babysitting

[hectors house]

Hi - a lady I know from down the bottom of our road, has just been up to ask if my daughter does babysitting.

Daughter will be 14 in a couple of months and does a paper round, (which is allowed - had to fill in forms about young people working), but does anyone know if there is a legal age for babysitting? It is only down the road, so I can be on hand if there is a problem.

And what is the going rate for babysitting by teenagers - this lady said she normally pays a very experienced lady who was a childminder for decades £5 an hour - but I would be put out if my daughter got this for potentially just sitting watching sky plus and eating tasty snacks left for her - when I only get £3.50 each child (ok babysitting is for 2 children - but without the :censored: - woops I meant paperwork.

I said I will find out answer to legal age and going rate and check with my daughter when she gets home from school. So what do you think?

[haribo]

i was babysitting for a couple in our road at 12 yrs old :panic: :panic: cant imagine that now and there prbably is a legal age but really not sure .. however if she does it i would make sure she got the going rate 5 pounds an hour sounds ok to me just cos shes watching tv etc that doesnt matter shes still doing a job lol

[haribo]

to be honest i dont think theres a legal age i looked into it when my girls were asked to babysit and i think its left for parents to use common sense i think its recommended theyre at least 14. i used to pop in now and then on them but they are sensible and i soon felt ok with them babysitting( its hard to not feel responsible when your kids start babysitting lol) i think a lot depends on how mature they are.:rolleyes:

[tinkerbelle]

my babysitter is 15 and gets paid 10 for before 11 pm and 20 after but we are very rarely gone long usually 8-10.30 so we can have a meal and she's an ex mindee:clapping:

[Pedagog]

There is currently no minimum legal age for babysitters, it is simply up to the parents to ensure that their children are safe, and ultimately they are responsible for anything that should happen in their homes due to a young inexperienced babysitter.

If you are happy that your daughter is responsible enough then go for it.

[sarah707]

There isn't a legal age - it's down to whether the parents are willing to risk a younger child.

If she's experienced with little ones and responsible plus you're on hand in case of emergencies then it will be good for her to earn some money for herself.

My dd sits for minded children and is just starting to advertise for others - she charges £5 an hour and she's 15.

I would go and back her up if a child filled a nappy or she thought someone was ill or something was wrong. Either me or her dad are on hand if she's sitting and we don't drink so we can drive round and rescue her if necessary.

Hth :D

[rickysmiths]

As others have said there is no legal age and my teenage daughter pestered me that she wanted to babysit. She aws 14 at the time.

I said she could if she did a first aid course and we knew the family. She only babysits for my mindee families at the moment so she knows the children and they know her. That way I'm close if she needs help or is concerned.

She is paid £5ph

I think it also depends on the age of the child, their maturity and confidence.

[Nix]

There is currently no minimum legal age for babysitters, it is simply up to the parents to ensure that their children are safe, and ultimately they are responsible for anything that should happen in their homes due to a young inexperienced babysitter.

If you are happy that your daughter is responsible enough then go for it.

Couldn't have put it better myself:thumbsup: It's a bit like at what age can a child be left at home alone...

Nix,x:D

[Daftbat]

I am happy for my teenage daughter (nearly 16) to babysit and she has done it for about a 18 months now. I won't let her sit for any one i don't know though.

She recently picked up a good wage by nannying for two of my minded kids during easter at their house.

[hectors house]

Thanks for replies - my daughter is just about to go down to run through everything - I have drawn up a list of what if's to ask the mum and I will definitely be on hand to help if necessary - if it means I don't have to subsidise her entertainment and shopping so much, I'm in favour as her £10 Sunday paper round money seems to go on phone credit!

[Tatjana]

I'm pretty certain children should not be left alone until they reach age 14, so i think this would apply to a babysitter...although ihave no idea where i read this!

xx

[Tatjana]

Seems to be a grey area, just found this:

http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=14BA0CBB-1964-4933-BB8B-8277E01951FC&mode=link&guid=de73b3ad57354556b4bf8f5094d473e0