Babysitting

[engiebenjy]

Just out of curiosity, what are people's opinions on babysitters? I mean, what age should they be, does it matter if they are family, and is there actually a legal age before they can babysit?

[maverick]

Just out of curiosity, what are people's opinions on babysitters? I mean, what age should they be, does it matter if they are family, and is there actually a legal age before they can babysit?

I think that the minimum legal age for a babysitter is 16 but if you really want to know contact social services and they will keep you right.

I remember years ago when my son was just an infant, me and the wife thought it would be a good idea to have a night out, so we aranged a babysitter, the sitter was a woman in her 30's and quite respectable by all accounts. We left a contact number with the sitter just incase anything cropped up, the sitter assured us that we had nothing to worry about and we set off. After a couple of hours the wife was unsettled and clearly not enjoying herself (her mind was on our son) so we decided to call it a night and go home early. When we arrived home i met my next door neighbour comming up our path from our door, and he told me that the music that was playing was to loud, and i had to agree, and told him that i would sort it out, when i tried the door it was locked so i opened it, went into the living room which was in total darkness, when i turned on the lights here was the sitter having it away with some stranger on my couch. She was full of apologies and was begging me not to tell her husband.

My advise to you is make sure you know who is looking after your child/children, at the end of the day they are your most prized possesions..

[Billy Boy]

Babysitting

Babysitting is a more responsible task than you may at first think. Looking after children is a challenge. It can provide you with skills in clear communication as well as increasing your confidence. Many young people choose babysitting to earn some extra money, often minding the children of relatives or friends.
Evening childcare (which is what babysitting is) is in no way intended to replace the role of a Registered Childminder. Young people who are untrained babysitters may sometimes have to deal with emergencies but they should not be expected to cope in crisis situations. There are also important considerations to think of before agreeing to babysit.
According to Scottish Law it is not illegal to leave a child of any age home alone but if anything happens to the babysitter if under 16 while in your home, then you are legally responsible for that child as well as your own child or children.
The law relating to babysitting is quite complex too, for England and Wales. The 1933 Children and Young Persons Act states that a person can be prosecuted if they neglect a child in their 'custody, charge or care'. However, if you are under 16 and something goes wrong while you are babysitting the child's parents may be charged with neglect.

[rockchick]

For those who don't know, I hail from the other side of the pond originally...

Growing up, babysitting was a major source of pocket money - you could babysit from the age of 12 if you were responsible enough. It was a great way to earn money, and probably the best birth control that money could buy, as you learned very quickly that taking care of kids was not as easy as your parents made it look. By the time you were 16 and old enough for a "real" job, you were heartily sick of kids, and wanted nothing to do with them, or at least having any of your own!

What a shocker coming to the UK, where teens can't be given the responsibility of babysitting for even a couple of hours, but when they're sixteen all of a sudden they can have a family of their own, legally. No wonder the teen pregnancy rate in this country is what it is. Girls who are sick and tired of living under the yoke of parental authority squeeze out a puppy and get a council house, and benefits, and everything taken care of for them...until they realize they are stuck at home with a squalling infant while their friends are out having a good time. Not so much fun. At least with the Canadian system you get paid for the misery, and you get to go home at the end of the evening!

If you ask me (and yes, I know you didn't, but this is MY posting), the better system in this country would be to allow young teens to take a "babysitting safety course", teaching them basic first aid, how to get help when you need it, basic kiddy care skills, basic cooking skills, and then let under-16's offer their services. It would allow kids to (a) earn a pound or two, (b) learn basic responsibility/parenting skills (c) let them appreciate what their parents go through! (d) teach them that kids aren't little bundles of fun and dressing up.

[mccaugm]

If you ask me (and yes, I know you didn't, but this is MY posting), the better system in this country would be to allow young teens to take a "babysitting safety course", teaching them basic first aid, how to get help when you need it, basic kiddy care skills, basic cooking skills, and then let under-16's offer their services. It would allow kids to (a) earn a pound or two, (b) learn basic responsibility/parenting skills (c) let them appreciate what their parents go through! (d) teach them that kids aren't little bundles of fun and dressing up.[/quote]

I think you are right, also teens should be given courses in the responsible use of money, driving etc. Skills which are far more relevant than algebra.

