what is the PA law regading how old a child can be to babysit another child?

Question

well my friend has a daughter that is 19 months old and her 13 year old brother from another mother babysits from time to time when needed and he is excellent. but the babys father which is now her ex is harrasing her in every way to get her in trouble since they are not together if there is a lawyer that can answer my question would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Most States do not have regulations or laws about when a child is considered old enough to care for him/herself or to care for other children. Currently Illinois and Maryland have laws addressing this topic. States may have guidelines or recommendations. These guidelines are most often distributed through child protective services and are administered at the county level.

See http://www.nccic.org/poptopics/homealone.html

Answer 2

That is acceptable to have a 13 year old babysit a 19 month old. There is no law against it in Pennsylvania. If her ex is harassing her, she needs to file a complaint with the police for harassment. The only thing her ex can do is file a motion in court to have a judge rule that a 13 year old cannot babysit the daughter.

Answer 3

Personally, I would never hire anyone under 18. Even at 18 I would expect them to have CPR and first aid training through the red cross or a similar organization. However, I know people that will let 12 and 13 year olds babysit for them. It depends on the family.

Answer 4

Ah you are OK with the 13 year old but you know what you can do is get that 13 year old training from the Red Cross. Ya they teach first aid and Child CPR so if there is ever a problem hey He's Red Cross Certified.... My Daughter did this just for fun but then at 14 she put up a sign in the grocery store and the red cross certified made her a 14 year old millionaire. We were hauling her everywhere to babysit. she is 22 now and still gets calls.... from word of mouth.

Answer 5

There is no such law in any of the 50 states which regulates the age at which a child may perform babysitting services.

EDITED TO ADD:

I suggest you THOROUGHLY read the statutes that david posted. They have nothing whatsoever to do with your question. And do yourself a favor and read the EXACT statute, not a websites' opinion of what the statute means.

That's the problem with people playing attorney.

Answer 6

Interesting,...maybe try the local Legal Aid,...and, you may want to leave the boy's age out of the original phrasing of the question,...after all, even if you don't give names or anything, it's always safer to ask in generalities nowadays...oh, and unless there were extenuating circumstances, like an extremely evil neighborhood or such, the Ex sounds like a real D- bag. Good luck to your friend,...