About to be a babysitter...

Question

I am 13 year old girl, 7th grade, 3.8 - 4.0 GPA average. I was thinking of starting a babysitting service with one of my friends and to bike to my clients. Any tips, advice, warnings, sites for me? Thank you all so much! Also, how much should I charge? I play guitar(I could sing to the kids) and I would be willing to clean around the house a bit and help with homework.

Answer 1

I was about 11 or 12 when I started babysitting.  I would suggest that you start off with kids around 5-8 or so as I know too many parents wouldnt feel okay with you watching younger kids being your so young yourself.  I played games with them, and read stories, played with their toys with them, helped with their homework, if they had any.  

You want to make sure that your parents know exactly where you are and when you will be back.  Remember to give them the number and address of where you will be.  Make sure that they also know how it is your babysitting for.  If you put out any fliers, make sure you meet these ppl with a trusted adult first to make sure everything is kosher.  It would help if you got to know the kids before first too.  Try not to bike alone at night even if you are right down the block from mom and dad.  Bad things can happen in your own back yard.  Make sure the parents leave you contact info and you know the numbers for poison control and all that good stuff.  And Im sure I dont have to tell you to use 911 in emergencies.  Good luck.  Start slow and make sure you enjoy it.

Answer 2

Being that you are only in 7th grade most parents won't completely trust you being alone with their children (even if you are with a friend). Even if you are a good student. I would start at first looking for mother helper jobs; I know this isn't as much fun as babysitting alone but trust me going straight into babysitting (especially at your age) is A LOT of work.  

Answer 3

Thats a good age, I started in 5th or 6th. You shouldnt bike to their houses if you know youll have to ride home at night. You should always make sure you have a safe ride home. It depends where you live for how much you should charge. But since you are just starting off maybe $9 and hour. Varies with how many kids though.  

Answer 4

This is a great idea. Babysitters make good money- I've heard about 10 to 15 dollars an hour these days depending on where you live. That is a great idea to sing to the kids too. You seem a little young for babies though, but kids that can help themselves a little would be fine and probably more fun for you. Parents like it much more if you don't just let the TV entertain the kids too. Impress them by reading and playing games with the kids!