[sweetpea]

I think in this country 16 would be a safe bet when it comes to looking after children, even then a lot of the 16 year olds would still be kids themselves. Looking after kids takes responsibility, patience and human kindness among other things, so yes maybe it should be regulated with courses and training and such like:confused

[Bobinovich]

I think you are right, also teens should be given courses in the responsible use of money, driving etc. Skills which are far more relevant than algebra.

I heartily agree and it should also include cooking (and not baking a cake - cooking actual food) and managing household budgets (using realistic figures for income, council tax, etc. not just numbers grasped out of the air), give them the head start which they need in real life.

BTW Mrs Bob reckons a family member can babysit another family member from the age of 14 but isn't sure if this is true or not.

[unicorn]

I was babysitting for family from the age of 12 and 20 years later I am still looking after children and loving it.

[_Ju_]

LOL... someone should go to the bignold park on Sunday mornings, when you can see a 12 year old babysit her 2/3 year old sister (at least I HOPE they are sisters). Aside from having my heart in my throat to see that toddler dangle from the edge of climbing frames or wonder infront of swings in full action, when you try to bring to the elder child's attention that they just dropped two empty irn bru cans, a icecream wrapper, three empty crisp bags and a whole lot of sweet wrappers on the floor, the reply you get is unintelligle mutterings (my mother must have suffered severe insults), rolling of the eyes and going to the other end of the park to send dirty looks and snigger, whilst ignoring what the toddler was doing! No shame at all. And now I find out that this baby sitting might actually be illegal?!?

[rockchick]

I heartily agree and it should also include cooking (and not baking a cake - cooking actual food) and managing household budgets (using realistic figures for income, council tax, etc. not just numbers grasped out of the air), give them the head start which they need in real life.

BTW Mrs Bob reckons a family member can babysit another family member from the age of 14 but isn't sure if this is true or not.

My understanding is that this is true, but you are still responsible if something goes wrong...whereas if the babysitter is over 16, then not.

[Fran]

It is illegal to haVE A CHILD LOOKED AFTER BY SOMEONE UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE. I would make sure they have proper checked references and experience as well as a police check etc etc as you never know. The best babysitters you can have would be nurses or student nurses looking for extra money. they have already passed checks etc and have first aid experience which is very important.

[rainbow]

I think the best babysitters you can have are ones who KNOW the children concerned, and who have a genuine interest int he childrens welfare. You cannot say 16 is the correct age, as i know some 16 year olds I would not leave an animal with, and some 14 year olds who are wise beyond their years and would be perfectly capable.

[squidge]

I have had a 15 year old who baby sat my children once they were around 4 or 5. Only occasionally and only for a couple of hours in the evening. My eldest sons have also babysat my youngest son since they were around 14 when i went to Tesco or nipped out for a wee while. I think it depends on the age of the babysitter but i think that a babysitting course is a great idea.

[Piglet]

The Thurso Medical Centre in Davidsons Lane used to run a babysitters course & they had a list of teenagers that had passed im not sure if they still do this but it would be worth calling them to find out.

[chaz]

I have five children aged 2-17.My eldest daughter who is 16 babysits each week for two new familys to the area.She has more experiance than a lot of students and certainly more than a babysitting course could give her.She has had first hand experiance of 4 other children and all the ups and downs they have.Everyone in the house helps with cooking , washing , ironing , cleaning etc.
My feelings are it depends very much on the individual and who you are happy with looking after your children , just because someone is a student nurse doesnt mean they know how to care for children, which isnt rocket science.Age wise, as already said a 14 year old can be more responsible than a 16 year old or even some 20 year olds.And it is better if the baby sitter at least shows an intrest in getting to know the children in question and its not JUST about getting paid!
A first aid course is a useful asset to us all, not just babysitters.

