How old? Babysitting question

[undertheradar]

I don't consider a 4-year old and a 9-year-old unsupervised if they are in the care of a teenager. Since it is perfectly legal, then I can't see why children's services would be investigating unless my older child showed gross negligence in the care she was providing (which, knowing my child well, would not be the case).

If a pipe burst and a hotel employee was asking to be let into the room, then my child would call me on my cell and ask what she should do. I would then check with the front desk, make sure everything was on the up-and-up, and then have her wait with her sibling in the lobby until I came back.

Yes, I know emergencies can happen, but I have to say in all the hotel rooms that I've stayed in over the last 40 years (and there have been a lot), I don't think I've ever had a hotel employee insist that they had to enter my room at right that moment to check something out. I don't live in fear of the minute chance something catastrophic would happen, and even if it did, I trust my children's ability to cope with the situation until I could make it back to them.

I don't believe that a 13 y.o. is an adult, thus they are unsupervised from a hotel standpoint. As a veteran of the hotel industry with vast experience from a security perspective, there are times when the hotel employees must enter a room and cannot wait for the minor childrens parents to arrive for them to do so. Depending upon local laws, the hotel is responsible for those minor children(13,9,4) once they are aware that the children are in the room without an adult present. This is the same procedure with drunk guests. Even though the odds are in favor of the OP that nothing would happen, there is still that chance. Hotels are not the "safe" places that everyone thinks they are. You should be more cautious there due to the transient nature of the inhabitants. In fact, what age can you rent a room from Disney, that would give you an idea of the legal age for their properties.

 

[minkydog]

I see 3 options that are fair to both you and the oldest DD.

1. You don't go to V&A.
2. You go to V&A and 13 yr old DD babysits her younger sibs. (For more money than she makes when she normally babysits.)
3. You go to V&A and 13 yr hangs out in the room for a few hours, surfing the internet and eating pizza while her younger sibs go to a kids program.

I'd first weight which of the options makes me most comfortable. If I were okay with 2 and 3, I'd then approach 13 yr old DD with options 2 and 3 and see which is more amenable to her. After all, it's her vacation too!

Number 3 gets my vote. No way would i leave 2 younger kids in the care of a 13 year old in a hotel room. No way. Too many things can happen. I don't care what anyone says, being at WDW in a hotel is in no way comparable to being in the safety of your own home, where you have friends and neighbors nearby to help in case of emergency. Hotels, even those at Disney World, can harbor people who don't have your kids' best interest in mind.

I think the 13 yr old can stay by herself since she's mature. But the two younger ones would be going to the childcare facility for the evening. Or else i would not be going out to dinner.

 

[kirstenb1]

Our 12 yr old watches our 5 yr old here at home, while i run errands, etc. I say your 13 yr old can watch her siblings.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Number 3 gets my vote. No way would i leave 2 younger kids in the care of a 13 year old in a hotel room. No way. Too many things can happen. I don't care what anyone says, being at WDW in a hotel is in no way comparable to being in the safety of your own home, where you have friends and neighbors nearby to help in case of emergency. Hotels, even those at Disney World, can harbor people who don't have your kids' best interest in mind.

I think the 13 yr old can stay by herself since she's mature. But the two younger ones would be going to the childcare facility for the evening. Or else i would not be going out to dinner.

Now you see, I'd rather the 13 yr old not be alone; it seems to me there's safety in numbers (i.e., if she starts choking, the 9 yr old could go for help). If going for option 3, I would put the 4 yr old in childcare and leave the 13 and 9 year olds in the room.

 

[golfgal]

If your DD already babysits and you know you can trust her then why not? Just give her some ground rules: Do not leave the room for any reason, do not answer the door for anyone, put the security lock on etc... You know what ground rules she will need.

You should be fine, go and enjoy your dinner, with 4 kids you deserve it.

I would NOT have them put the security lock on--if they fall asleep while mom and Dad are gone, mom and dad won't be able to get into the room.

OP, if your 13 year old babysits the other kids already they will be just fine. Too many people here don't give kids enough credit for be able to deal with unusual situations. Your 13 year old will be able to handle things if on the astronomical chance there is a fire in the hotel and they have to evacuate.

Bring a laptop and some movies and let them watch a movie while you are gone. You will be back before they know it.

 

[themilesfamily]

I like Snarling Coyote's option 3:

I'm a nervous Nellie, so I probably wouldn't leave all three kids in the room. I'd put the 4 and 9 year old into the kids club and tell the 13 year old she had a few hours to herself in the room -- maybe let her rent some movies, order pizza, stock up on some snacks. Don't teenagers like time alone to text and whatnot? Maybe she'd appreciate a few hours to herself and would enjoy it.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure it will be the right thing -- you know your kids best. Have a wonderful time!!

 

[marmalade]

I would NOT have them put the security lock on--if they fall asleep while mom and Dad are gone, mom and dad won't be able to get into the room.OP, if your 13 year old babysits the other kids already they will be just fine. Too many people here don't give kids enough credit for be able to deal with unusual situations. Your 13 year old will be able to handle things if on the astronomical chance there is a fire in the hotel and they have to evacuate.

Bring a laptop and some movies and let them watch a movie while you are gone. You will be back before they know it.

Good point. I have never had a baby sitter sleeping when I got home, but that is probably because my baby sitters are not my children. I can see since they are all brothers/sisters how the 13 might fall asleep.

