I think the key to working the extra hours is that it has to seem like you aren't working. Having a baby that needs to be spoon fed and held for a bottle or going through a period of teething and fussy is very different than having a couple kids the same ages as your own or old enough to play unattended leaving you free to do more of your own thing. Also it is important to set your "school hours" and to realize that while you work with the kids from 9-3 the hours on either side and especially the ones after 4 are freeplay downtime for everyone and that means tv and videos and just hanging out is ok. If you let yourself do that then having the longer hours isn't so bad. You can still do laundry while they watch tv and keep your own kids entertained and get paid for it - not such a bad deal really.

There was a time when I did that and my own kids enjoyed having just the big kids around and no babies underfoot. Mostly this was kids from the neighbourhood who would have been wanting to play at my house anyways. I was able to just put them outside to play hockey on the driveway or in the backyard.

When money is tight, or just starting out and trying to get ahead to prepare for lean times this kind of care can work. It can also come with a premium charge because it is so hard to find. I know of a caregiver that worked 12 - 8 with the idea of so many retail jobs that were a 1-7 shift in the area at the time. She had a lazy morning with her own kids then had kids come after lunch but gave them a snack before nap and sleep all afternoon, play outside, have supper and then freeplay till pick up. And she was able to charge more than the going rate for this service. Finding the niche in a new area can work wonders.