DH just suggested using a babysitter who is 13 - is this too young?

[TheBlonde]

DH just suggested using a babysitter who is 13 - is this too young?

This is for an afternoon & evening

and in answer to the op, as my message wandered off on a tangent, I would be very cautious about having an unknown 13 year old babysit. If she was very responsible, if her parents were very nearby and if she was babysitting a sleeping child just for a short while I might consider it. But lots of ifs.

It also depends on the age and number of the children being babysat. I wouldn't leave a 13 year old in charge of a baby, young toddler or several children, but perhaps might consider it with just one older child to take care of.

My own 13 year old will sit with his 7 year old brother while I pop to the shop for a pint of milk. I feel fine about this but still feel there's a leap between this and me actually going out for an hour or so in the evening. But then again, ds1 is now only a year or two younger than some of the the babysitters we've had. So the line between babysitter and being babysat is getting blurred.

Message withdrawn

tigermoth, there is no legal age at which babysitting is not ok (in the UK)! The NSPCC thinks babysitters should be 16.

I was babysitting around 13 year of age, though only for close neighbours, who I knew, plus my mum was at home should any problems occur.

Not sure when I first did daytime care... possibly not until I was 16.

TheBlonde - as you will be in a family run hotel, then as you would not know the 13 year old, I don't think it is wise. If it was just evening, with the children asleep in bed, it may be different, but I don't think daycare responsibility should be put on a 13 year old.
17 year old sounds more promising, though until you meet them, until you children get to know them, you don't know how well they will get along.

i think 12/13 is fine if their parents are going to be nearby incase they need help in an emergency. i babysat from the age of 14/15.

i think 13 is too young, here in Canada lots of kids do a babysitting course at 11 -12, and most people think that's okay, I have had trouble explaining why I would not be happy with that. I have a babysitter who is 16 and she's lovely but still seems very young.
My dds love her tho'

Way to young and to re-iterate what someone else said I thought that legally a babysitter had to be 14 or over.

I think it depends on how mature they are adn how well you know them/their parents - I used to babysit at 13 but I like think I had a sensible head on (sorry to blow my own trumpet ) I always used to make sure where the emergency numbers were as well as the number of where they were going etc.

There's no minimum age for babysitting same as there's no legal minimum age that a child can be left alone at home, although endangering a child by leaving them unattended is an offence. NSPCC guidelines recommend most children under 13 should not be left unsupervised for long.

I think, if something went wrong, the risk is just to big for a 12 year old, it would be unfair on her if baby woke screaming for mum, or if baby had a slight temp. She would have no clue what to do, and the implications are just too high that something might go wrong.

No, I would never use a 12 year old...just because I would not want to take a chance, and saying so...the fact that you asked us for an opinion, tells me if does bother u a little.

g'luck

I wouldn't let a 13 year old babysit, but I babysat at 13.

Depends slightly on the age of your children, but in general, I don't like unknown babysitters at the best of times, and definitely not 13-year-old ones.

Sensible, known 14-year-old with her own mum within yelling distance is about my minimum limit. For unknowns I want 18 and over and not to be too far away tbh.

no-way
i wouldn't leave my 2yr old ds with a 13yr old stranger in an unfamiliar(to the child)place you'd feel awful if anything went wrong

was going to offer for you but then I saw it's overseas.
Think the circs. prob mean I wouldn't. 13 yr old 'watching' your child while you are all at a party together but you need to be getting on with it yes 13 yr old watching younger sib whilst you pop out yes 13 yr old sitting in whilst your child sleeps fora couple of hours with her Mum next door maybe aything yes prob. not espc one I don't know. Do you think the same?

really lost it at the end don't have a clue what I was trying to say and I'm ment to be filling in a job application!! Off for another tea I'm going to be up all blaardy night I think!

Thanks 1dilemma - I know what you meant

i would never ever leave my children with someone that i did not know very well. my son is 14 and looks after my 9 year old if we are going out locally and not getting back late, we pay over the top rates though! he has also been asked to babysit for one of my clients on numerous occasions. we are very near to each other, he is very mature and the child adores him. i feel confident he could cope in an emergency.

I haven't read the whole thread (sorry am lazy today!) but i think it depends on the situation if you know them well, know the family, whether they are mature or not etc

Our babysitter started sitting for us at 13 or 14 (now 16) she lives a couple of doors away so I know her mum would be there (and i know her mum well), we only use her if we fancy going to the cinema or for a meal - just for a couple of hours or so and never further than the town we live in

Sorry if this has has been covered before but i guess it just depends how you feel whether you feel that you can trust her, we have known our sitter and her family for 7 years

I think it depends on the circumstances and the 13 year old in question.

My neighbour 2 doors down has a 13 year old daughter (soon 14), and an 8 year old son. This girl is generally very good and levelheaded. I have spoken to her mum of the possiblity of her daughter minding my two after they have gone to sleep, when mum is at home and just a phone call, or a shout across the fence away. This is just if I need to pop to the shop, or drive to the station to pick up husband, etc.

my sitter was only 13 when she started looking after my dd. She was a very mature 13 though, and her mum was only two doors away. It was always fine and we never had any problems