Would you let a 14 year old babysit a 4 month old baby?

[soccerdad72]

Like others have said, it all depends on the 14-year old. I probably would do it with the right kid (and baby).

ETA: I probably wouldn't personally go out on Valentine's Day, regardless of the babysitter situation. It's the one day of the year I refuse to eat out.

 

[punkin]

I would trust either of my DDs with a baby at 14. They were very responsible. I also know quite a few of their friends that I would never trust with an infant. If I know the girl and like how she interacts with babies, I would do it without a second thought.

 

[ariel71]

I'm not a parent, but I babysat infants at that age. I started babysitting at 12 for families in the neighborhood after I had taken a babysitting class that included infant/child CPR. It doesn't get much easier than 4 months. As long as the sitter knows how to bottle feed and change a diaper, there's not much complexity. Obviously it depends on the child, but at 4 months they can hold up their head, they're not mobile, probably not eating solids (or just starting), wouldn't need to be bathed, go to bed fairly early, hopefully sleep through the night, etc.

I'd rather watch 2 4-month-olds at the same time than 1 toddler. Those toddlers run you ragged - I think they always saw me as a shiny new toy

 

[ampc3]

yes.. my dd will be 14 next week, she took the babysitting cpr course last year .. She would much rather watch a baby than a bunch of toddlers lol... at 14 they are either in HS or about to start it is a good age IMO..

 

[scrapquitler]

My friend let me know that her 14 year old daughter has started babysitting.

My DH & I were going to stay home on Valentine's Day because we couldn't find a sitter, but we were thinking it might be really good for us to get out for a few hours without baby (it's been hard to have some time alone as a couple since the baby was born).

I was thinking of asking my friend if her daughter could babysit our DD (4 months old) for a few hours while we go out to eat (10-15 minutes from our house). I know my friend's daughter has babysat my other friend's 6 month old son a few times & did a great job. I also know she is very responsible & an all around good kid.

Would you be comfortable with a 14 year old babysitting a 4 month old baby? We would only go out to dinner (I'm guessing 2-2.5 hours max). This is our first baby & we have limited experience with babysitters (basically my parents, my MIL, & my good friend)

Thanks for any advice you might have!

Yes I would. With conditions: I would want her to have taken the Red Cross Babysitting class, or something similar, I would want to know that her parent was nearby in case of an emergency, and I would want to have her come over to my house ahead of time and spend some time with the baby while she was 'in charge' but I was kind of observing in the background.

That said, when I was about 13, my aunt was pregnant. They already had a 14 month old and she was going into the hospital for an induction. I was hired as the babysitter for while she was in labor and in the hospital...I stayed at her house taking care of the toddler while my uncle was with her at the hospital. Once the baby was born, he came home to sleep, but went back to the hospital not to much later... In the end, I babysat for three days while she was hospitalized, uncle there to sleep only. My Mom was close by, I had experience babysitting my cousin before that, and I had taken a babysitting class thru Girl Scouts.

HOWEVER it would depend on the 14 year old, I suppose. And not everyone would be comfortable with it.

 

[torinsmom]

It really depends on the 14 year old. I know at 14, I would have never left my son with a baby that young. He gets rattled pretty easily and I would have worried if the baby wouldn't stop crying, he may not have been able to handle it.


I would get references of people with infants that she has babysitted for.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It depends on the 14 year old and the 4 month old. This isn't the type of question I can answer with generalities.

 

[pyrxtc]

go for it. I was babysitting that young when I was about 12.

 

[Christine]

I babysat an infant (4-6 months) at that age. I was mature, I knew the family well, and I had experience with infants because I had been hanging out with my baby cousins since I was 12. I knew how to change a diaper, I knew how to pick up a crying baby. I always had the phone number of where the parents were going in an emergency (no cell phones back then). I always knew the neighbors so if something serious came up, I had neighbors to lean on.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

No way! 14 is too young to be responsible for an infant. Doesn't matter how mature or responsible I think she is and knowing the family has nothing to do with anything!

 

[aristocatz]

Just an update that we decided to give the 14 year old babysitter a try and I am feeling 100% comfortable with the situation.

It turns out she completed a babysitting certification class at our local hospital (I didn't even know this existed!). I was pretty impressed with this. In addition, her mom is going to accompany her this time & stay in another room while her daughter babysits my baby girl. That way her daughter is in charge, but my friend is there in the background just in case she runs into any difficulty. I really like this idea & I'm so excited to finally have a little date with my DH!!!

People at work keep telling me it's really important to maintain a "date night" after your first baby is born, but DH & I just haven't been able to do that. I don't really feel the need to do this every week, but once a month would be really nice. As much as I adore my baby girl, it will be nice to sneak away with my DH for a few hours

 

[ampc3]

Just an update that we decided to give the 4 year old babysitter a try and I am feeling 100% comfortable with the situation.

It turns out she completed a babysitting certification class at our local hospital (I didn't even know this existed!). I was pretty impressed with this. In addition, her mom is going to accompany her this time & stay in another room while her daughter babysits my baby girl. That way her daughter is in charge, but my friend is there in the background just in case she runs into any difficulty. I really like this idea & I'm so excited to finally have a little date with my DH!!!

