Should 2 14 year olds babysit?

Cameras will give you peace of mind for whoever ends up watching the kids.

Nope! 14 is way too young to be babysitting a 10 month old & a 2 year old for 11 hours. That is way too long & way too many things that could happen in that time frame.

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back in the early 90’s I was baby sitting at their age. Just make sure house is locked up safe the child cannot get out on its own

Check with CPS to see what they recommend as an appropriate age to be babysitting especially if it’s not siblings. I know in my state siblings can look after their younger brothers and sister at 14 but to babysit anyone else’s children they have to be 16.

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I have 14 yo twins and they would not babysit my 10y son. My son is very stubborn and would not listen to them, they would cause a big discussion, rather not. If you think your nieces could handle your kids go ahead. To each your own

Go with your gut I have a 14 year old son that I wouldn’t leave with a hampster but my 12 year old niece I would leave with my 5 year old for a few hours!!

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Depends on the kids and depends on your local laws.

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It’s funny how many of us were teen moms. I was running a household.

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Law says 13 end of discussion. The rest are personal opinions

It depends a lot on the maturity level of the teen and the age of the children being watched.
I wouldn’t have felt comfortable letting our daughter watch a baby or toddler but our daughter, who is now 14, started babysitting at about age 12/13 for a neighbor’s school age children for a few afternoons a couple of days a week, we were only a few houses away if she needed assistance.
Also by that age she was fine to be home with her younger sister while we ran errands.

I baby sat my special needs nephew at ten over night alone, I also watched him and his brother who was born when I was 12 overnight. Both special needs and one was 2yro the other a newborn. Watched them a lot. Pretty much helped raise them.

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I babysat at that age for about that amount of time for a child around a year old it was fine. I had my sister watch my son for me when I was working and she was 13-14 and my son was 2 she got some spending cash I had a cheap babysitter it worked out.

I think it depends on the person looking after them. As long as they know what to do and are mature enough to do it x

My oldest is 14 and she dog sits & watches her 7yr old sister when needed. Just depends on the kid imo.

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Look up whatever the law in your state says & go with that. I was 14 when I had my daughter & was even younger then that when I was babysitting for my siblings & friends of the family. It really depends on the babysitter and how mature they are. For added security you could always place a camera in the main living area and then one to monitor the front door, to check in every now mine gives me the ability to talk to people through the camera & are fairly cheap on Amazon YI Pan-Tilt Security Camera, 360 Degree Smart Indoor Pet Dog Cat Cam with Auto Cruise, Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Motion Detection, Phone APP, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, 2pc https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X26D19Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_CQF3760AQSR0EHZKXJ1F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I started working in a day care at 14, next yr. Drivers permit.

I was babysitting my friends son at 14 when he was 8 months old… then the 2 month old when I was 16… all depends on their maturity and how they are with kids

At 14 I was babysitting 4 kids age 8 to 6 months all day, all summer long…while their mother worked. All depends on their maturity.

Me and my best friend were babysitting when we were 10/11 and the kids were like 1 & 2. Definitely depends on the maturity level.

Omg I hate the media. Do what you need to do and what works for your family. If you feel that they are mature enough and can take on that many hours then do it.

They should have an adult near or in the same house with them

In my opinion that’s too young to be baby sitting young babies esp for that long. An hour so you can run to the store down the road really quick, sure but definitely not for 11 hours.

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It depends on the child and how responsible they are. Ultimately, you have to be the one to decide if you feel like her and her friend are responsible enough to adequately care for your children.

She probably got in trouble because the little one got out. It all depends on the maturity of the child.
My 9 year old “babysits” my newborn while I nap. She knows to wake me up if she cries. I’m teaching her now how to make bottles in case I’m busy with something in the future and she will feed the baby for me (sitting right beside her) so if I need her to in the future she will be able to.

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Depends on the kids. I have an unruly 5 year old that goes everywhere with me. Don’t trust her unless it’s with an adult.

I was babysitting 3 boys and 2 girls at the age of 14 depending on how responsible they are. Call periodically and check on them we now have FaceTime!

That’s the legal babysitting age, so as long as the kids are responsible and there’s an adult looking out for them (like a trusted neighbor or someone that can just peek on them or the kids can call if anything happens) and it’s not for an extreme amount of time then yes that fine. I got my first non-family babysitting job at 13 and I was paid $4/hr and babysat for around 4 hours each time.

Have them take a cpr and first aid class for babysitters. It really depends on the maturity of the teens.

I was babysitting at 14. :woman_shrugging:
If you think they’re responsible, then yes. Set ground rules. Do check ins. Ensure an adult is available if they need help.

