• Home
  • About Rachel
  • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • My Shop
  • Start Here

A Mother Far from Home

  • Discipline
    • Toys And Play
    • Big Family
    • Family Culture
    • Diapers & Potty Training
    • Irish Twins
    • Teething
  • Emotions
  • Faith
    • Christian Holidays
    • Church Related
    • Spiritual Principles
  • Home
    • Cleaning & Chores
    • Meal Time & Eating
    • Organizing, Tidying & Decluttering
    • Emergency Preparedness For Families
  • Motherhood
    • Mental & Emotional Wholeness
    • Mother’s Helper
    • Type A
    • Books to Read
    • Pregnancy
  • Routine
    • Baby Schedules & Routines
    • Toddler Routines & Schedules
    • Mom Schedules & Routines
    • School Routines
  • Sleep
    • Sleep Troubleshooting
    • Napping Tips
    • Basic Sleep Tips
Home » Mom Life » Mother's Helper » How Much Do You Pay A Mother’s Helper?

How Much Do You Pay A Mother’s Helper?

Updated January 19, 2021

34shares

Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

How much do you pay a mother’s helper? Well, the answer is: it depends! Here’s how you can determine what to pay a mother’s helper.


This is one of the biggest things that comes up when anyone thinks about having a mother’s helper. 

How much it will cost. 

Can you afford it? How much does it cost? How much do you have to pay a helper? And, how do you actually pay them? Are they a “contractor” or your “employee?”

And all that jazz.

I’ve got some good news for you today. There are so many possibilities and ways you can go about finding a good mother’s helper that won’t break your bank and will pay your lovely helper a fair wage. 

Read all the posts in my Mother’s Helper Series
  • Finding a mother’s helper you can trust
  • 10+ mother’s helper interview questions
  • How much to pay a mother’s helper
  • Your mother’s helper’s AGE: key considerations
  • An in-depth job description for a mother’s helper you can use
  • The ultimate guide to finding, hiring, paying, training & keeping a mother’s helper

How To Budget (Or Decide What To Pay) For A Mother’s Helper

Let’s dive in and get started. 

If you’ve been wondering what’s a fair amount to pay a mother’s helper or whether you can actually afford one in the first place… you’re about to find out.

But first, a rule of thumb when talking about money and value of something.

➡️ The right price is what you are willing to pay and what someone is willing to accept with both parties feeling good about it.

That’s it. 

First, Determine What’s In Your Budget

This is probably the most important thing to do before worrying about how much to pay someone. 

Why?

Because you have a lot of options about how much to pay, how old the helper is, and how many hours a week they will need to come over. 

You can probably get a helper on any budget. 

So your actual budget matters. 

If you have $200 a month for a mother’s helper, you have the following options.

  • You can pay someone $15 an hour and have them come 13 hours a month.
  • You can pay someone $10 an hour and have them come 20 hours a month.
  • Or you can pay someone $5 (like a child or tween or early teen) and have then come 40 hours a month.

Or anywhere in between.

Figure Out What Your Mother’s Helper Age Range Will Be

You can read all the things you need to consider here, but to make a short and punchy point…

It depends on how much responsibility you want to give your helper.

If you just need some help around the house while you’re there, and have a limited budget, you can pay a much lower rate and hire a tween or pre-teen. This article has an interesting discussion and says $6 or $7 is a fair rate to pay a child.

Now, if you are hiring an adult or teenager over the age of say 15, then you’ll at least adhere to minimum wage in your state or area or perhaps the equivalent of what a daycare worker might get.

According to payscale, a typical daycare worker earns between $9 and $10 to look after multiple children. How many kids will you have them look after?

Read: How To Decide What Age You Want Your Mother’s Helper To Be

how much to pay a mother's helper, mother's helper with kids

Determine Minimum Wage In Your State

Of course, you are in no way limited to only paying minimum wage, but you’ll need to know what it is so you don’t go below it.

Here is an infographic at the time of this writing that represents the minimum wage requirements by state.