[badger]

I would certainly not want to leave young children with anyone younger than 16. Babysitting is a very responsible job and the sitter needs to be able to deal sensibly with an emergency even in these days of mobile phones. One thing only one person I think has mentioned is the importance of the children knowing their babysitter. Imagine the fear of a child waking in the evening and finding a complete stranger in their room. I have never understood how parents can do this except in dire emergency, after all it's easy enough to have the babysitter round a few times so the children get to know them.

Something I haven't heard of lately, which we had when my children were small, is a babysitting circle. A number of families who knew each other would join the circle so all the children knew all the parents and we paid each other in points. Fathers could sit as well although it was usually mothers. It was free and we always knew our children were safe.

[obiron]

i used to watch kids when i was 12. it was the kids next door and if i had any problems could run and get my parents which i never did. i dont mind watching kids its good fun.

[erli]

I heartily agree and it should also include cooking (and not baking a cake - cooking actual food) and managing household budgets (using realistic figures for income, council tax, etc. not just numbers grasped out of the air), give them the head start which they need in real life.

BTW Mrs Bob reckons a family member can babysit another family member from the age of 14 but isn't sure if this is true or not.


Is that not our job as parents? To teach our children the skills they need for later in life? If not, then we are failing them.

[emszxr]

i will only let selected family members, ie. NOT the mil, babysit my children.
my oldest is 25 months and i have only left her once overnight with my mum.

[chaz]

Is that not our job as parents? To teach our children the skills they need for later in life? If not, then we are failing them.

Very true , my thoughts also, so many dont bother

[rockchick]

Is that not our job as parents? To teach our children the skills they need for later in life? If not, then we are failing them.

Yes, but you can't pass on skills that you don't have yourself! My mother, bless her, couldn't cook to save her life...nor could she manage money, although she was gifted in other areas. I'd have starved if my friends hadn't taught me the basics of culinary mysteries!

[engiebenjy]

Thank you for all the replies. The reason for starting this is because I left my two daughters (nursery age and p2) with their 14 year old cousin for a couple of hours. Next door neighbour knew about it, and niece had her there in case of emergency, as well as a barrage of phone numbers in case she needed to reach us. Other next door neighbour (who firmly belongs in the other threads that there have been recently regarding dole scroungers) declared that she was going to report me to social workers so i'd better watch my back. Yet nobody has been able to definitively answer this question to me. Both myself and (nice) neighbour have asked police, social workers etc for clarification and got the varying responses. Consensus seems to be though that there is no legal age to babysit, but if sitter is under 16, then the parent is legally responsible for anything that may occur when children in sitters care.

[katarina]

I think in this country 16 would be a safe bet when it comes to looking after children, even then a lot of the 16 year olds would still be kids themselves. Looking after kids takes responsibility, patience and human kindness among other things, so yes maybe it should be regulated with courses and training and such like:confused

It depends on the person. Some 12 year olds are more responsible than some 16 year olds. AND I think parenting skills should be part of the school corriculum.

[Naefearjustbeer]

It depends on the person. Some 12 year olds are more responsible than some 16 year olds. AND I think parenting skills should be part of the school corriculum.

Some of the pupils require parenting skills before they are old enough to leave school these days. Maybe it is better appropriate sex education that they need in the first place.
I am pretty sure I used to look after my neighbours kids when I was a fairly young teenager. They were all school age though. Not sure I would of wanted to look after a baby or toddler at that age. Now that we have our own kids we always ask our mums ie the grannies to baby sit. I dont like to ask too often as they are getting on a bit LOL!! Hope the dont read this LOL!! I feel that they have a family commitment to have the bairns interests as the most important thing. Unlike the woman who found her baby sitter making out on the sofa with someone. When my kids are older I can envisage us maybe asking friends with kids if it is ok to arrange sleep overs etc and we would offer to do the same. I am sure that is more fun for older ones than having Granny round. But I think there are to many parents who dont appear to give 2 hoots who looks after the kids as long as they can get out and get blootered.