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I never let anyone watch my kids till they are past a year my oldest is 19 and never watched his younger siblings till they were older

The answer is…. Is YOUR 14 year old CAPABLE of watching YOUR 10 month old RESPONSIBLY?

That is the only question, and the only person who would know that is you.

Use good judgment. If leaving the baby with big sister will likely turn out well…. Then I can’t see an issue.

The 14 year old left in charge of the 4 year old, wasn’t very responsible, that’s why mom is getting jail time.

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I’d say no because of the 10 month old. 14 us too young to handle a demanding baby or a sick one

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Depends on their maturity. I was 12 years older than my sister and I took care of her every single day alone. I was left alone with my brother when I was 5 and he was 3. We always did fine. Just depends on the kids. 14 is legal to babysit

To me, this varies person to person. At 14, I was babysitting my three younger siblings and would regularly babysit for other families with young kids for up to 14 hours for weddings and other special events. If your child and another 14 year old friend of hers were responsible and had emergency contact information, I see nothing wrong with this.

14 is okay but I would not do it with kids that young

I was watching my brother when I was 11 while my mom worked. By age 14, I was babysitting for other friends of my parents, both during the day and in the evening; this was several years ago, when everyone wasn’t calling the police on their neighbors at the drop of a hat. It all depends on the maturity of the teen doing the babysitting.

Honestly it all depends on the maturity level of said girls. I also think 11 hours is a lot for children to babysit. Will this be a 1 time thing or more semipermanent?

Well you got 2 sitters one for each child, so long as you check in with them frequently and with teenagers you gotta set rules not to have boyfriends come around, and it might be good to discuss this with a close neighbor in case they need someone faster than you could get to them.

Personally I would not leave kids that young with two 14 yr olds unless I had too.

If you leave a child with someone under the age of 16 you are still responsible for their well-being so if something were to happen, it would fall on your shoulders legally. I think its more about maturity, responsibility and trust than age personally. If you are considering them for babysitting, have them try it out first while you are around. Call it a “working” interview- let them tend to the kids and just see how they handle situations so know how they will respond when you aren’t there. You’ll have to do your best to keep quiet and let them figure out the problems.

I was babysitting from 12 on. Multiple kids at a time. But I was really responsible for my age.
It honestly depends on the maturity of the child.
Do they know infant cpr and emergency care? If not I’d get them trained first. They also have classes for babysitting. At 10 months old it would really really depend on the teen/trust in the teen.

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Like everyone else said It really kinda depends on maturity. However I think a 14yr old keeping a 10 month old and 2 year old for 11 hours is too much. JUST MY OPINION, please don’t come for me.

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It’s not a good idea at all. I used to babysit my younger brothers (newborn and 18 months) when I was 10. This continued until I moved out. My parents would go out all hours of the night. I remember being scared and later as the boys got older I resented them

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I think I’d be more worried about the length of time. That’s a long time to be with a baby. If it was for a shorter period I would say yes.

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I was watching my sister when I was around 11-12 :man_shrugging:t2: of course I had my neighbors landlines if something happened but my parents knew I was mentally responsible enough to do it for a few hours until they got back from work etc

I started babysitting for neighbors at age 12… it depends on the kid. If they’re responsible enough they’ll do better than some adults… lol

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Even if they are responsible, leaving any child in the care of a young teenager for more than 3 hours is NOT ADVISABLE.

It depends on the maturity of the 14 year olds. and only for a few hours ,not all day at all!

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Have them go the the babysitter class they do at age 13 then you should be okay

Fully depends on the maturity of the girls. I was a full time babysitter at 14 for a nb. Some 14yr Olds I wouldn’t leave my hypothetical dog with so…

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I was babysitting at 13. Hell I had a kid at 13… kids now days are soooo mature for their age

It depends on how responsible and mature they are. I would not allow my 15 year old stepson (lives with us fulltime) to watch my 1 year old or even my 9 year old. He is not mature enough and does not pay attention and only wants to play xbox.

I would let my 14yo niece watch my 3 & 5 yo but I wouldnt let my 18yo nephew :joy:. My nephew doesn’t pay attention at all whereas my niece will drop everything she’s doing to watch them.

I would say lessen the amount of time they are watching them for and that should be fine. You don’t want to overwhelm any of the kids and I feel 11 hrs would put a lot of stress on all 4 of them.