Use this as a jumping off point.

Note: According to the department of labor (and it’s a bit fuzzy) you aren’t required to pay minimum wage to anyone until they are 20.

After that, minimum wage is the baseline and the sky is the limit.

So, use your judgment, what you believe to be fair, and feel good about. Compare with what other people of the same age are earning at jobs with similar experience.

Consider Expertise & How Many Kids You Have

If someone has a lot of experience, you’ll pay them more than someone with less experience.

But you want to leave room for giving a raise.

If you are going to be home most of the day and you only have one child, you will likely start lower in your wage range.

Or, if you have multiple kids and are going to be gone most of the time, you may start in the higher range.

Read: Mother’s Helper Interview Questions You Must Ask

Balance Rate With Hours Needed

So, ultimately you’re asking for a certain number, and I haven’t given you a specific one.

But every family is different.

The key is to figure out what you are able to afford per month and how many hours you need someone.

If you have $700 a month to pay for mother’s helper and want someone approximately 15 hours a week, you will land somewhere around $11.50 per hour.

Or, if you can’t find someone for that in your area or live somewhere that pays much more, you’ll have to have fewer hours per week. This is how you arrive at a rate you are able and willing to pay.

Understand Options On How To Pay Your Mother’s Helper

For my long term mother’s helper, I asked how she preferred to be paid from the beginning and went that way. The key is to create an arrangement that everyone feels is winning.

  • You can pay at the end of the month for all the hour’s worked that month.
  • Alternatively, you can pay at the beginning of the month for the desired amount of hours per month, then bank whatever hours were not worked.
  • You can pay at the end of the week for the hours worked that week.
  • Also, you can pay for a set amount of hours each month, and bank the hours or days not used. So, for example, if your helper takes a day off, she “owes you” that day but, but still gets paid the same.
  • Or, you can only pay for what your helper does, so you are always “current.”

Additionally, you may pay via check, cash, Venmo, or PayPal. Whatever works for your helper and you, works!

Grab a free printable here!

Read all the posts in my Mother’s Helper Series

  • How to find a mother’s helper you can trust
  • 10+ mother’s helper interview questions
  • How much to pay a mother’s helper
  • Your mother’s helper’s AGE: key considerations
  • An in-depth job description for a mother’s helper you can use
  • The ultimate guide to having a mother’s helper you’ll love

::

If you are stressed, overwhelmed, or drained… you aren’t alone.

After hearing from thousands of mothers, I’ve narrowed down the Top 5 Biggest Stressors For Moms. Sign up below and I’ll send my FREE series straight to your inbox!

Click here and learn breakthrough strategies that’ll help you feel peace immediately.

End Mom Stress. Live in peace, not overwhelm

Rachel

New to this community? Start here, friend.

34shares

Filed Under: Mom Life, Mother's Helper0

« 5 Signs You May Be A Depressed Mom–And How To Start Feeling Better
An In-Depth Mother’s Helper Job Description You Can Use »

Recommended For You From Our Shop

The Everyday Mom Super Bundle

Want a harmonious home where the kids follow your lead, emotions are under control (theirs and yours), everyone is sleeping well, and your family culture makes everyone feel loved and secure?... Grab my Everyday Mom Super Bundle which has nearly ALL my shop printables in ONE place at a fraction of the price!

Click to Learn More!

I'm Rachel, mother of 5 young kids living in the Florida panhandle with my Australian husband. I write about family culture, family rhythms and routines, and boundaries in motherhood and life. You can see snippets of my daily life here and visit my shop for baby sleep, organizing, and routine help.

“Inside my brain”

Geeezzz, it was like you were inside my brain today!  (and most days recently)  I needed this badly.

Thank you!!!
Andrea P.

“Nothing was working…”

I just wanted to say thank you for your easy peasy routine for 2 year olds! I day-weaned my 2 year old a month ago and have been trying everything to get him to go down for a nap without the nursing. Nothing was working and I was starting to think he would never have a nap again.

