#!Parentsroom Weekly Poll Results - How old do you prefer your babysitter to be...or how old do you think is old enough to babysit?
Don't forget to answer this month's Poll
How old do you prefer your babysitter to be...or how old do you think is old enough to babysit?
Results of this poll were basically spread out among the ages between 12 and over 16, with age 13 getting the most votes. As with most of our polls, so much depends on the ages of the children, and the maturity of the babysitter, etc.
Here are the results in more detail:
- 18.5% said, Age 12
- 33.0% said, Age 13
- 3.7% said, Age 14
- 18.5% said, Age 15
- 11.1% said, Age 16
- 14.8% said, over Age 16
The following are some comments we received:
- I think for daytime babysitting or a Saturday night, etc., age 12 is usually old enough. However, for long term babysitting day after day, I think they should be older, more like 15 or so, even if it's babysitting their own siblings. It's a lot of stress to put on a young child.
- I think it all depends on number of kids, how long they will watch them , etc.
- I think it's not necessarily just age but maturity level of the babysitter. It also depends on how old the children are that will be with the babysitter. My children are 9 and 4. We have junior high age babysitters because that age tends to play more with the children and are not on the phone all the time.
- This would really depend for me. When my kids were 3 and under I would only trust adult friends to sit with
my kids, now I am able to leave them with a teen-aged sitter.In all cases, I've known the babysitters parents.
- I don't use babysitters...I have 4 children.My oldest 2 are now 19 & 17
and I only used a babysitter a couple of times and the lady was around 45 yr.
old... My youngest 2 are 3 yr. and a 9 month old boy...They have been babysat by there oldest brother and his fiance one time....I do Not trust anyone to watch my children! I feel more comfortable knowing who (Me or my husband) is taking care of my children....
But if I had to have a babysitter I would choose someone who already has children and definitely Not a teenager!
- Depending on the maturity level of the person whom you are considering. The different levels and degrees of everything you would deal with on a daily basis.
- In part, it depends on the age of the children to be watched. The younger the child, the more mature the babysitter needs to be. Of course, maturity is not always measured in years, but in general, I wouldn't want an infant/toddler being watched by anyone less than 16, though I think 14 is fine for school age children.
- I feel many 12 year olds are responsible enough to care for a child for a short period of time. Depending on the age and number of children to be watched, the age of the caregiver should be adjusted accordingly. However, age isn't the only factor. I've met some very mature, responsible ten year olds and some completely irresponsible 17 year olds, so you need to take that into account.
- The problem with sitters is you never can guess how they are going to be when you leave. I'm a stay at home mom and may have left my child less than a dozen times in his life. We live in a time when it's o.k. to leave your children for ten to eleven hours a day five to six days a week. So now you must ask yourself who's raising our children today the parents or the sitters!
- I have two children under the age of two. A well established teenager is what I look for in a sitter.
- I think at 13 years old a young teen should be responsible enough to babysit.
But if also depends on how mature the person is, some at 12 years old are mature enough.
- It often seems that most girls make good baby sitters by 12 or 13, while most boys are not competent until 15 or so. I try to make sure that the baby sitter has access to her own parents (I make sure that the baby sitter's parents aren't going out the same night we are), or some other neighborhood adult is available for unplanned or extreme situations.