Can a 19 year old babysit a baby alone?

[Raspberryripple3000]

Im aware this post sounds like ragebait (I wish it was) but my (19F) mum (40+) has a friend with a baby under a year old, naturally she hasn’t been going out much recently, so my mum offered to look after the baby one night so they can go out, assuming she’d be tired I offered to do it, without saying it with a lack of confidence. Since my pet passed away relatively recently, I thought it would be nice to have someone to take care of.

All of this sounds pretty normal right? Well not to my mum! After my (seemingly) normal request, she said no, I can’t do it alone and that I’ll need someone ‘mature’ (her) with me. I really don’t know what to think to that as I sounded quite confident and sure while saying it, heck I would have even looked forward to it, I’m overage (and aware younger teens are capable too), I have no mental health conditions, I’ve known the mum of the baby for over 7 years, and even my mum looked after a baby after she left school (about 16 years old) so I really don’t know why my perfectly normal request backfired to make me look like a little 10 year old trying to seem grown? Surely denying a 19 year old to look after a baby (who’s well past the newborn stage) that she’s confident about looking after is a bit strange? My mum could at least see what the mum of the baby thinks right? All of your suggestions/comments will mean so much to me! :)

7-8 months

Why does she have the final say? you’re an adult, speak to the baby’s mum direct, no need for your mum to be putting her oar in.

So have you accepted her saying no and cancelled?

I would say it's helpful to have a little experience with babies and toddlers before you babysit them. Yes, you could have had your own baby at age 17 or 18, but, even if you had, then it would have been helpful to have someone with experience to show you the ropes. If you would like to babysit babies, maybe an infant care class? Your mum does sound like she infantilizes you a bit - don't let that crush your confidence. But in almost all areas of life, a little training goes a long way before jumping into a new endeavor, so if you'd like to work with babies then take this as an opportunity to learn as much as possible from your mum when she cares for this baby.

Depends on the 19yo, the parents of the baby and the baby.

Generally, of course it's fine for a 19yo to babysit for a baby.

I was baby sitting nieces and nephews from 14 onwards, my older cousins did the same for me. Don’t understand the issue x

Thank you! My DD is an amazing 12yo now so I clearly didn’t do too bad a job. 😂

I don't understand who you told you would do the babysitting.

You told baby's mum that you would be subbing in for your Mum?

Or you told your Mum that you would be subbing in for her?

Yes, I’ve reread the post and agree with this. If none of this has been run by the mum, you can certainly help your mum but she will be the one doing the caring and you will be there to help.

It was her that offered, but what I don’t understand is that after her going to work, her daughter who is in her late teens offered to do smth that plenty teens have been doing for years, so she can have Friday night to herself and suddenly it’s a problem?

Well she offered so presumably she wanted to babysit?

I had a baby of my own by that age

Maybe she was looking forward to it, seeing as she offered.

OP was never the one doing the babysitting! It was her mother who offered babysitting for her own friend. It’s got nothing to do with OP which is why the whole thing is weird imo.

Yeah I would not be happy if the arranged babysitter was replaced by a stranger.

You’re very welcome 😘

I used to do loads of babysitting as a student, from about 17 up. It was my main income stream in my first year. I had one baby I regularly looked after, the rest were four and over, up to a 13-year-old girl (she had a much younger sibling - we used to paint one another’s nails, do face masks, bake cupcakes and so on after the little one was in bed, she was great fun). My own parents lived close by so in any dire emergency I could have had my mother round in five minutes, but it never happened.

Have you checked with the baby’s mum?

My MIL has done this - agreed to babysit my kids and then told us last minute that SIL would be doing it. I have no issues with SIL being able to care for my kids but they don’t know her as well as they know MIL. I also don’t know how well they’d react to her at bedtimes. I always massively objected to the plans changing without me knowing when they’re my kids.

OP if you want to do babysitting sort out your own clients, don't piggyback on impulse.

I’ve known baby’s mum as long as my mum has known her, and we live a 3 minute WALK away

Ahh I’ve reread again and I get it now. I don’t think it’s weird that OP offered but her reaction is weird. It’s not like babysitting is a teen activity, OPs mum offered to babysit and wants to do it

Yeah but your mum offered and they said yes to her, the whole thing has nothing to do with you

OK will rephrase:

I would not be happy if the arranged babysitter was replaced. I would engage a babysitter on their merits not anyone else's.

HTH.

At 16 I babysat a four week old baby and her two siblings 2 and 6 while their parents attended the dad's father funeral. I was the oldest cousin in my family so would have been very used to babies and caring for them. Is there a reason your Mom feels like that?

It’s not coming up soon it’s just whenever they feel like going out, I just think it would keep me busy and give me smth to look forward to, so it’s not a last minute change of plan