Plenty of kids start babysitting in their early teens, but is 13 too young? Of course not: This year-old apparently "wasn't good enough at the gig to handle a handful of kids," says Jeanne Sager at The Stir , but cut Young some slack. She swears her teenager was only holding down the fort for a half hour until a grown-up babysitter arrived, and it's not as if she left "a house full of toddlers. In this case, 13 was too young: Plenty of mature, responsible year-olds can be counted on to watch younger kids, says Meredith Carroll at Babble.
Still, "it seems to me as if, in this case, the mom probably was wrong. This is a call for parents — not police: Connecticut's Department of Children and Family does say that teens shouldn't be left in charge of little ones until age 15, says Heather Borden Herve at New Canaan Patch.
But that's a mere guideline. Kansas, for example, suggests that children aged 6 to 9 can be left on their own at home for short periods of time if they are mature enough.
Illinois law, on the other hand, states that children must be at least 14 to be left home alone for an extended period of time, which is defined as 24 hours. A contradictory law says year-olds may act as babysitters in Illinois as long as it is not for an extended period of time.
A bill to allow children 12 years of age or older to be left at home without adult supervision passed the Illinois House in April , but the proposed legislation did not come up for a vote in the state's Senate. Maryland also requires children to be at least 13 to work as a babysitter. No other state has a law mandating a babysitter be of a specific age.
Free-Range Kids compiled a list of laws or guidelines by state regarding ages that a child can not or should not be left unsupervised in a home, and they can apply to babysitting. The best thing to do, however, if you're unsure whether your child is old enough to legally be left on his or her own—and to babysit younger children—is to check with the department of your state government that oversees the health and welfare of children. You should also keep in mind that local laws may apply as well.
By and large, though, in most of the country, determining how young a child can be when they start babysitting is left up to parents. Both the parents of the babysitter and the parents of the child or children being babysat need to consider whether the babysitting child is mature enough for the job. Deciding whether a child is mature enough to take on the responsibility of caring for other children involves a number of factors.
They should all be considered when making that decision. Particularly if you're watching infants or toddlers who are somewhat limited in what they're able to do. You also need to be able to stick to any tasks or schedules that parents give you while they're away. They won't be very happy if they come home and their child isn't fed and hasn't been put to bed at the required time! Part of this just comes down to maturity.
But you also need to have systems in place to keep track of information and remind yourself of what needs to be done. And you need to be okay potentially sitting and watching a baby do nothing eventful for 4 hours straight. Babies can't be left alone for even a couple minutes or they risk getting hurt or into something they shouldn't.
So being able to focus for long uninterrupted periods of time is crucial. The honest truth is that no matter how mature and ready to babysit you think you are, it doesn't matter if parents aren't willing to hire you. Parents might worry that a pre-teen babysitter would just let kids they're babysitting watch television and eat junk food, and think they'll come home to a mess. If you're in the younger age range for babysitters and look small or young for your age, it can be especially hard to get parents to be willing to trust you as a babysitter.
If you don't have the appearance of a babysitter that parents are looking for, then no matter how mature and ready you feel, you might just need to wait an extra year or two until you look a bit older.
If you feel like you're reaching out and offering to babysit for plenty of parents but nobody is hiring you or even interviewing you, then there are a few things you can do. The major things you'll need to do to prove that you're a capable babysitter is by getting some qualifications and experience. The Red Cross babysitting course is among the most popular worldwide and you can find it offered in most countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
You might also have regional organizations such as St. John Ambulance or private companies that also offer babysitting courses in your area. CPR and First Aid qualifications are a great way to show parents that you know what to do in an emergency situation.
Most parents would be a lot more comfortable leaving their kids with you if you can prove you'd know what to do if their child cut themselves or went unconscious. At Kidsit, we recommend babysitters buy this first aid kit to bring along to your jobs too!
A big concern for parents about younger babysitters is that they might panic in a stressful situation. A First Aid course gives you the information you need to be prepared and stay calm during any emergency. For more qualifications that could help you land your first babysitting gig, check out my article on Babysitting Qualifications.
When you're brand new to babysitting, you want to do whatever you can to start getting your first work experiences as a babysitter. You need families to list on your resume, as well as for references that people can call and verify with. See our guide to babysitting references for help with this. Start by reaching out to anybody in your immediate family or friends that have younger children you might be able to watch.
You can get your parents to help contact family members and put in a good word for you if that's easier. Sometimes it's even worth offering to babysit for free a couple of times just to get some initial experience. Also see our article: How to add babysitting to your resume , a good resume that lists your experience and qualifications can help you to find work. Once you've babysat for family and friends, try reaching out to neighbors in your area.
If you belong to a church or other type of larger community, you can see if anyone there needs a babysitter as well. Can't manage to get any on-job experience? Besides qualifications and experience, there are some other considerations that might determine if you're able to start babysitting yet or not.
Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Are you in a quiet residential neighborhood? Or are you in the middle of a big city? Parents might be less likely to leave their kids alone with a young babysitter if they live in a rougher area. Your own parents might be a bit more hesitant about letting you go too! Maybe parents are almost around to the idea of hiring you as a younger babysitter, but they just need a little more convincing. You could offer to work as a mother's or father's helper a few times.
This is basically where you babysit, but one of the parents is still in the house in case you have any problems or questions. That way they get a bit of time away from their baby to do some other things without having to leave you home alone.
You could work your way up slowly by offering to watch their child for short periods of time.
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