Would you let a 12 year old babysit?

Question

If they had straight As and took an American Red Cross babysitting course would you let a 12 year old babysit?

Also, does it make a difference whether or not they took a babysitting course?

Thanks to all who answer!!

Answer 1

Makes no difference what sorts of certifications they have.   I would not allow a 12 year old to babysit my children.  I don't happen to think 12 is reall all that mature enough.  BTW my oldes is 11 and although she has an IQ of 165 and will be entering high school in the fall (genius) she is far from being anything but an 11 year old.  Same with a 12 year old.

Answer 2

No.

My oldest is 12 & honestly I don't feel the she is ready. She has taken the Red Cross course and LOVED it.

I also feel 12 is WAY to young.

I've heard so many horror stories about young kids babysitting and things going wrong.

Here in GA at mom let her I think 14yr old son babysit a neighbor's kids. The kids were 3 & a baby I think. The baby stopped breathing. The babysitter called 911 yet the baby died. He got charged as an ADULT and charged with murder! He even went to jail during the trial. I think he got off it, but his mom went on and on about how kids shouldn't babysit kids! Even if the mom of the babysitter is just down the road.

Once I see signs my daughter is ready we'll start to let her babysit. I want to let her! It would be great to just go out for a walk with my husband leaving my 3 kids at home. Or run to the store quickly, but I feel she isn't ready.

Answer 3

hi i think 12 years old is too young.  Here in Windsor, they are allowed to be alone for 20 minutes and can be latch key. Its against the law (in ontario) to have a child under 13 to be alone for more than that. I dont agree with it completely though.  I think that some kids are more mature than others.  I would probably consider it if i would only be gone for an hour at maximum to get groceries or something like that but i wouldnt do it for anything else.  It also depends on how old your child is?  I wouldnt if my kid was under 5 and under.  I probably would for an hour max for a child over 5 and for less than an hour.  My neighbours had the police called on them b/c at the time, people thought they were left alone in the apartment.  One child was 12 and the other was 10 and these kids are very mature and decent.  Just be careful.  I probably wouldnt.

Answer 4

No way would i allow a 12 year old to babysit how can they possibily care for my child when they are a child themselve and need someone to care for them.

Its Ludicus that you would even consider this

Answer 5

Well, in the Baby-Sitters Club they had 11 year olds babysitting. But then again, they were very responsible. You should say yes

Answer 6

The legal age to babysit in many states is thirteen.  And then I would be careful about a thirteen year old watching my kids even if they get straight A's and took a babysitting course.  They could seem good but have friends that would be over whom are  not as good.  Yes it does make a difference if they have taken the babysitting class because they learn alot in them.  They learn first aid, what else to do in an emergency, safety, and childcare that they might not know without the class.

Answer 7

I would not let a 12 year old babysit.  If you want to babysit, why don't you start with younger siblings or cousins and then when you get older, then perhaps babysit neighbors, etc..  Though you took an American Red Cross babysitting course (which is good), a 12 year old will most likely react different in a real emergency even though they learned what to do in the course.

Answer 8

I let my 12 year old daughter babysit but she has helped care for her baby brother who is now 5 for his entire life so I figure she can handle most anything. She is very responsible and a straight-A student also. She connects with kids pretty well.

Answer 9

Yes I would. They know about babysitting and they must be good and responsible because fi they were not their parents would probably not let them babysit. I hope this helped.

-Tara

Answer 10

No, I would not let a 12 year old babysit my kids.  While I think taking the class is an excellent idea, that child is still only 12 and is not prepared to handle everything that may come up while your child is in her care.  She may know what to do and what not to do, but how will she react if there is truly an emergency?  I just don't think that at 12, straight A student or not, I would be comfortable with that scenario.

Answer 11

No, well personally I wouldn't let anybody babysit my child while he was under school age other than my parents or the people I live with who have children of their own. But even if this wasn't the case, no definitely not, I think a 12 year old probably would need to be babysat themself. I wouldn't take into account whether they had straight A's - academia doesn't relate in any way to childcare skills. It's great that she's taken a babysitting course and when she's perhaps 14 or 15 she could put it into use. But a 12 year old I would certainly say is too young.

Answer 12

Well give her a surprise test  (don't tell her that it's a surprise test). Just have a record somewhere in the room that she can't spot then tell her to babysit your kids for a while. All you have to do is go to the garage an watch her do the work for about an 1hour.(she doesn't know your in the garage because she thinks your at the store.) So then if she does a great job then she's ready to babysit.

Answer 13

I think she could my siblings and I are three yrs apart each, and my mom stopped daycare when I was nine, and my little brother was six, and my older brother whom was 12 was home without any classes or anything. It made us more independent.