Would you leave a 3.5yo with a 11.5yo for 30min

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started babysitting at age 11. But I have a 3.5 year old now and no way would I leave her w an 11 year old. Most likely everything would be fine but IMO even the most responsible 11 year olds just don’t have the judgment/experience to know how to judge/handle certain situations that could arise (an emergency: choking, fire, a bad fall/accident, getting into the medicine cabinet, a break in, etc) yes those are all highly unlikely but what would an 11 year old do in those instances? I think I wouldn’t really trust a babysitter to handle situations like that unless they’re an older teen or adult.

For reference: I was one room away from my 3 year old one afternoon a few months ago when she ran smack into the door frame and busted her head open (lots of blood, a cut that required an ER visit and stitches, a concussion that caused her to vomit and act weird) I took her to the ER right away. If there had been no adult or no person w a drivers license present, the situation would’ve been much scarier and would’ve obviously taken longer to get her medical care.

[Anonymous]

As long as you've got a reasonably responsible 11.5 year old, do it. People are insanely overprotective these days, and this is crippling their children.

[Anonymous]

OP my father is elderly and b4 we ensured he had a full time aid in the house, my sister installed a camera in his living room. It didn't last as he likes to disconnect everything. Maybe you could install a camera in your living room that you could watch on your cellphone. Could help with peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

No! Too young to watch a sibling that young.

[Anonymous]

I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No! There is no “responsible” in the brain of a child 11.5 years old! What if there is an emergency - if your 3.5 yr old chokes on a toy or there is a fire?

Plus it’s against the law in most states.

Not true. Most states do not have a legal age to babysit (although MD does; it's 13).

OP, I wouldn't, but I wouldn't judge you if you did. I think it's reasonable.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/homealone.pdf#2

Page 2 bottom of page, left side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No! Too young to watch a sibling that young.

For 30 mins?? Seriously? That’s less than 2 episodes of Daniel Tiger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

A mother's helper means the mom is around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

A mother's helper means the mom is around.

Not when i was doing it.

6-8 long boring hours 3 days per week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

If you were the mother's helper the mother was there, so you weren't actually alone all day with a 3 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

A mother's helper means the mom is around.

Not when i was doing it.

6-8 long boring hours 3 days per week.

Then you weren't a mother's helper, and that was inappropriate. We did lots of things back in the day, doesn't mean we keep doing them, we discover it was inappropriate, it becomes outdated, and we do better for the next generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No! Too young to watch a sibling that young.

For 30 mins?? Seriously? That’s less than 2 episodes of Daniel Tiger.

OP actually says 30-45 minutes. Which likely means an hour. It's more than likely okay, but as a pp said it depends on the kids and the neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP.

I was babysitting infants from the time I was 11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was babysitting for 3 year olds all day long as a mother's helper when I was 11. WTF with the snowflakes?

Not everyone is a snowflake who disagrees with you. Did you really enjoy it as an 11 year old ir were you forced to do it? Some people dont believe in forcing kids to grow up sooner than they should.

[Anonymous]

If it will be a regular thing, have your 11 yr old do the baby sitting certification with CPR training.