How old should you be to be a babysitter?

Question

How old do you need to be to be a babysitter in Ontario Canada and how much should you charge my friend is 12 yrs old and vary mature for her age she has experience around kid and baby’s and she is relievable do you know how much she should charge and how old she needs to be she is planning on taking the red cross curse and will not start babysitting with out it please help

Answer 1

I don't know about Ontario Canada, but I think 12 is a bit young to be a babysitter. No, I take that back, if the parents are home or maybe just next door, and just want a break from the kids, I think 12 is okay for a few hours during the day. I would never leave young children with a 12 year old at night though. I'd say 14 is the youngest age that I would have babysit for children at night.

As for how much to pay, I don't know. I got $40 american dollars for 5 hours at night, when I babysat a few years back, but I was in my 20s. I'd say the younger you are, the less you'll get. Having the red cross course would be a plus, and she might be able to ask for more money if she has that. Good luck.

Answer 2

It depends on how old the kids are that she is baby sitting, if it is a young baby I would say she needs to wait one more year because mature or not, most people aren't real comfortable with 12 year old babysitting their young babies. But if it a older kid, like 2 or 3, then I think she is about the right age and should probably charge around 5-6 dollars an hour

Answer 3

most cities have legal guidelines on how old you need to be to sit...both for siblings and for others. At the very least, I would say 13 and only after taking the Red Cross babysitter's course. I did sit younger (11-12) but was not taking care of infnants (I would recommend at least 13-14 before that because of the level of care needed). As for how much to charge...find out what is the average in your area. Where I live near DC, most sitters get between $5-$7 an hour, per child. My suggestion is once you know the average cost, in the beginning go slighltly lower. Always discuss costs with parents when they call to arrange for your services. Your hourly should be slightly higher if there is more than one child, and should go up by about $1 an hour after midnight. One good idea, after you get some steady customers, is to offer a subscription service. They can pay a certain amount up front and then are entitled to so many hours of sitting. Of course, they need to clear dates ahead of time, but you can give them the opportunity to book you for certain dates well ahead of time!

Answer 4

i started at 12 and charged $4
all of the people i babysat found that fair and trusted me
i think that you have to know the person that you are hiring so if a parent trusts a 12 year old then it works for them
if parents dont trust you then they wont ask you to babysit for them
she should send out flyers with all that info on it
like how old and stuff
that is how i got started babysitting
good luck
and tell your friend that the most important thing to do is to have fun!!!!!

Answer 5

16

Answer 6

12 years old @ 5$ an hour per child is good

Answer 7

i live in the US and i took a class at our library when i was 11 my mom has let me babysit since i was like 9 or 10. so it is kinda up to who u are babysitting and your parents

Answer 8

Well I think she is still too young 12 is pretty young.I would get someone at least 15.I would pay like $5.00 an hour.

Answer 9

I think the age is 13.

Answer 10

My daughter, who lives in Michigan, started sitting at 12. 13 is a better age.

I think $1 an hour per child is a fair rate for our area.