I would think 12, but a 10-year-old girl down the street says she does some babysitting. She does seem very mature, and she carries a little cellphone with her, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with a 10 year old baby sitting (I mean, that's only 2 years older than my son).
lauren 1|1|Check into city/state/county ordinances on the age of children to be left alone and babysitting guidelines(age, length of time, whether or not they have to be a sibling, etc). If I remember correctly, here a child has to be 12 to left alone for several hours a day, and has to be 16 to left alone overnight...I think 12 is the minimum age for babysitting as well (I dont recall if this is county/state law or what).|saint6811|waylan@comcast.net|11:52:09|07/03/2009|
"Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy." 3|2|yeah, 12 is the age I feel comfortable with.....|Beaglesfly|lmllr77@aol.com|12:02:58|07/03/2009|
Was just wondering about other opinions, viewpoints, etc.
lauren 2|1|IL law requires that no under 14 be left alone/unsupervised. I know a woman who had DCFS go after her husband for allowing her 10 yo daughter to go to the neighborhood playground with a friend because neither was over 14. They convicted him of neglect!!! Check your state laws!!!|Barb09|Barb0969@AOL.com|12:02:51|07/03/2009|
I looked and looked and found no coupons for troll food......SO, I don't feed the trolls!! 4|2|BTW, I babysat at 10 across the street from my parents home and was a regular sitter by age 12.....that is now illegal in Il and I think it is ridiculous that the government has taken over our ability to use our own common sense. I think we should know if our 12 yo is responsible enough to be left or not...and not "big brother"|Barb09|Barb0969@AOL.com|12:05:12|07/03/2009|
I looked and looked and found no coupons for troll food......SO, I don't feed the trolls!! 5|3|Thanks for clarifying the exact ages for IL, Barb....I wasnt sure as it has never really been an issue for us, my DH and I work opposite shifts so that someone is always home for the boys....I too babysat at about 12, and had regular 'customers' by the time I was 13. Boy, times have changed, huh?|saint6811|waylan@comcast.net|12:55:24|07/03/2009|
"Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy." 6|4|I already told Lauren but in my state it's 13 older only can legally babysit.. you can be left at 8 alone for like an hour max... |Kristy|mi3zons1@yahoo.com|13:52:52|07/03/2009|
"Women should not have children after 35. Thirty-five children are enough." - anonymous (Only 28 to GO!) 7|1|I think 8th or 9th grade is a good age.....|Quietwaters|Quietwaters39@hotmail.com|15:01:02|07/03/2009|
to start babysitting. They are old enough to be more responsible, but have not gotten too involved in other things yet. I never left my kids alone until they were about that age.
I too was babysitting and left alone at a much younger age but it is not a safe world anymore.
My older daughter is smart, she has a mothers helper during the summer, and is in the process of training her to babysit later.
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but I only allow a handful of people sit my children....(actually Devon is 14 and can stay by himself, so the sitter is actually for Olivia who is 5) anyway,,,,the minimum age I allow is 16 and ONLY two girls that I know their families very well....I pay them $10 an hour and trust them completely...Olivia just loves them too which makes it nice...
9|1|I have checked with social services previously|pumamomma|pumamomma@yahoo.com|19:58:24|07/06/2009|
and was told that in order for my kids to stay home alone for a couple of hours they would need to take a babysitting class, which is through our Community Ed, and you need to be 12 yrs old to attend that.
I have talked to an women that says she was told that you can leave your kids home alone 1 hour per grade in school so I'm guessing a 3rd grader could be left home for 3 hours, etc... BUT to me that does not sound right and I personally would not go with that at all!
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10|2|well, I found out the little girl didn't even know her own phone number.....yikes|Beaglesfly|lmllr77@aol.com|09:37:15|07/07/2009|
I had already made up my mind anyways that 12 is the cutoff age....but I asked the little girl for her phone number for when my kids are there playing and she didn't know it. I told her that I wouldn't give it to my children, so her mom wouldn't have to worry about getting tons of calls at all times, but she again said that she didn't know her own phone number.
lauren 11|3|I just asked my kids and they dont 'know our home number but they know the cells lol|Kristy|mi3zons1@yahoo.com|10:58:43|07/07/2009|
"Women should not have children after 35. Thirty-five children are enough." - anonymous (Only 28 to GO!)