What age to start babysitting??

[shelbyjosh]

DD will be 10 in December. DS will be 7 in April. They get along fairly well (they have their moments!!). What age do you think is appropriate to have her start watching him for small periods of time? Last week she watched him for about 30 minutes while DH and I ran to WalMart. She was instructed to keep all doors locked and don't answer them if the doorbell rings. No cooking either! My neighbor was home and she said to have DD call if there was ANY problems or questions. I would like to be able to leave them if I had to go to the grocery store or if DH and I went out to dinner. I wouldn't leave them alone after dark, though. Just looking for some input here.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I think a child should be at least 12 before they start staying home alone, or watching a sibling.

My DS left his 11-year-old DD home one day this summer while he worked, and she had a friend over, plus she was responsible for her 8-year-old brother. I think that's too young to be responsible for other kids, for the whole day.

A girl I worked with called social services to see what they said, as she wanted to leave her son home alone and wasn't sure he was really old enough. They said a child under 12 could be left home alone for up to 2 hours, but not at night, and never with another child to be responsible for.

My DS said his DD is "mature for her age", and yes, I agree that she is, but in an emergency situation she would be just too young to be held responsible. At 12 they can take childcare class in school, so I think parents should wait until then to let their children stay home alone.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

DD will be 10 in December. DS will be 7 in April.

So they are 9 and 6?

I would think 9 is too young to be responsible for the care of another child, especially a sibling who is unlikely to follow instructions. I started leaving my kids by themselves when they around 9 and 10 for 20 minutes or so. We worked up from there.
I would never let any kid babysit another child unless they have taken one of the Red Cross or similar classes which teach CPR, how to handle an emergency, and other basic safety. When I hire a babysitter for my infant, I insist on High School age minimum.

Many states and local laws place the minimum ages at around 11 or 12.

 

[Microcell]

I know for sure 6 and 2 are too young. I can't even take a shower without fighting.

I think the law here is alone at 12 with another kid, 13. You could get in trouble legally with 10 and 7 I think. Of course my sister started babysitting at 8 her three younger siblings and resents the heck out of it to this day! We are all alive though.

If something happened could you forgive yourself? Would you have broken the law by leaving them alone?

 

[SnowAngel]

Where I am the rules are
4 and under not left alone whatsoever
5-6 allowed to play in backyard within earshot of parents
7-8 allowed to play outside but have access to adult
9-11 be left alone up to 2 hours at home during day and phone access to adult
12-13 allowed to be left alone up to 4 hours and to babysit


I have just started allowing my oldes dd (she's 9.. but will be 10 in 3 weeks) to stay home for up to 20 mins while I run to store (which is only 2 mins away) . This only in the last couple of weeks. I would not allow her to watch her younger sisters. I don't think she is old enough or responsible enough to do so.

 

[beattyfamily]

I remember watching my baby sister when she was just born and I was 10! But it wasn't my choice and I was scared to do every time I did it.

Even though when I was young, 10 and 11 years olds were watching younger kids and even babysitter others kids, I don't think that's a good idea.

Maybe after age 10 they can stay alone for a few minutes, and up to an hour, for a quick run to the store but I don't think they should be babysitting.

I think I'll cross that bridge when I come to it (my kids are 5 and 8) but I'm thinking right now maybe when they are 10 and 13?? It would never be more than a couple of hours though.

I just hear so many horror stories of young kids having the rules drilled into them but forgetting them when they are alone; Opening the door to strangers and letting them in, answering the phone when told not to etc...I would definitely test my kids before I do it. I'd drive away and then ring the door bell or call from my cell phone and see what they do!!

Sorry if I just rambled on and didn't really help. I was just throwing out some thought I had on the subject.

