https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 02:34:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701598 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:16:10 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 701598@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep! I took the baby sitting course and occasionally baby sat my cousins or some kids down the street. The kids down the street were crazy! I was 14 and they were 11, 9, 6 and were SO BAD!! omg. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701596 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:15:53 +0000 T.H.O.U. 701596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started as a mothers helper around 12-13. I remember my mom having to talk to another mom though because they stayed out till after midnight and she thought that was too late for me to be babysitting at that age. </p> <p>We have let our 12 year old neighbor watch our baby but only when she's sleeping. I think once she turns 13 and our daughter is 2 we will let her babysit during the day or short dinners. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701587 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:13:01 +0000 avivoca 701587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started babysitting at 13, but usually it was down the street or taking care of the nursery set at church. I don't think I'd have a problem with a responsible teen taking care of my child once he/she is two or so, especially because my family doesn't live super close to us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701580 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:10:47 +0000 Mrs Hedgehog 701580@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I baby sat a ton as a teen but it was always for family friends. Never for somebody I didn't already know. I would be comfortable with a family friend who had a teen babysitting. We don't have any family friends yet with a child who will be a teen when that comes into play. So, unless that happens it will be family only! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701435 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:32:46 +0000 Cole 701435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I started at 11 and it amazes me that people were ok with it! We got locked out of the house once (my mom was home so we walked there but it was 4-5 blocks and we had to cross several streets.) Once a kid was stung by a bee, my mom wasn't home so I called my best friend's mom! I was a pretty level headed kid but I still wouldn't want to put another kid in that spot! </p> <p>I think 16 would be as young as I would be ok with and that would likely be for sleeping kids (no bath or anything!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701416 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:28:34 +0000 JamieLee 701416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I babysat a lot as a teen. I started out as a mother's helper and it was mainly on our block so my mom was close if I ran into issues if the parents weren't home. I also took a babysitting class with CPR certification. </p> <p>We plan to pay for my niece to take a babysitting class to watch LO once he is a little older. I remember babysitting a really young baby, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with that. We will probably have her start babysitting next summer, when LO will be 9-10 months. But also, she lives walking distance for our house, as does MIL so adults would be close by. I don't think I'd have a random teen do it though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701386 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:18:14 +0000 prettylizy 701386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: I started at 12 too! I took the babysitting course that the local YMCA offered then my mom took me to the local paper and I placed an add offering babysitting services. I hated babysitting but I loved money!<br /> I'd have no problem with a teeanger watching our LO if they come recommended. Honestly, most of the time we just need someone to sit in our house while she sleeps and call us in case of emergency. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701366 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:13:27 +0000 Happygal 701366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: same here! I took my job very seriously. Had a notebook, took a CPR class. I loved it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701363 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:12:47 +0000 yerpie110 701363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Depends on the kid I think. I work in the children and youth ministry at my church so I know them all relatively well. While there are many teenagers, there are only 1-2 that I would trust with my baby when she's old enough to be babysat. But I would definitely hire those 1-2 teenagers to look after her! I would not hire a teenage babysitter I didn't know personally, and definitely not from CL or something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701351 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:08:38 +0000 Bao 701351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I babysat when I was 11 years old! For babies....whoever came up with that idea was crazy lol. Granted I was very mature for that age but still I would NEVER ever let an 11 year old watch my kids. I think if they were 14/15 and my LO was in bed for the night and I was only going to be gone 2-3 hours close by. Other than that, I have had my 18 year old cousin babysit, but 18 is old enough to me and it's my cousin, so there is a lot of trust. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701348 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:07:27 +0000 Honeybee 701348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started babysitting at 12! There is no way I'd leave a 12 year old alone with my kids. Times they are a changing, I guess. :)</p> <p>I would let a younger teenager babysit while I was in the house, like a mother's helper. Or if we knew a responsible well qualified older teenager, I might hire them for an hour or two. But I wouldn't feel comfortable with a teenager watching my kids for any extended period of time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701343 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:06:08 +0000 Beebug 701343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@illumina: lol on illegal for under 18, definitely isn't illegal!</p> <p>I plan to have teenagers (hopefully just one) babysit LO! It is something I did a lot of as a youngin'! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701334 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:03:33 +0000 Dandelion 701334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep. I hired a girl from my church for the summer when DS was 2 going on 3. She came with rave reviews, and many other moms in the church used her, so I knew she could handle it. Her younger sister also babysat a few of the days where she couldn't make it, also.</p> <p>I babysat as a teen. My brother was 9 years younger than me, so I was used to kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701329 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:00:28 +0000 Bookish 701329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, I babysat from age like 13 onwards, but I hated it haha. I plan on getting teenagers to babysit, especially my nephew who lives nearby! I'm also lucky in that I live in a college town full of 18-22 year olds who need spending money! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701322 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:58:49 +0000 Grace 701322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yup. Once my kids were three, for sure. I babysat all the time in high school, I had the babysitters certificate and I took child care in high school. There are still some responsible teenagers out there. I'd just make sure I found the sitter on recommendations. I wouldn't find one from Craigslist or anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701317 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:57:26 +0000 MrsTiz 701317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never babysat, I wasn't much of a kid person lol. My sister did when she was 13+. She took a CPR class and had a briefcase she took with her that had games and stickers and stuff in it. I'm surprised at how many people let her babysit!</p> <p>I probably wouldn't let a teenager babysit (when I say "teenager" I mean 13-16, I'd be cool with an 18/19 year old) stay with my LO alone until my LO could talk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/allowing-teenagers-to-babysit#post-701313 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:54:33 +0000 illumina 701313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was around 15 or so, my Mum must have had lots of work colleagues with kids as I remember often being farmed out to someone's house I didn't know to look after their kids for the evening. Bearing in mind, at the time I had very little experience with kids and would not have known how to react if anything happened (besides calling for help!), this didn't phase me... infact I clearly remember one time looking after 3 under 10's being more nervous about the possibility of their huge pet lizard getting out of it's cage! </p> <p>Did you babysit when you were a teenager? Would you let a teenager babysit your LO's? Maybe times have changed, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with it, unless it was a family friend I trusted and knew really well. For all I know, it could be illegal to let an under 18 supervise children now. </p>