it would feel cramped and weird working from home w/ two more kids around for several hours. My wife will be tied down during that time too and won't be able to run errands, etc. In any case, I think after thinking about it more and asking all these "what ifs" my wife has come to the realization that it's probably not such a great idea. I'd rather have her invest any of her free time in learning real estate with me and looking for deals lol.

CindyBS

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 461
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2017, 09:07:18 PM »
My kids are 11 and 14.  You post brings ups a couple thoughts

1) most 13 y/o's are capable of staying home alone for a few hours.  The fact she is arranging childcare for this age may be a red flag (i.e. child isn't trustworthy or gets into trouble)

2) Maybe not the 10 year old, but almost definitely the 13 year old - the internet is going to be a big deal.  Would you let him/her on your wifi?  What sort of porn block to you have at the network level?  Are you comfortable allowing someone else's kid access to your network?  What about if they look at things they shouldn't? 

3) If they are babysat at your house, what activities do you have for them to do?  They will not be interested in toddler toys.  This may mean $$ for you to buy age appropriate things.    If they are babysat at their house, it is very likely that any toddler or preschool toys for your kids are long gone and the house is no longer baby proofed. 

4) Some things I can see working are:  Older kids are into art and have a little art/craft area/time at your house.  Older kids play basket ball or other sports in backyard.  Older kids enjoy cooking and your wife does stuff like bakes a batch of cookies with them. 

5) I have boys, and boys can be anti-social during the middle school years.  In general, my older son just needed to veg out after school and decompress and not interact, talk, or do much.  I think that is fairly common.  Perhaps not for girls.

okits

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 13017
  • Location: Canada
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2017, 12:53:03 AM »
Looks like you're in a HCOL (as am I).  I would gladly forego $300 a week to be able to focus more on my infant/toddler-aged children.  They can take a lot of time and effort.  And, at this stage, if your wife is getting enough sleep, nutrition, exercise, self-care, quality time with you, and adult socialization she is magical because every mom I know with kids the same age as yours is starved for at least one of those things (sometimes all of them).

jeromedawg

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5174
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Orange County, CA
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2017, 05:52:51 PM »
Thanks for the input. I'd feel much more comfortable about this kind of arrangement if we were familiar with this family and especially if our kids were closer to the same age; as well as if we lived in a larger place too. As it is, I think it could potentially be a bad idea getting into a situation like this... the mom of those kids has never hired or dealt with babysitters either so I could see it being a recipe for disaster (she has very high standards and expectations for what her kids are to be doing and if one thing is off she'll go nuts - that's just an assumption but you never know, and would you really want to take the chance at finding out?)

Maybe as our kids get older and or if we move into a bigger place we can potentially consider an arrangement like this. My wife has said she'd be open to tutoring so that might be another future possibility for small income streams.

Chesleygirl

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 639
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2017, 07:26:31 PM »
Pay is negotiable but my wife looked online at some 'calculator' where she determined (or thinks) that $17 would be a fair ask.


We have people who babysit (we only hire adults, not teenagers) and we pay between 12-14 dollars an hour. I guess it depends on where you live.

I personally would charge a minimum of $12 to sit for one child, $14 to sit for two or more children. It's hard to babysit when you have your own kids to look after.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2017, 07:28:28 PM by Chesleygirl »

kimmarg

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 750
  • Location: Northern New England
Re: "Baby"sitting/Daycare for the first time as a side-hustle?
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2017, 08:09:55 PM »
Those kids seem pretty old to be babysat. I think I started babysitting myself at about 11. In my mind it would make more sense for you to pay $15 for them to watch your two little kids in your house (while you guys were home) then you could do some chores two handed or start dinner or run a quick errand.

 Doesn't seem like a good fit.