To ask your babysitting confessions?

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Was going to nc but cba. Was just listening to my friend saying she was going out tonight and someone from work's dd was babysitting, but it's ok 'cos she's "sensible"

Got me thinking all the tricks I got up to babysitting with various mates (early-mid 90s) and specifically the time when we got an empty Coke bottle and filled it with the entire contents of the parents' drink cabinet... Whisky, vodka/ brandy/ eggnog

We ended up spewing (inevitably) and blamed the 7 year old for the mess.

Another time, a different friend had turned down a lad's advances and he launched a brick through the window while we were watching telly Luckily the kids were in bed at this point and we just played dumb when the adults came home.

Aibu to think some parents would literally employ anyone to babysit back then?! Any other stories?

I was a good babysitter. However, I was completely unqualified to look after young children (started at 12) and am surprised anyone was okay to leave me in charge.

My employer left me 10 cigarettes every time. And told me to help myself to the drinks cabinet, but I never did. Smoked the fags though and demolished the crisps and chocolate stash.

When I was 16 I babysat for a couple who would always leave me loads of lovely food and a few cans of beer.

One babysitting 'confession' that I often think of when I read posts on here by people unsure about, eg, leaving their 14 year old home alone for the evening, is this. I started babysitting when I was 11, for a few of my cousins. Just me, minding a baby and sometimes a 6 year old, often until 2am. This was 20 years ago, so no mobiles either, just a phone number for wherever my aunt and uncle were going. I actually can't believe it now, I look at my 11 year old nephew and am horrified at the thought of him being home on his own for an evening, never mind caring for an infant all alone. I thought nothing of it at the time though. In fairness, I was a very mature and responsible 11 year old and the kids were extremely well looked after by me

I was another Ribena fiend, my people used to buy a bottle especially for me.

My idea of bliss was to play with the boys Lego and make houses with it.

1970s used to get £2 a night!

I was generally good. I definitely did snooping but never ever found anything interesting. Later, in my 20's, I used to put the kids to bed then set my alarm and go to sleep on the sofa, usually until just before the parents were due home. Was caught only once or twice

I used to babysit for a family that lived behind a shop. As soon as they left I'd get the kids in bed, help myself to the biggest icecream I could balance on a cone, a packet of cigarettes and whatever porn they had in the shop and settle in for the night.

I regularly babysat for one family who's kids drove me nuts. The rule was bed after the lottery show. I kept a pre recorded show on a video tape which I took with me every time. I'd entertain them briefly then say 'Oh look it's lottery time' and play the pre recorded one. They were in bed by 7pm every time I babysat

My best friend was a Norland nanny to the stars and did a lot of temp live in jobs. She was also a wild party girl and on several occasions when her employers were away, she got me in to babysit for her overnight. I used to be petrified that her employers would return early from their travels and find me, a stranger, sleeping in their nanny's bed.

On other occasions when I babysat for parents, I would wake the baby up for a cuddle. The parents used to leave me lovely food but I only ate a little of it as I didn't want to seem greedy.

Wow! I was a dream babysitter compared to you guys.

I was a big lover of the babysitter club books so I'd turn up armed with sticker books, packet cake mix, craft kits etc (bought from my own money) to do with the children. We'd play until bedtime then I'd read them a story each (again with book I brought from home) then once they were asleep watch TV or read. I never had anyone over and even when told to help myself to food/ drinks wouldn't take more than a biscuit and cup of tea.

I babysat regularly for a nearby family from age 13 alternating afternoons with a friend where we would pick up kids from school cycle home get them a snack and then let them play until parents came home about 6pm. Was a bit surprised to find a 'well hung' magazine in their magazine pile one day and of course suggested to my friend that she look for it the next day but otherwise fine. I also once babysat a younger child maybe 3 when home from uni and couldn't get her to go to sleep until I tried full on hypnosis "you are getting sleepy, your eyelids are feeling heavy..." unfortunately it does not work on my kids now!