Man, when I was 12 I took the babysitting classes at girl scout camp and started making bank that year. Turned into a full time job in the summers and then damn good money in the city as a live in nanny. Starting that young gave me a good work ethic AND years of referrals. Let the girls sit if they’re mature enough and help get them on a great possible path for extra money in high school and college

Too many factors, as a single parent I started leaving my 11 year old home alone so I could go to work. Depends on the kid, situation etc…… at least now there’s cameras, FaceTime cellphones…… I was a latch key kid in the late 80’s early 90’s totally different

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For maybe like 2 or 3 hours ( they would need to be cpr certified) I would possibly be ok with it but 11 hours noooo

If both are very mature and very responsible, have some CPR training, and it’s not for longer than 4 to maybe 8 hours, I’d be ok with it being a daily but not full-time summer job. I would absolutely not be ok with 11+ hours unless it’s because someone was in a very serious bind with childcare and needed emergency help and it wasn’t for more than once a week. That’s just way too much for too long, especially if it’s a multiple day, back to back day after day job. Anything after 8 hours would be problematic no matter how mature or responsible the kids are, because in that case the parent/parents should be looking into a full-time nanny or caregiver and paying a lot more than babysitting fees. For 11+ hours, I’d definitely want a sitter to have a driver’s license too. Now if you’re next door to where they’ll be sitting for that long, maybe, but only if you can and will pop in to check and make sure things are running smoothly. I just think that’s way too much responsibility for 14 year olds with 2 small children. That’s a full time parenting schedule then, and I wouldn’t be ok with that regardless of how responsible, mature, and well trained they were, especially not being old enough to drive, and especially if not right next door.

That’s too many hours but they could probably handle it. BUT I would be sure to pay them quite well because 11 hrs a day is more than alot of parents even see their kids.

Babysitting a baby is hard work, you have to be constantly alert and for 11 hours that is too long, if you could get someone else for half a day that would probably work better.

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I was babysitting before I was 14 years old but that was 14 years ago. My mom did daycare for 26 years I grew up around kids and helping with them. Personally I feel like times have charged since then (or maybe it’s just more noticeable now). My son and daughter are roughly 7 years apart (almost 8 & 9 month’s) I wouldn’t let anyone watch my kids that young (14 years old) unless they had there cpr and were mature very responsible. I wouldn’t do it for any long length of time. Your the mom trust your gut. If it’s the legal age & you feel safe and are completely comfortable about it then I’d say go for it.

It honestly depends on the maturity and how responsible the girls are. Each state has different laws!! I am in TN and my daughter has been babysitting her younger brother and her nephew since she was 12. But she has always been mature and responsible. We have always called her little momma!! She used to try to boss around her 2 older brothers a lot and they are 8 and 10 years older than her!! LOL

I personally wouldn’t leave a 10 month old woth anyone but an adult, and 11 hours is a long time. I’d only trust close family or friends who had kids for that amount of time. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable or trust that.

Depends how comfortable yoi are ith it I guess.

No that’s way too young omg

No…different age. Teens these days are stuck on cell phones. I started babysitting at age 10…but no cell phones back then. If those kids were 6 or older…it would probably be fine,but they are at the stage need an adult around. Teens act different when not around. Had one that would constantly ask to watch my daughter when she was a baby,then let her watch my daughter with my husband at home while i was out and he ended up changing one of my daughter’s diapers instead of the teen bc it was too much poo for her to handle. :roll_eyes:

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It’s all about the kids’ experience/maturity level as well as the children’s needs. Some 14 yr olds can do amazing things, others are lazy/spoiled/selfish/etc. If the children are HONESTLY well behaved and the sitters mature for their age, there shouldn’t be a problem.

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11 hours is a long time for anyone. But seriously- it really doesn’t matter if she’s 14 -if she is a responsible young lady and friend is to - once in a while couldn’t hurt. Hopefully you get along with your neighbors- you might give them heads up - to kind of be around if something happens.

I would let a very mature 14 year old babysit an older child for a short period of time. Like 5+ for a few hours tops… but I would not let them babysit a very little one. Under a year old I’d probably only leave with an adult that has experience with infants (preferably their own).

Well that will be the age soon to allow your kids to be at home alone to babysit their other siblings…but when I was growing up we were left at home at the age of 9-10 to babysit…

I was watching my brothers when I was 8/9 years old. The 90s were the Wild West of child raising I suppose. I remember waking them up for school, and getting one to school and the other one and I to the bus stop.

This is crazy. I will trust my 8 year old to take care of a new born if it wasn’t illegal. She is matured enough to know what to do. In other parts of the world, this will be okay.

Different era…I would be a little cautious before jumping the gun

In NY by law they are allowed, my daughter will be 16 in a few months I’ve let her babysit for not that long but an hr here and there and talked to cps about it they stated that’s fine. Babysitting classes let you do it at 12 which I did put my daughter through at 12. I didn’t have her watch my now 3 year till after he was potty trained and could talk a hit bc it’s not her place to know his needs. She still get flustered when he cries so I leave them as little as I have to but I have a lot of appts that I can’t miss.

I think it depends on the kid and if they can handle it on their own. I started babysitting at 14.