 

[justhat]

9 and 6 would be too young for me to leave my kids alone. Granted I only have one 7 month old daughter right now, but until she was born I worked in a day care and babysat for a lot of the families from the day care. Though the kids in my day care class were between 15 and 30 months, most of them had older siblings, some of whom were as old as 11, and the parents never left the older ones alone. I'm pretty sure the legal age here is 12 so that might be why, though when I lived in NJ I often babysat for 11-13 year olds (I think the legal age there is 12 too). Even the most mature 11 year old I babysat would panic in an emergency so that's why I would be afraid to leave my daughter at that age. Why not see if there's an older kid in the neighborhood who can sit with your kids while you're out? Like maybe a young teen who would work cheap and just be some extra support for your kids.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

She is too young to be left alone and be responsible for her younger sibling. I could see if you wanted to leave just her alone for awhile. My 2 DD's are 13 & 10, last year is when we began leaving them home alone together. On school holidays I still use a college girl to babysit from 7:00 a.m.- 4:30.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I plan on leaving my son alone for short amounts of time when he is 10.5

I was so overprotected as a child, when I started babysitting at age 12, I was scared to death to be alone. I would have the child sleep on the couch so I would not be "alone". He was two, so I can imagine how happy the dad was to have to lug him up to his room at the end of the night. I babysat in the house directly across the street from my own house, and I called my mom to come over for stupid reasons. I was not ready to babysit at 12, because my mom still did alot for me herself, and I was not allowed to stay home alone...yet I could babysit?

I feel 10.5 is a good age for them to start learning the do's and don't of being alone/babysitting. If he can do it in small amounts, then by the time he is old enough tp babysit, he will have the responsibilty of the job.

In MA, it is against the law to leave a child under 10 alone...11 they can take a babysitting course, so I guess that means they can babysit at 11. I like 12 myself. In my experience of hiring babysitters, the more mature/responsible kids were the ones who were allowed to stay home alone on occasion.

 

[disykat]

I have left my 11 yr old "in charge" of my 9 year old for about an hour several times. He turns twelve next month so I'll be more likely to leave them home if I am running a quick errand. I don't think I'll leave them in the evening until he is 13.

Cell phones and good neighbors really help.

 

[BabyTigger99]

DSD11 just took the Red Cross babysitting course, but I probably still won't let her watch DS5 for a while. They bicker and pick on each other WAY too much. I have talked to my sister, though, about have DSD watch her kids (6 and 3) for short periods of time (think grocery shopping) so she can "practice" with kids she is used to.

 

[caitycaity]

i started watching my sister when i was 10. i took the red cross babysitting course when i was 12 and started babysitting other people's kids when i was 13.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Originally posted by BabyTigger99
DSD11 just took the Red Cross babysitting course, but I probably still won't let her watch DS5 for a while. They bicker and pick on each other WAY too much. I have talked to my sister, though, about have DSD watch her kids (6 and 3) for short periods of time (think grocery shopping) so she can "practice" with kids she is used to.

Do you know how many people I know who allow there 12/13 yo to babysit other kids, but are not allowed to stay alone with their siblings? They would kill each other!

I almost killed my sister when we were teenagers. My mom never liked to leave us alone even in our late teens, but sometimes she just had to. it was just me and my sister, we were probably 15 and 14 ( I was older) we found an old Samuri Sword. It was HUGE. I started swiping it ...AH-YAH, and all of a sudden, the blade is flying through the air. It had come off the handle. My sister felt it slice some hairs off the top of her head as it skimmed past her. YIKES! We put that thiong away in a hurry!

 

[aimee11621]

I started watching smaller cousins and neighbors kids when I was 11.

My real babysitting job (where I actually got paid) was when I was 14.

 

[totalia]

Originally posted by Chattyaholic
I think a child should be at least 12 before they start staying home alone, or watching a sibling.

My DS left his 11-year-old DD home one day this summer while he worked, and she had a friend over, plus she was responsible for her 8-year-old brother. I think that's too young to be responsible for other kids, for the whole day.

A girl I worked with called social services to see what they said, as she wanted to leave her son home alone and wasn't sure he was really old enough. They said a child under 12 could be left home alone for up to 2 hours, but not at night, and never with another child to be responsible for.

My DS said his DD is "mature for her age", and yes, I agree that she is, but in an emergency situation she would be just too young to be held responsible. At 12 they can take childcare class in school, so I think parents should wait until then to let their children stay home alone.

I agree with you.

 

[JetMom]

Make sure that you check the local laws. In some states it is actually illegal to leave children under 12 home alone.

That being said, I just started leaving my DS's (12, 10, and 6) alone for short periods of time. Only in the daytime, though. My DH and I are considering the possibility of going to a movie next summer without the boys!