My mum died when I was 15 and my dad met a woman shortly after who had two children, 13 and 9. He used to make my brother and I stay over with him for the weekend. Once I was asked to babysit the 9 year old and I invited a boy over, abandoned the child in the living room and had sex with him in "my" room (mattress in unfinished extension". She had to put herself to bed. I got found out and got in trouble. I do feel guilty about it now, especially as my eldest is 8 and I would be furious if anyone left him alone. But we rarely go out and it's adults who babysit if we do.

When I was about 18 I had a bf who was a bit of an idiot. It didn't last long!

One night he came to pick me up from work with a 5 year old child. He told me he child his friend's son and he was looking after him for her for a few hours and did I mind going to this friend's house with him.

We headed up to the house via the shops, the petrol station etc. All in all bf must have been out of the house for just over an hour. We arrived there and there was a note on the door from the police asking to call them! Turned out bf had neglected to mention he was looking after his friend's two children and had left one playing out by himself at age 6! He'd gone out and locked he door and left the 6 YO outside!

It was a long night of seeing police, going to social services etc to get this kid back. Bloody idiot!

Op I hardly think any of that is something to find funny, imagine that was your kids.

I was a big lover of the babysitter club books so I'd turn up armed with sticker books, packet cake mix, craft kits etc (bought from my own money) to do with the children. We'd play until bedtime then I'd read them a story each (again with book I brought from home) then once they were asleep watch TV or read. I never had anyone over and even when told to help myself to food/ drinks wouldn't take more than a biscuit and cup of tea.

I was like that too. I think it's a bit sad that so many teenagers were prepared to be underhand and careless with someone else's children.

I was 14 when a friend and I babysat another friends 5 yo brother, so the family could go to a party.

We worked our way through the father's bottles of lager and watched Pulp Fiction. Happy times :)

One of the families I babysat for had a trampoline in their barn. I used to put the kids to bed (7,4 and 3 years old) and go for a bounce. I did feel bad about leaving them alone in the house...

So many of these stories!

I was an army kid in the 90s and we had a steady stream of babysitting jobs from 13 onwards.

Sunday's were the best because a large group of women would go down the estate pub for the day. About 3pm me and my mates would be called to collect all the kids (mums pissed by now) and take them home. Newborn - 10 years old. We'd then stay with them until midnight and then get twenty quid chucked at us by some woman who could barely walk.

Babysat for one of the officers wives at Christmas. Huge HUGE fortnum and mason hamper arrived. Kids convinced me that mum bought one every year and they were allowed to open it. They ripped it open and got stuck in. Mum went fucking mental when she got home, said it cost over £1000

All the girls knew who the dads to be avoided were. But still lots of getting in cars with drunk drivers

My DM wouldn't let me babysit babies because of that nanny that got accused of killing that child in America. She said if you didn't do anything and it was an accident it would still be blamed on you. I was so pissed off I couldn't look after the babies but looking back now I'm glad!

Only one disaster from when I was a teenage babysitter - was looking after a toddler. Was during the 1980's when it was all about puree....gave him something that looked like carrots and turnips for his tea, which he ate with only minor fuss and light smearage. Promised him fruit for pudding if he ate it all.

Found a tub of something green in the fridge which I assumed was kiwi - then started spooning into baby when he commences a full-on meltdown. With howling and green drool. I try a bit harder to persuade him to eat the kiwi and he tries to knock the bowl out of my hand and hurls some green at me and the wall. I tell him off and try again to persuade him to eat the kiwi. He wails even more and then vomits.

Then his mum walks in and I am clearing up a sea of puke and trying to pacify a red-faced hysterical baby, who is reaching up his mum begging to be taken away from me. I try to make light of it and say "He doesn't seem to like kiwi fruit!" And his mum picks up the pot and goes "that's broccoli..."

