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In one post I read someone said their nieces started babysitting at 12 years old. That seems really young to me.
Would you hire a 12 year old babysitter?
Would you allow your 12 year old to babysit?
I have to answer no to both questions. My sons are 15, 12, 9 and there is no way I would let them babysit at 12, nor would I hire a 12 year old to watch my little one.
I just started letting my 12 year old stay home by himself for longer periods of time. I don't leave my 9 year old for more than half an hour if I can help it.
My oldest is old enough to babysit for other kids but he has a hard time getting babysitting jobs because people don't want to hire boys.
It depends on the child. My sister in law I let babysit for me at 13, but only small periods of time 1-3 hrs. She is almost 16 now and I let her babysit overnight, but my mil is there. If I were going to hire a neighbor or a someone I really don't know, 14-15 would be the youngest I would hire for my 5 year old. If my child were smaller, newborn to mabe 2, they would have to be 16 or older for me to hire them
If your MIL is there then having a 13 year old care for a child is not really the same as babysitting. I think family members are different than outside babysitters also.
I would let my 12 year old stay at home with my 9 year old for a short amount of time (under an hour), but I do not think he is old enough to care for a non family member in an unfamiliar home.
I would also let him care for a kid if there was another adult in the house (like my mother or MIL).
I agree that the age of the child being cared for makes a big difference. I would want a little bit older person to care for a baby or toddler but a younger teen would probably be ok for school aged kids.
I think you have to be 11 to take the Red Cross training class.
I think 11-12 is a good age to start supervised babysitting, working in church nursery or Mother's Helper type of work. 13-14 yo for babysitting school age children, 14-15 for toddlers, 15-16 for babies (4 months to 1 year) and 16+ for infants under 4 months.
It depends more on the maturity and experience of the babysitter than age, IMO but these are the guidelines I would use for allowing my kids to babysit.
I was 12 when I started Babysitting but I was always the responsible one. I have a cousin who is 13 now and no way should be allowed to babysit. It really comes down to the kid. They have to able to handle a situation and to also know when to call for help.
In one post I read someone said their nieces started babysitting at 12 years old. That seems really young to me.
Would you hire a 12 year old babysitter?
Would you allow your 12 year old to babysit?
I have to answer no to both questions. My sons are 15, 12, 9 and there is no way I would let them babysit at 12, nor would I hire a 12 year old to watch my little one.
I just started letting my 12 year old stay home by himself for longer periods of time. I don't leave my 9 year old for more than half an hour if I can help it.
My oldest is old enough to babysit for other kids but he has a hard time getting babysitting jobs because people don't want to hire boys.
depends on the kid, the experience, the parents, how far I'm going, and how long I'd be gone. I would consider it if I knew the parents well, or if they were neighbors, and if the sitter had previous experience with a child the age of mine. Just some random 12 year old, I would not consider.
My almost 12 daughter I would let babysit with an older child for a couple of hours in the day if I was going to be available by phone. She's such a little momma, she wouldn't leave the kid alone for a second- she'd be organizing games, doing art with the kid, fixing sandwiches, helping fix up the kid's bedroom. My 15 YO son, no way. He's a great kid, but doesn't have the "kid radar" needed.
I was watching my infant baby brother when I was 11. For hours at a time. His father was military and my momma had a second job. Son (15) has watched my husband's kids regularly during school breaks since he was 12.... they were 5 & 7 at the time. This summer will be his last year, sadly, because the following summer he will be driving and have a "real" job.
I was babysitting for all kinds of people with all aged children from 11 on. Multiple children during the summers and for extended periods of time. High maintenace and calm children. You need to get to know the person who will be watching your child. Momma-radar will let you know if you feel they are reliable and can think on their feet.
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