11 hours is a bit too long

If they are mature enough and you trust them and have contact with them via cell or house phones I don’t see why not.
My 13 year old son babysits my 8 year old son all the time. I know it’s not the same but if I can trust 2 boys under 14 at home alone together, you should be able to trust 2 14 year old girls and a 3&4 year old. That’s one teen to one toddler. Set some ground rules. And test it out to see how it goes without telling them your watching and spying and see how they do. :woman_shrugging:t2: - that’s what I did. I had my son babysit my other son and got dressed up and told them I’m going on a date. Told them the rules. And spied on them. I had 2 cams set up in the house and was watching through the windows. I even snuck in at bed time. The only trouble they got into was not going to bed ontime and watching tv in my room to wind down before bed - and honestly, there are far worse trouble the could get into. I told them why their bed time was their bed time and asked them to respect the rules better next time cause mommy will know.
Now almost a year later, they just sit around and watch tv together or play video games or watch YouTube. They honestly get along so much better when home alone vs when I’m here. It’s like war breaks out when get home for no reason either :sweat_smile:

I was babysitting in evenings at 14 for 2 little ones. İf they are sensible and you trust them then that’s upto you

Where I live they can stay home alone at 10 and can watch others at 12

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Yes a 14 is old enough but I would have a plan ok if something happens and I’m not close by you call xyz and call and check every hour or some
camera in the house so I can see what’s up :blush:

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In TX it is legal. I started babysitting babies when I was 12.

No way. That is too long and too much responsibility, if something would happen the guilt that they would feel and have to deal with.

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That’s too long for young babies like that I think

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Depends on the child and situation. Some people have no other options if they want to feed their family. Especially solo parents. The things I did as a child I can’t really imagine my children doing the things I did as a kid. At 12 my 2nd oldest can bath and prepare meals for the 5 & 3 year old without supervision. Now she’s almost 14 she can watch the kids if I need to go to the market, but 11 hours is to long

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Someone called CPS on me for having my 15 year old and 13 year old watch their 5 year old brother overnight while hubby and I worked 3rd shift. My teens were certified in a babysitting course so I didn’t get in trouble. People are going to be nosy assholes regardless. They really never had to do anything because their little brother was asleep the whole time.

I was 14 babysitting two kids until late in the night. They are in high school. Id be fine with it if they were mature

A baby less than 1 year old? I wouldn’t.

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When I was 10, I kept my brother (7) and my sister (2) for a couple hours after school and when my mom ran errands. Now, my son (10) and bf’s daughter (11) are left alone very little…at most 2 hours after school until my bf or me gets off of work and gets home. It really depends on how mature the kids are as well as how well behaved the kids being watched are as well.

Too young you’re essentially making them take responsibility for you. They didn’t decide to pop those children out. Find a babysitter I don’t care what anyone says

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My oldest daughter is 15 and very mature for her age. She watches her brother and sister

It depends on the 14yo. and what training they’ve taken! But an 11mo old and 2yo in most cases, hell no!

If they mature enough than yes by all means I loved babysitting when I was younger. Now I’m an adult not so much (no thanks) :joy::rofl:

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I remember my friend and I babysitting my cousins at that age and we were flirting with the neighbor boy and my cousin (9) cut her foot really bad! We weren’t bad kids, we just should not have been babysitting. We didn’t know CPR even! I would not be able to focus on work if two teens had my baby and toddler! I’d be worried about them inviting boys or other friends over and not watching the kids well enough.

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I was 13teen took care of. 10month old 8 and 10 year old cooked for family. Of five. All summer five days a week 8 to five. But today any age cameras

When I was 14 I babysat an 8 month old and 2 year old. My 12 year old nephew babysits my 2 year old. Definitely depends on the kids.

When I was 12 I was babysitting for neighbors and church members. But I do think it depends on the teens maturity and the state law. Nowadays a lot of areas offer CPR and first aid classes for teens so they are prepared just in case.

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It truly depends on the children imo

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I babysat at 12, but kids nowadays aren’t like we were 40 years ago… I don’t think I’d trust a 14 year old to watch babies, though I’d trust them with a 5 yr old… I guess depends on the kid, though. There are some who are responsible.

Espitia Perez Carolina She never said she was forcing them to do it. Actually she said BABYSIT. And said they babysit her (daughters friends cousins) cousins occasionally. Sooo clearly they must enjoy doing it. I would assume they are getting paid. I LOVED babysitting when I was younger than them! One of the few ways to make money at that age.

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Alot of my decision plays into the maturity level

If you feel they are capable, yes. I was babysitting alone by 10. Now, there are more ways to monitor, check-in more often, and so on. I’d definitely allow it for a child over 6 months.

some can others will fail…