Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

As a mother's helper? And if so, what would your expectations be?

My friend's DD will be 12 in May(or June) and is great with Sammy. He adores her. So i thought i would hire her for a few hours a week so i could get some packing/unpacking done this summer.

So, how does it work, anyway? I've never hired a mothers helper. And how much should i pay her?

My baby sister has been babysitting for us since she was 11 and I have junior high youth babysit often, so I'd totally hire a 12yo as a mother's helper. I've never had a mother's helper, though, so I'm not much use for the rest. :hug
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Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I was a mother's helper when I turned 13. I would hire a responsible, mature 12 yo I knew well.

I have a newly 15 yo who comes over to be my mother's helper for a few hours each week, she's been coming for a year and half. She basically just plays with G in one room while I'm in another actually accomplishing something. With a 12 yo I might not let them play in the front yard but anywhere in the house would be fine. I still change a diaper, get snacks, etc for G when he needs them. I pay her $5/hour and it's the best money I spend :D

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

My 13 yo started as a mother's helper at 11. She was paid 10 a day (3-4 hours)

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I have hired a 12yo as a mother's helper (she may even have still been 11), and it was great. We paid $5/hour. My expectation was simply that she played with the kids, and she gave them simple snacks as well. I would expect that any discipline issues be brought to me.

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

idk. lol. at 11 i started working as a mothers helper and babysat a bunch of kids during a moms bible study, with one other girl (had abt 6-8 kids), basically we played with them for 2hrs so the moms could have peace and quiet 2 doors down :giggle - at that age i'd expect her to be able to keep the boys occupied for 2hrs, with popping in for help as needed to solve problems, and feed a simple snack that you have prepared or available (ie, handful animal crackers, or cut fruit).
AFA $ i know it varies from area to area, i made ~2.50/hr as a mothers helper. (varied a bit sometimes. all the moms chipped in so if there were less kids we got less money lol)

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I would. I'm actually looking for a mothers helper around that age right now. It's kinda perfect because they don't have the expectation of a high hourly rate T that age. In fact, the two 12 yr old girls I hired in the past wouldn't take 5/hr and neither would their mothers. They would give me half the money back.

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

Yep, what the other mamas said.

I have hired 11 and 12 year olds as mother's helpers before. I usually paid $5 an hour and just have them play with the kid(s). I will change diapers, get snacks, deal with the potty, etc. It is a huge help.

(Now I pay ds to do it :shifty )

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I have. I paid her $5 plus whatever food she wanted.

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

Oh yes if it is someone who loves playing with kids like that.My dd started being a MH when she ws 10 and is now 13 and is starting to lose interest.still loves kids and babies but has other things going on. she has been paid 5.00/hr by one mom and anothr she had a trade - mom was a jewelry makr and would let her choose a pair of earrings for so many hrs of MHing

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

Thanks. I wouldn't expect her to change diapers or discipline.

I might be able to swing $5 an hour. That sounds better than the $9 a babysitter around here gets.

Oh, and I do hire Cias to watch him sometimes, but there's that whole brother dynamic, where it's just brothers fighting, etc. and then C decides he doesn't want to anymore and goes off to play video games and stuff. :no

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I had a 9-yo mother's helper who rocked my socks off :shifty She was AMAZING though and I mostly stayed in earshot but didn't need to. She was responsible enough to take him outside unsupervised or be left completely alone with him for short periods, but I never let her.

She would ask to come over and play with DS though- I only paid her when I asked her to come over. She would either get 5 bucks or a trip out for ice cream, depending on if we had cash or not.

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I guess it depends on the kid. If the 12 yo clicked with my child(ren) and seemed capable, yeah, in a heartbeat. My best mother's helper is my 11 yo dd. She just has a gift with babies and little ones. She is soft spoken, patient, and just cues into what is going on, etc. Her OLDER sis is more gifted in other areas. :shrug3 So yeah, ... that is my take on it. I don't know what the going rate is for compensation though.

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

12yo is a great age for a MH! I hired one a couple times last summer and it was the best thing ever! For ~$5/hr, she played w/ the kids (inside) and kept them occupied so I could get work done uninterrupted. :rockon

Re: Would you hire a newly-12 yr old.
 

I have a ten year old mothers helper who is fantastic. Sweet to my kids, helpful and fun. I pay her $4 an hour.