How young of a babysitter would you use?

[lemondog]

Somehow I have gotten very lucky and have never had to really "hire" a siter for my kids. Either my mom or aunt has watched them, or one of my friends. This means not only are my kids in familiar company, but it's free! Well, in a couple of weeks we have friends coming in from out of town and we really want to go to dinner with them. However, everyone is busy which means I need to hire a sitter. There are 3 girls at my church who were my helpers when I taught at Vacation Bible School 2 weeks ago. They all 3 said they babysit and gave me their names and numbers. Two of them are 14 and going into 9th grade, and one is 13 and going into 8th grade. Does this seem too young? I know it really shouldn't be because I was babysitting all the time at that age, for goodness sake! But I guess when it comes to my own kids I am extra cautious. Not to mention having toddler twins and a 3yo is a LOT of work for me to handle, so I can't really expect a young teenager to do it. Am I being ridiculous??? I really want to hire one of these girls so I can go out and enjoy my evening, but they just seem so young. Tell me I am crazy and make my decision easy!

 

[Gymbomom]

I agree, it might be too much for them.
But, what about hiring two of them??
That might be easier and less worry for you!

 

[vald1977]

If you are just going out to dinner I am thinking you would only need them for a couple of hours? I would probably hire two together since your kids are young and could be a handful for just one girl. Maybe try to make your plans for after you put the children to bed if possible? Good luck .

 

[aprilgail2]

I wouldn't hire anyone under 16 to babysit....just don't think they are mature enough.

 

[MELSMICE]

I think there are some factors you should take into consideration:

First, the maturity of each of the girls & second, what time will you be going out?

One of my DD's babysit 3 kids last time. She will be 13 in about 6 weeks - going into 8th grade. She is a great babysitter. Loves to play with the kids & do kid stuff - she watchers my 2 1/2 yr. old nephew. Her twin would be an "okay" babysitter. She would do some kid stuff, but wouldn't enjoy it as much & would rather sit & read while the kids played.

My oldest on the other hand would love it if the kids were in bed when she got there. She wants to babysit for the "cash" but it's just not her thing when it comes down to it.

I also think a lot depends on what time you'll be leaving & what they'll have to do. Will they have to give them dinner & put them to bed or will they be ready for bed when you leave?

These are just a few things I would consider when choosing one of the girls, or maybe you could have 2 of them there.

Good luck!!!

 

[snoopy]

I'd honestly feel a lot more comfortable with a mature 14 year old than I would someone not as mature who is 17. Usually at 14 they are still really interested in young children, at 17, many are babysitting just for the money. My girlfriend recently had a bad experience with a girl she hired who was 17. She ignored the children pretty much the moment the parents left the house and proceeded to talk on the phone to her boyfriend all night. Most younger kids aren't that self involved yet, imo.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

My current sitter is 16. I think we started using her when she was 14. She wasn't the most mature sitter -- but my two were not babies -- they were 7 and 4. Before her I had other girls babysit (two sisters from one family my husband's family had known forever). They were probably around the same starting age but they were more mature and were excellent with kids. I also knew with them that they would call us or their parents if they were worried about anything.

 

[tiggerlover]

I have used (mature) 13 and 14 year olds before and have not had any problems. My first thought after reading your thread is that with the ages of the children given I would hire two of the teens to do the sitting.

 

[chrissyk]

14 is a fine age for a babysitter IMHO. I started babysitting an infant when I was 12. I used to bathe her, feed her, put her to bed, etc. with no problems. The bigger problem was that I was just scared to be alone in the house after dark at that age. Also, the baby once choked on an Arrowroot cookie, and I had to do the infant Heimlich (successfully, thank goodness)! I was sooooo scared By 14, I was handling her and her younger sis with no problems, and I wasn't scared to be alone at night anymore.

One thing was for sure...I liked playing with the baby/toddler. I did NOT like it when she was in bed when I got there. That made for a very boring babysitting job. At 13/14, girls are generally still interested in little kids, and they WANT to play with them.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

For toddler twins and a 3yo I would hire 2 of the girls. Depending on the actual kids, I think they are old enough, but having 2 sitters will mean that one can be playing with one and another supervising snack, etc (watch what you leave them for snack, though, and don't leave anything that is likely to choke...).