Fast forward twenty years and whilst babysitting my DNephew aged 4, he glugged my glass of red wine like a pro after I left it unattended. Then just sat there giggling with his pupils like saucers. I rang my DM who gave me a bollocking and told me to ring NHS Direct. I rang DH (a doctor who was on call at the time) and the general consensus on his ward was that DN might puke (!) but I should give him a couple of big glasses of water and sleep in bed with him. So we tucked up in his single bed and I was awake all night making sure he was in the recovery position and generally sh*tting myself. He was absolutely fine, but was cranky as hell the next day hungover and I had to fess up to my DSis. Who saw the funny side eventually.

I don't have any children

My cousin often babysit for a girl who was a coupke of years older and had her little boy about sixteen so we were fourteen and thirteen (me). My cousin would sleep and I'd be watching him. Once when he was months old I was walking to the kitchen to get him a bottle and banged his (hugeeee) head off the door facing. He was crying and I felt awful but he was alright.

Another time when he was about one he use to say fuck all the time. Not taught by us. We started pranking people calling them and just letting him talk and swear I'm shocked by this now but at yhe time we thought it was hilarious. It was also there the first night I invited my now DH over and we got together.

My best ever babysitting job was for a couple that owned a cafe and fish and chip shop, the flat was above both so you could access them without leaving the building.
They used to tell us to help ourselves in the cafe and when we wanted our dinner just to come down and tell them what we fancied, and we got paid for the pleasure!
The children slept the whole time so it was an easy gig!

No escapades really. Found lovers guide in a blank video box by accident. Used to love babysitting though with my friend, we used to sit for her older sisters kids and she had a deep fat fryer and French fries in the freezer. Heaven

I used to babysit the neighbour's kids quite a lot. I didn't get up to anything too terrible, certainly wouldn't drink or do anything that made me incapable of looking after them in the event that they woke up. Mostly my boyfriend of the time would come over and we'd shag on the sofa. Never got caught (thank goodness!).

Orrla I left school 6 months before I was supposed to and childminded for the 2-3 year old and a baby that was about 8 months old. I had studied childcare GCSE at school but was left alone with baby and toddler mostly for half days but sometimes whole. The mother owned and ran a record shop and the dad was away on business trips a lot in USA buying Records (they specialised in country and western). I had to buy cigarettes for the other older (by about 2 years) teenager who used to help babysit when I sang free, a girl (see earlier post) - I used to buy her Kit Kats and sometimes a bottle of wine... Or beers, paid for by the mother of the children! I didn't smoke so didn't care.

There was an embarrassing situation... My Labrador was on heat and I could take her out and the kids quite easily so we went for a walk round nearby park then went home. Her local mongrel boyfriend came to the house where children lived and dog mated with my dog. Cue me going mad... Screaming at dogs... My dog had to have emergency contraception injection (my mum sorted that out) the toddler saw and guessed what had happened, I tried to explain away by explaining "they were playing".

I am bit shocked at the parents now blithely letting me child mind their young children. The older kids I was fine with and they all liked me and behaved. I recall the baby was teething at one point and I had to ring his mum to ask what to do, she said Bonjela but when I was holding him crouching on floor he was thrashing about and banged his head on a wooden floor. I told his mum and she told me "babies are so robust! He's fine!". I cringe thinking of that English girl who was accused of murdering the baby in similar way I think, I didn't hurt the baby but by Gosh they are surprisingly strong especially when crying - he was about 10 months old then.

oldfarticus I'm sure you're not the first and last person to let a baby have a sip of alcohol.

I remember a few summers ago I was at a BBQ of a friend. She had her 18 month old running around and she wasn't really keeping an eye on her... There were huge bowls of fruit punch (some with alcohol in it some with no alcohol at all), the baby was given some non alcoholic punch by her dad and quite happy... So baby apparently asked for another glass daddy said yes again but gave her the wrong one, with alcohol, cue 15 minutes later baby was puking everywhere eyes rolling in head... Mum took her baby to A&E (with me in attendance) furious with daddy (who was at home) where I think she was given medicine and rehydrated and given a bit of a talking to. From then on at other parties (not that they had many more after that one) the baby was kept a firm eye on and anything dangerous kept well out of reach.