Anyways I started following your routine and we just sat in bed and had what I told him was “quiet time.” We sat and read and made a fort and had warm milk. Then today I told him it was quiet time again and he tried to escape the bed a couple times, but in the end he snuggled up after the warm bottle and fell asleep for 3 hours! I was almost in tears I was so excited! So thank you!

Meghan

“Thanks for your bundle!”

Thanks for for doing this Everyday Mom Super Bundle sale. I’m four months into my parenthood journey with a sweet and spirited boy.

I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated just yesterday, thinking if only I had the right resources and “trail guides” I could figure this all out. Your sale is serendipitous. I can’t wait to dig into my download materials and start learning from your tips.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Lauren N.

“It’s a breath of fresh air”

I just wanted to let you know that your blog and emails have been a tremendous help to me. Your practical, honest, and humble writing is a breath of fresh air!

With help and encouragement drawn from your writing, I have made some incredible changes in the order (and sanity) of our home, in just the past few weeks. My kids are doing chores daily, and I also have clearer expectations of myself.

My husband is in awe!

Which helps reinforce what you said- the problem wasn’t me; it was my systems. Our home is in much better order, and so is my mind. So, thank you!!!! You have made a difference for me and my family.

Ann S.

“We are slowly getting back to normal…”

I stumbled upon your blog one morning after praying night after night for God to fix my home! I had just had a baby this May 1st and also have a 2 and 4 year old and my home broke out in complete chaos!

Even my marriage seemed like it was on the brink of extinction and this had happened in 2 weeks! I read numerous amounts of your entries and applied them to my home life and I am happy to say we are slowly getting back to normal. Thank you Rachel! 

Madison S.

“You’ve been a life saver!”

I’m a first time mom to a 15 day old baby girl. I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t get her to sleep in her crib until I found your blog.

You’ve been a life saver!

Candace R.

“Within a week or two our little girl changed!”

I tumbled into post partum depression/anxiety and didn’t know what to do anymore. I was a mess, baby girl was a mess and I don’t even know how my husband was dealing with it all… 

I googled everything I could think about but there was never really something that felt right, that felt genuine instead of just telling do’s and don’ts. 

And then I found your website and read your pieces about sleeping and eating. I carefully read through your schedules and decided to try it.

IT WORKED!! 

And within a week or two our little girl changed from a frustrated baby into this happy dappy smiling ray of sunshine, that is able to settle herself down by sucking on her fists, even in the middle of the night. At 12 weeks baby girl slept through the night and now at 20 weeks old she sleeps a good 10 to 12 hours every night. 

I just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience online. The way you wrote your experiences made it understandable, seeing it from the babys side but also the moms side. Maybe we were lucky that your way fitted our baby, but it worked and I tell it to everyone that wants to know!

Stephanie P.

“Had tremendous success from Day One!”

I just wanted to thank you for your sample routine.  I’ve been using it for a week with my 13 month old and had tremendous success from day 2! Wind down time is so important and so is consistency.  Thank you so much!!!

Sam M.

“In a few short days…”

I am grateful to have found your blog, as I do a great deal of searching on Pinterest when I am up against a parenting moment that I do not feel qualified to handle.

I will say though that since reading your blog I am really focusing on remembering that every moment is a learning \ experience for my son and I try to take a breath and count to ten. In the few short days that I have been exercising this method I truly have noticed a change for the better in his response to me.

Tami K.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hey y'all, I'm Rachel Norman, BA, MS, Language of Listening® parenting coach, mother to 5 babies in 5 years on 3 continents, no multiples. Join me in parenting without losing your mind. Read More >>

Search

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved | A Mother Far From Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility














15 Minute Projects To Get Your Home In Order

In just 15 minutes a night (while you're in your pj's!) take your home from stressed out to organized with these 101+ 15 minute projects. 


envelope
envelope
close
x
close

Download, print, and become a more peaceful, less stressed mom!

envelope
x
close

Download, print, and find your perfect Mother's Helper!

envelope
x