I would like to share my experience here with this babysitter by the name of Joanne which I engaged in end Dec 2015. I'm a silent reader all along, so I am posting for the first time because I hope that no parents need to go through such a ordeal when hire a babysitter.
Here is the long story:
In September 2015, I met up with Joanne to discuss about taking care of my baby in end December 2015 after my maternity leave ended. She charge $850 per month and $950 (with solids). She said that this is the market rate. She said that she has taken care of 8 babies before and is very experienced. As I did not know of any babysitter at sembawang area, I go ahead confirming her. I asked her whether need to bring over my baby a few days earlier to her house to get used to her environment. She insisted that I just need to bring my baby on the day that I start work. My baby is a fully direct latch baby even though we bottle train him 1 month earlier, he refused to drink. I did warn Joanne about this, and she seem confident and said babies are easy to handle, just need to feed full and sleep in sarong.
On the first day, my baby was very fussy and he drank very little. Joanne watsapp me in the afternoon to complain that my baby is very troublesome and cause her unable to do a lot of things and want me to come earlier to fetch him home. That night she said that if my baby still drink so little, she will not want to continue look after and ask me to quit my job to latch him.
The next day my boy became cooperative and drank more by day 3. He is aware that when I am not around, he will take bottle. So I thought problem solved.
Joanne continue to look after him for 1 month till 21 Jan 16.
She told me that she suspect she having menopause and her periods are haywire now.
She requested me to take last minute leave on 22 Jan to look after my baby myself so that she can go and see doctor. I agreed and that night she called me said that she will take MCs quite frequently and afraid to trouble me to take leave. I told her that it is ok because that time she said that she is entitled to 1 week of annual leave.
She began to give a lot excuses saying that she is tired because of the periods, and my baby is difficult to take care so she did not want to continue anymore. I told her that this is too short notice and I need to find alternative. She started to "sell" her friend saying that if I offer more money, her friend will take up the job and kept emphasis my baby is difficult to take care. I felt that her main motive is to make me raise her fees as my baby is already getting used to her as she know I am unwilling to take up her friend. Today evening she called me again changing her mind that she will look after my baby because it is too short notice for me to find other people and her friend is busy with CNY preparations. I have enough of her nonsense and told her that we will stop her service. We put a deposit of $950 initially as what she requested to confirm her service. As my baby has not started solid, the fee should be $850 so I asked her to refund $100. She was angry and said that our calculation is wrong and she is entitled to this extra $100. I did not wish to argue with her anymore and take it as a lesson learnt.
I hope all parents who are engaging a babysitter please have some black and white rules eg 1 month notice if decide to stop service, fees increment etc.
Thanks for taking time to read.
Here is the long story:
In September 2015, I met up with Joanne to discuss about taking care of my baby in end December 2015 after my maternity leave ended. She charge $850 per month and $950 (with solids). She said that this is the market rate. She said that she has taken care of 8 babies before and is very experienced. As I did not know of any babysitter at sembawang area, I go ahead confirming her. I asked her whether need to bring over my baby a few days earlier to her house to get used to her environment. She insisted that I just need to bring my baby on the day that I start work. My baby is a fully direct latch baby even though we bottle train him 1 month earlier, he refused to drink. I did warn Joanne about this, and she seem confident and said babies are easy to handle, just need to feed full and sleep in sarong.
On the first day, my baby was very fussy and he drank very little. Joanne watsapp me in the afternoon to complain that my baby is very troublesome and cause her unable to do a lot of things and want me to come earlier to fetch him home. That night she said that if my baby still drink so little, she will not want to continue look after and ask me to quit my job to latch him.
The next day my boy became cooperative and drank more by day 3. He is aware that when I am not around, he will take bottle. So I thought problem solved.
Joanne continue to look after him for 1 month till 21 Jan 16.
She told me that she suspect she having menopause and her periods are haywire now.
She requested me to take last minute leave on 22 Jan to look after my baby myself so that she can go and see doctor. I agreed and that night she called me said that she will take MCs quite frequently and afraid to trouble me to take leave. I told her that it is ok because that time she said that she is entitled to 1 week of annual leave.
She began to give a lot excuses saying that she is tired because of the periods, and my baby is difficult to take care so she did not want to continue anymore. I told her that this is too short notice and I need to find alternative. She started to "sell" her friend saying that if I offer more money, her friend will take up the job and kept emphasis my baby is difficult to take care. I felt that her main motive is to make me raise her fees as my baby is already getting used to her as she know I am unwilling to take up her friend. Today evening she called me again changing her mind that she will look after my baby because it is too short notice for me to find other people and her friend is busy with CNY preparations. I have enough of her nonsense and told her that we will stop her service. We put a deposit of $950 initially as what she requested to confirm her service. As my baby has not started solid, the fee should be $850 so I asked her to refund $100. She was angry and said that our calculation is wrong and she is entitled to this extra $100. I did not wish to argue with her anymore and take it as a lesson learnt.
I hope all parents who are engaging a babysitter please have some black and white rules eg 1 month notice if decide to stop service, fees increment etc.
Thanks for taking time to read.