My6 2 older kids babysit. They are 14DS (15 in Sept) and 17DD. My son would not be able to handle so many young kids on his own, but my DD probably could have at his age. My son is great with the school aged kids, though, and interacts and entertains them quite well. He had 3 babysitting jobs this weekend and earned (if you can call it that...he gets paid very well) almost $100. That's a lot of $ for a 14yo!

T&B

 

[ennazus]

I think it really depends on the maturity of the particular person. I could actually think of some adults I wouldn't want to babysit my son

I've had a 13 year old babysit my son and it was of comfort to know that her parents were right next door if she needed anything.

 

[golfgal]

I wouldn't hire anyone under 16 to babysit....just don't think they are mature enough.

Good luck finding one that age that isn't too busy with everything else.


When the twins were babies, we hired two sitters until we found one that had siblings that were triplets. Twins were a breeze to her, lol! 7th, 8th, 9th grade is about right, they aren't too social yet and still like to play with the kids.

 

[KirstenB]

Back in the old days, neighbors hired me to babysit when I was 10. I volunteer/substitute teach in the schools, and I wouldn't hesitate to hire a mature 13 or 14 yo. Realistically, if your children are only 2 and 3, then their bedtime is probably between 7-8. If you're going out to dinner, then the sitter will only have them awake for an hour or 2.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I babysat two boys when I was 13. One was probably 2nd or 3rd grade, his brother was 3 years old.

 

[CEDmom]

If you know these girls and their families I think you'd be ok hiring 2 or even 3 of them. I'd set very strict rules about where they can go with the kids. The yard is fine but walking a few blocks to the playground isn't. I'd also put anyway any toys toddler shouldn't be around and get snacks ready so these girls wouldn't have to make decisions I what a toddler should and shouldn't be allowed to eat.

Also you could check whether at least one of these girls parents would be home while they're babysitting. I know when I was that age and started sitting my mom would always be home so I could call her if I had any questions but it wasn't an emergency.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i started babysitting at 12 or 13.. like CEDMOM said, my mom or dad was usually home in case i had questions or needed them, especially if the paretns were awhile away. that being said, it does depend on the maturity, but i loved babysitting at that age....
last night, i even babysat for a couple of kids in my class at daycare..so 9 years later, im still babysitting! haha

 

[aprilgail2]

I babysat two boys when I was 13. One was probably 2nd or 3rd grade, his brother was 3 years old.

LOL...I wouldn't even leave my own kid home for the evening at 13 nevermind hiring a 13 year old babysitter LOL...I remember that I babysat at 13 and one time someone left me with an infant I had NO clue how to even change its diaper..thank god a cousin of mine was home, I called her and she came overto do it! I also wouldn't have anyone at any age babysit that hadn't taken a liefsaving/cpr course. When my godson was little I actually picked up his babysitter and went to the hospital with her and joined the class so I could be sure she actually passed the infant/toddler cpr course!

 

[lemondog]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

Of the 3 girls, there is one who I feel is more mature than the others. She even told me she has taken the Red Cross Babysitting/CPR course. But I like the idea of hiring two of them. And I like that I know them and their families. I guess I would rather hire a 14yo who I knew rather than a 17yo who I didn't know. Good point about them wanting to play with the kids at that age! And I have 2 neighbors who will be home and are happy to help in the event of an emergency, which gives me great peace of mind. I feel much better now.

 

[Kermit]

With little ones the ages of your kids, I'd also want at least two people to watch them. However, if one of the 14 year olds had a younger sister who was at least 10 or 11 and mature, I think that might be a bit more workable. They'd be used to working together, and you'd only have to take them back to one house at the end of the night.

 

[twojo21]

it least 16 female. cpr certified & mature.

i wouldnt use anyone that young with toddlers as they typically lack the maturity & know how of taking care of a young child especially in an emergency.