How do I know if my 13 year old daughter is ready to baby sit her younger sisters, ages 9 and 8 ?

Answer 1

Has your daughter babysat anyone before?
I agree with all that has been said.
Hospitals, the YMCA, sometimes Girls Clubs have a program "Safe sitter," or something.
The child must pay a nominal fee, but learns lots.
Short periods of time at the beginning.
Give her all the numbers and tell the neighbors, so they might visit once i during the time that you are gone.
You also might talk about some rules for your child:
some of the ones that I had were:
1. no friends allowed over when you are sitting
2. don't be on the phone with friends while you are sitting
3. don't walk anywhere with the childre, yet
You can talk about what you expect:
Feed them lunch of carrots and a sandwich,
clean up mess on table, but you don't have to do dishes,
if Jimmy starts giving you trouble, then you... ...
You might try one sibling first, then graduate to two sibs.
Even the bestbabysitters will mess up now and again.
They also want to be liked by the children. They have to walk that thin line between: being boss and being liked.
If you are really anxious, go to the neighbor's house and let your daughter keep an eye on her sibs.
You might also have to back her up,
make it clear to the sibs who is in charge. If they think that they can overpower her, it might be disasterous.
For awhile, I had my children keep an activity log.
My sitters did this too.
This is so I knoew that they weren't just plopping my children in front of the TV all day and not really watching them.
The sitters were better when they had to give an account of what they did.

Answer 2

A 13 year old who has reached puberty and is very responsible is STILL A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL. This is a situation that needs to come to a direct hault. Whether the boy has disabilities or not, a 13 year old girl should not be caring for him in that manner. If the 13 year old little girl is feeling responsible for the 12 year old's bath time there could be severe complications with where she feels her responsibility lies and there could be a lot of confusion for her sexually. You can talk to your children all day long about the importance of not being sexually active until they are ready, but if you put them in situations that could cause confusion, then you are setting them up for a lot of misunderstanding and the potential for a lot of emotional and pyschological problems down the road. A 13 year old girl is not an adult. She is a child and she should not have that type of responsibility. Her baby sitting skills should be limited to age appropriate tasks.

Answer 3

Many communities offer a "Safe Sitter" program where kids ages 11-13 take classes to become a babysitter. First aid, CPR, safety are all discussed. When you take the course they will the child a certificate of merit.

I think also, each child is on different maturity levels. Some 13 year-olds can be very mature and others not. It depends.

Good luck.

Answer 4

The first thing yo uneed to do is check with your state laws , they have laws as to which age you can start babysitting, where I live the age is 16... I have a 2 year old and honestly would never leave him with anyone under the age of 18, I sure the heck would not leave him with my 13 year old sister , thats a baby babysitting a baby.

Answer 5

How mature and responsible is she? Has she completed a babysitting course? Most hospitals or YMCA's will have them. They teach basic necesities and CPR. It all depends on your daughter. My niece has been babysitting since she was 12 (she's 14 now)but she's more mature than most 20 yr olds. Try leaving them alone long enough for you to go to the store, make it a trial period. If she does well during those times then extend the time. but make sure she has a way to get ahold of you just in case.

Answer 6

I was curious about this myself and had looked into it recently. The website below is one that was very helpful. In my state is suggests that a child should be 15 before babysitting siblings, 12 otherwise. Siblings will push them farther than other children they don't know as well. It may not be the pressure a 13 year old needs at this point in her life.

Babysitting classes are helpful. The Red Cross offers them I believe.

Answer 7

My parents made me babysit for my younger siblings when I was only 10 and I was responsible for everything that happened to them. They never cared that I was responsible enough to babysit or not. They only cared that they had to work and had no time to watch for the younger ones and that I, as the oldest, had to train myself to be the big sister to babysit for the younger ones. They didn't feel I was a mature person. They said that I was a very immature person. But they still have me babysit.

Answer 8

You would have a gut feeling. I was taking care of my little sisters at 14. They were four and two. Now I'm a director at a preschool. Let her know the rules. Make sure the younger ones know that the older one is in charge and what she says goes. Have a neighbor look in on them every once in a while.

Answer 9

I would send her to a "babysitting class" my mom sent me to one when i was 14 and they teach you cpr, the proper way to take care of children, and what to do incase of emergencies. I will do this with my own daughter when she is old enough then you can get the advice from the teacher to see if she is ready

Answer 10

It depends on if you can trust her. I am 13and i have been babysitting for my mom since i was 10. I go to peoples house and babysit. Some of the kids that i have babysat have been 3 months old but my mom can trust me and so can those people so it depends on how much you trust you 13 year old.