What Age To Start Babysitting

I think I was around ten when I started watching my younger siblings but I didn’t earn any money from it until I was in high school. I babysat the neighbors kids on the weekends sometimes and earned anywhere from $25 to $100 depending on how long they were gone and what all I had to do. Normally, dinner was just a pizza but sometimes I had to cook. If they were gone until after 1 am I got a little a more.

Since we lived next door I just walked home. Although I did have to walk through a little path in the woods. It never bothered me then but I can tell you if I had to do right now it would freak me out to be in a wooded area in the middle of the night.

BY STATE

Did you know that each state has a different legal age that you are allowed to star babysitting? I didn’t either until I was researching this article. In Georgia the legal age is nine and there are some states that have no age. I can remember once being five or six and my mother needed to run to the post office which was less than a mile.

My baby brother was asleep (he was one at the time) so she took my sister and told me to sit with the baby until she got back. Not to pick him or anything just watch him for a few minutes. She was gone less than thirty minutes and everything was fine. Now days you can’t do that at all.

CLASSES

I never took any classes when I began to baby sit but there is a Red Cross course that can be taken. It’s a safety class and you have to be at least eleven years old to take it. It’s a good idea to have your child take this class even if they aren’t going to baby sit. I had to call poison control once when I was babysitting.

The little boy had eaten one of those in pads that came in his children’s meal that night. Poison Control said it was probably fine and to just brush his teeth. Y’all it took an hour of brushing to get even half that ink off his teeth and tongue. It was so awful.

START SMALL

If you think your child is ready to begin babysitting and they have younger siblings start allowing them to watch their siblings for small amounts of time. Thirty minutes here or there and then work your way up to a night out with your spouse or significant other.

Babysitting is a great way to teach your child responsibility and give them a sense of pride in a job well done. They will learn to take care of others and put others needs before their own.