 

[Erin1700]

I personally think they will be so bored, they are bound to get into some sort of trouble. Innocent trouble probably, but certainly does not sound like any fun for them.

 

[MichelleVW]

I wouldn't care if my kids were mortified or not, there safety is my only concern.

And they would be perfectly safe in the room with the 13 year old babysitting them....

If I let "what ifs" control my life, I'd never leave my house. Since V&A's is Disney specific, it isn't like the OP can "wait until she gets home" to go there.

OP, I think you're fine leaving the 13 year old in the room. Whether she wants to supervise younger siblings or not should be left up to her. If she doesn't, take the younger two to a kid's club and leave 13 year old in the room.

Seriously, the "what if" game is ridiculous. A good parent is one who teaches their kids how to survive and thrive in the real world, not play the "what if" game and keeps them locked up and under adult supervision 24/7.

 

[golfgal]

And they would be perfectly safe in the room with the 13 year old babysitting them....






Seriously, the "what if" game is ridiculous. A good parent is one who teaches their kids how to survive and thrive in the real world, not play the "what if" game and keeps them locked up and under adult supervision 24/7.

What if your child was playing outside and a meteor fell on them.....Do you keep them inside just in case--or worse yet, what if a meteor fell on your house...do you move just to be safe....

 

[disneystacy]

I personally think they will be so bored, they are bound to get into some sort of trouble. Innocent trouble probably, but certainly does not sound like any fun for them.

I doubt they would get into any trouble as I would read them all the riot act and they know I mean business, plus my daughter would not want to give up the money she would be paid.

 

[MichelleVW]

I doubt they would get into any trouble as I would read them all the riot act and they know I mean business, plus my daughter would not want to give up the money she would be paid.

Sounds like they will be fine then. Enjoy your dinner and don't worry about your kids!

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

The first time I was left alone with my siblings at Disney I was 15. My best friend, 16, was with me. My brother was 10 and my sister was 6.
We went and got food from the hotel's food court, walked around the property, and hung out in the room.

I had been babysitting by myself at home for years before this.

 

[smb6]

If she is old enough to babysit at home, she is old enough to babysit in the hotel room. I would make sure they had food/drinks because I would not want them leaving the room outside of a fire. My oldest is 13 and while I have not done it, I would be perfectly comfortable leaving him to babysit in the hotel room. However I would not be comfortable with him trying to keep up with small kids around the resort or in the parks.....

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I was 9 when my parents first left me in a room at Disney and went off to dinner at V&A's by themselves. I can tell you, it's terribly boring...but they did have the Disney channel in the room and I couldn't get that at home! If the oldest babysits at home she can do perfectly well at Disney.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

A 13yo who regularly babysits at home will be fine babysitting at the hotel. Just because she is in a different place doesn't make her less responsible.

At 11yo, I was babysitting 4 children under the age of 6, by myself.
Really. The answers on some of these threads lately are getting so ridiculous.

OP, go have a great time. 13yos are babysitting all over the country. Don't let anyone scare you into believing that you are illegally leaving them "unattended".

 

[shortbun]

Three younger kids in a small hotel room, siblings on top of that...too much risk. I say skip it. A dinner for adults only just is not that important. In other words, if you have to ask...no.

 

[shortbun]

A 13yo who regularly babysits at home will be fine babysitting at the hotel. Just because she is in a different place doesn't make her less responsible.

At 11yo, I was babysitting 4 children under the age of 6, by myself.
Really. The answers on some of these threads lately are getting so ridiculous.

OP, go have a great time. 13yos are babysitting all over the country. Don't let anyone scare you into believing that you are illegally leaving them "unattended".

Whoever allowed you, at 11 years old, to babysit for their 4 children who were under 6 was, well, imho they were a little nuts. Not meaning to dis you just 11 with four little ones. No way. Our local police are not even wild about 11yo kids being alone in their own homes. My girlfriend went to her door last week. There was her 11yo nephew with two police officers. He was home with his 4 siblings, one of them a 5mo infant. The police told my girlfriend that if she was unwilling to come take care of her sister's children, they were taking them to children's services. They said 4 small children was too much for an 11yo. I agree.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

my younger 2 are 9 and 4.

ftr, there are two younger children...there is no 2yo.
13yo, 9yo, and 4yo.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

Whoever allowed you, at 11 years old, to babysit for their 4 children who were under 6 was, well, imho they were a little nuts. Not meaning to dis you just 11 with four little ones. No way. Our local police are not even wild about 11yo kids being alone in their own homes. My girlfriend went to her door last week. There was her 11yo nephew with two police officers. He was home with his 4 siblings, one of them a 5mo infant. The police told my girlfriend that if she was unwilling to come take care of her sister's children, they were taking them to children's services. They said 4 small children was too much for an 11yo. I agree.

I disagree. At 11yo, I was hired by a resort babysitting service as well. All it proves is that people are much more uptight than they were when I was younger. It's all a matter of opinion and the maturity level of the child in charge. As far as your "story" above, I wouldn't leave an 11yo boy with 4 siblings. Boys are typically less mature than girls. But then...that's a whole 'nother can of worms. Too each his own.
None of this is relevant however, because the OP's dd is 13yo and there are TWO siblings, 9 and 4.