People at work keep telling me it's really important to maintain a "date night" after your first baby is born, but DH & I just haven't been able to do that. I don't really feel the need to do this every week, but once a month would be really nice. As much as I adore my baby girl, it will be nice to sneak away with my DH for a few hours

Good for you!!! That is the best of both worlds.. you get to go out and have ADDED peace that everything will be fine with your baby since the mom will be there too.. Then when you feel more comfortable etc , you will feel much better leaving her with just the girl

 

[aristocatz]

Good for you!!! That is the best of both worlds.. you get to go out and have ADDED peace that everything will be fine with your baby since the mom will be there too.. Then when you feel more comfortable etc , you will feel much better leaving her with just the girl

Thank you-I definitely do feel totally comfortable about this. I think this is going to work out just fine. My baby girl is a pretty easygoing baby (knock on wood!!)-she's really good around new people (I think daycare has helped that) & is honestly as content just sitting on your lap watching TV as she is playing in her activity mat-as long as you are chatting with her and smiling at her lol She is fine with diaper changes & really only cries if she is hungry. I think I'll put her in her PJ's before they get to my house & I'll put her to bed, myself, when we get home (we will likely get home 30-45 minutes before her bedtime anyways). Hooray-a date with my DH!!!

I wonder if this babysitting certification class is common? I've never heard of this, but I think it's such a great thing to have!

 

[wishesuponastar]

How nice of the mom to accompany her DD for the babysitting. Happy for you that you get to have a date night

 

[jodifla]

Just an update that we decided to give the 14 year old babysitter a try and I am feeling 100% comfortable with the situation.

It turns out she completed a babysitting certification class at our local hospital (I didn't even know this existed!). I was pretty impressed with this. In addition, her mom is going to accompany her this time & stay in another room while her daughter babysits my baby girl. That way her daughter is in charge, but my friend is there in the background just in case she runs into any difficulty. I really like this idea & I'm so excited to finally have a little date with my DH!!!

People at work keep telling me it's really important to maintain a "date night" after your first baby is born, but DH & I just haven't been able to do that. I don't really feel the need to do this every week, but once a month would be really nice. As much as I adore my baby girl, it will be nice to sneak away with my DH for a few hours

This is great for everyone involved!

I routinely sat for an infant girl when I was 12 or so. And this is back in the days of cloth diapers! We did just live a couple of houses away, so my mom was always on call if I needed her.

That little girl survived just fine...in fact she came to my wedding! And recently friended me on Facebook after we lost touch over 20 years. So she wasn't so scarred by having a young sitter.

 

[indimom]

OP, glad it's working out in a way that's comfortable for you. When my daughter first babysat (at 12) I always made sure I was just a phonecall away for assistance and that the parents knew I would be available to help. I think this makes most moms (first time or otherwise) much more comfortable with a teen sitter.

DD is almost 16 now, and she actually did have to call me for help last weekend. She had been at the house for about four hours (of a six hour job) and called to say she was feeling sick. So, I took over for her. She did end up with the flu. Luckily, the kids she was watching had their flu shots. So, even an older sitter can sometimes run into trouble. It's always good to have a backup plan.

The babysitting courses are pretty common around here. Most of the teens I know who babysit have taken them. They give them a lot of great tips and they include CPR training. Maybe FA too, although I'm not certain about that. My daughter didn't take it, but she grew up in my home day care and learned the ropes from a young age. And she already gets the CPR and FA training regularly since we take the full course as a family. It's always good to Be Prepared!

Have a wonderful evening. I hope everything goes great!!

 

[DisneyATlast]

I used to babysit all the time when I was that age.

I wouldn't let someone that age babysit my kids though. I wouldn't let my kids (at 14) babysit an infant either.

That is the prime age for SIDS. I have a friend who lost her infant to SIDS at 8 months and my friend was at home and is an RN. A 4 month old is just too much responsibility for a teenager in my opinion.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Thank you-I definitely do feel totally comfortable about this. I think this is going to work out just fine. My baby girl is a pretty easygoing baby (knock on wood!!)-she's really good around new people (I think daycare has helped that) & is honestly as content just sitting on your lap watching TV as she is playing in her activity mat-as long as you are chatting with her and smiling at her lol She is fine with diaper changes & really only cries if she is hungry. I think I'll put her in her PJ's before they get to my house & I'll put her to bed, myself, when we get home (we will likely get home 30-45 minutes before her bedtime anyways). Hooray-a date with my DH!!!

I wonder if this babysitting certification class is common? I've never heard of this, but I think it's such a great thing to have!

Yes. Very common and offered pretty much everywhere we have ever lived (including Germany). My daughter took it in NH and my son took it here.

If you want to keep having this girl babysit, I urge to have her also take a child and infant CPR and first aid class (and if you have never taken it, take it also!). Both of my kids were Red Cross certified n CPR and first aid before they started babysitting (and DD was younger than 14). I think it is crucial information to have--the biggest benefit being that those classes really help someone recognize an emergency quickly and call for help sooner, rather than later.

 

[wilma-bride]

I babysat when I was that age...BUT... I once got a babysitting job for a baby who was around 3/4 months. The baby was asleep when his parents left to go out and was due to wake for a bottle around 7pm. He woke, had his bottle and proceeded to scream blue murder. I tried winding him, walking with him, changing him, allt he things I knew to do but, to no avail. He continued to scream. In those days there were no mobile phones and the couple in question didn't even have a home phone. In the end, I walked back to my house with him and my Mum managed to get hold of his parents who came home straight away.

It turned out he had nothing more serious than an ear infection, however I was absolutely distraught that I couldn't do anything to calm him down and I was desperately upset when the parents arrived back (owrried, more than anything, that I might be in trouble for having taken the baby to my parents). Of course I wasn't and the parents were extremely apologetic.

I do think that the agreement you have come to is probably the most suitable in this situation and, once you are satisfied that she can handle it, then you may feel more comfortable leaving her alone with your child on future occasions.

 

[acejka]

Not a chance for me.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm comfortable with another adult watching my daughter now that she is 8 months old. I know its going to happen at some point but right now it's only been family members and since we live in orlando far away from family that doesn't happen often.