Hi ladies, I have a question. Hope some of you who are already Mother’s can help me out here.

Here’s my situation: One of my friends has asked me to babysit her 6 month old daughter. I am not a licensed babysitter but I do have lots of experience with children. I have babysat babies, toddlers, and children (up to the age of middle school) before. I have worked at an elementary school for 2 years and a half. I have been babysitting since I was in high school. She wants me to come baby sit her at her home from 7:30am to 3:30pm (some days will be longer since she is working full time and also attending college). From Mon-Fri.

My question: How much should I be charging her for pay? I’ve taken care of her children before and she has paid me 20 dollars for watching her two older children for several hours in a single day. But I kinda felt that was too little and I know babies require a lot more attention and care.

Note: I’m aware that pay rate depends on the area that you live. I live in California. I tried doing some research and found that some babysitters charge up to $15 dollars an hour. But again I’M NOT LICENSED. Thank you in advanced. I have been unemployed since my last miscarriage (October of last year) and this would really help me get back on my feet. I don’t want to overcharge but I also want to get paid what I deserve for my time. I want to be useful to my family again.