Do you offer to still pay a babysitter if you cancel with them?

[kayte]

I am curious about the protocol for canceling a babysitter (the day before) ---do you still offer to pay them?

[sste]

IMO, it depends on how late you are cancelling (24 hrs is borderline), how much the person needs the money, and how much you need them to be there routinely for you versus it being an occasional job.

We have paid our babysitters when we needed to cancel a few hours before due to illness, when it was a job the sitter did every single week for us and depended on the income, when we had to cancel more than once in a 4-6 month period, and one time when we just knew the sitter was struggling financially. Our sitters are usually college students and I often try to switch the hours to another day/time that is mutually agreeable so I am still paying them X amount this week but slightly different work hours.

[geochick]

I think it's the polite thing to do if you like your babysitter and want them to keep scheduling you.

[hollybloom24]

I do if I cancel maybe 48 hours or less in advance because I want to keep my babysitters happy and wanting to work for us!

[misshollygolightly]

I hadn't thought about this. I think, if it was just an occasional thing (not something my sitter depended on for regular income), and we gave full 24 hr notice (and it wasn't a holiday or something where I knew she was giving up other plans/babysitting gigs for us), I think I'd probably offer to pay her 1/2 of whatever it would have been. I can definitely see where I might pay full price under certain circumstances, but I think in the situation I'd be okay with paying just 1/2 of whatever it would have been. Maybe I'm a cheapskate, though!

[JustMe]

I agree that paying half seems like a good compromise to me.