Can my almost ten year old daughter babysitt her two year old brother and sister for short periods of time?

Answer 1

I'd say it depends on your ten year old. Is she responsible? Do you have a cell phone that she can call if she needs you? I wouldn't leave her alone for much more than 15 minutes if possible..anything longer than that, and you're asking for trouble

Answer 2

The legal age to babysit is 12 yrs in most states, but the call is yours. If you are just running to the store (locally) and are only gone for a few minutes, there should not be any problems. I have 8 children and my oldest started watching his younger siblings at about 10 yrs (short times 1hr or less) and as he matured & became older, he watched them longer. If you trust your daughter and want to give her the chance then do so, if all else fails you will know she is not ready. Do what you feel is right for you and the places you are going. Hope this helps you!

Answer 3

I don't think so.

I might be paranoid but what if something awful were to happen (fire, etc.) Could your 10 year old get the two kids out? I don't use babysitters that are less than 14 and even then...I'm only gone for short periods of time.

Answer 4

I would say not for more than just a couple of minutes. Even many 9 yo's cannot be left alone, okay! If anything ever happened while you were gone, your kids would probably be put into foster care. I would say in 2 years when they are 4 and she is 12, you can let her babysit them frequently. Although, even in 2 years, it would depend on her maturity and their behavior. I used to be a social worker, and each case was individual. If the younger kids at 4 had reputations for fighing with each other and disobeying authority and they were left with a 12 yo and something happened, you would still be in trouble.

Answer 5

That's a tough question. My first thought was no just because her siblings are only 2 years old and they'd be a handful, but I'd think that she'd be used to them and know how to handle them.

But I'd think they'd be fine.. You should start leaving them home for like 10 minutes at a time then start working your way up till like an hour or so. That's what my parents did for me and my older sister. They'd go fill up gas or something. We got more comfortable staying home by ourselves.

Make sure that they don't go outside, and keep the door locked. Tell your daughter what to say if someone calls for you, or if someone rings the doorbell.

Oh, and don't forget to leave contact numbers on the fridge (trusted neighbor, police, your #...etc).

Answer 6

Well that truly depends on how you feel about your 10 year old... Do you think that he/she can handle it? Let me just say that I started watching my younger siblings at the tender age of 8. And I am the Oldest of 8! My mom would run to the store or drop off something and leave us there just because that was just too much to bundle and buckle for that short of time! But not before I knew who to call, or when to call if in case of any emergencies! Every time she would go and run an errand, she would go over every situation on how to handle in case of emergency. I had it down packed by the time I was 10. She felt completely comfortable with how I handled my sisters. To this day I am respected as more of a parent than a sister to them. I learned how to cook and clean early and it got passed right on down. It is really a personal call.

Answer 7

It all depends on how mature your daughter is.Here is Washington there is no law saying that a child has to be a certain age to watch there siblings CPS said they have to know what to do in a emergency situation so as long as your ten year old is mature and knows what to do if there is a fire and you lay the rules down as to not answer the phone don't open the door and not to open it to anyone and what to do if something happens then there shouldn't be a problem

Answer 8

I would advise against leaving her alone with them for more than an hour, I mean she too still kind of needs to be watched as well. I say an hour because she should be able to handle being alone with them but I would still limit the time away from them to about 30 minutes, just enough time to pop out real quick to pick up a pizza or go to the store.

I hope I could help you.

Answer 9

I have an extremely responsible 10 year old and would never leave him home alone with my six year old. Even he only gets to stay home alone for 15 minutes at a time. Are you crazy?

Answer 10

absolutely not, I don't want to sound like a nervous nellie, but you realize that a 2 year old can get into so much trouble in the blink of an eye? To put that kind of responsibility on another child is not a good idea. If a neighbor, or solicitor or repairman came to the home while your daughter was in charge, they might report you to child services.