How old to babysit siblings?

[Anonymous]

DD1 is 3 years older than DD2 and five years older than DD3. (The age gap between two and three is left as an exercise for the reader.)

At what age(s) would you be comfortable leaving her in charge for:

1. 20-30 minutes while you walk to the store;
2. 2 hours or so while you and DH go out to lunch or dinner nearby;
3. A full afternoon and evening with the idea that the kids would be in bed by the time you got home?

Assume she has a way to call you if she needs to and you generally trust her not to beat her sisters with a stick or invite unapproved people over to do unapproved things.

[Anonymous]

The age gap doesn't matter. The actual ages do.
There are legal requirements too, you know. In maryland you have to be 13 to be home watching younger siblings. you can be home alone beginnign at age 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD1 is 3 years older than DD2 and five years older than DD3. (The age gap between two and three is left as an exercise for the reader.)

At what age(s) would you be comfortable leaving her in charge for:

1. 20-30 minutes while you walk to the store;
2. 2 hours or so while you and DH go out to lunch or dinner nearby;
3. A full afternoon and evening with the idea that the kids would be in bed by the time you got home?

Assume she has a way to call you if she needs to and you generally trust her not to beat her sisters with a stick or invite unapproved people over to do unapproved things.

1. 9ish
2. Around 10-11 for lunch & 11ish for dinner, assuming dinner doesn't go too late (& you leave something for the kids to eat for lunch/dinner that is prepared & doesn't require her to cook or use a sharp knife).
3. Around 12 assuming you won't be more than about 30 minutes away & she won't have to cook anything or give the youngest a bath.

I'd try to have her take a basic first aid class before leaving her in charge for more than a very brief period of time (& possibly a Red Cross babysitting class before leaving her in charge of bedtime).

[Anonymous]

1. 11
2. 11
3. Not there yet. Maybe 13/14? We have the same separation as you, and at 11, have just started trying out 1 and 2.

[Anonymous]

1. 12
2. 14, but I only let her microwave (not cook on stove)
3. 14-15

[Anonymous]

1. 12 I would say usually 10 but youngest would only be 5yo
2. 12 (assuming food available ready to eat)
3. 14

[Anonymous]

My oldest is 11 and youngest is 8. We leave the kids home alone for 1 and 2.

We're both out tomorrow night from 7-11pm and we hired a sitter. The oldest can do everything but I just don't trust her yet to get her brother to bed and asleep; especially on a school night.

[Anonymous]

1) Around 10
2) 11ish (no cooking)
3) 12 or 13 (no cooking except in the microwave & no bedtime baths or showers for the younger kids)

All assuming, of course, that your DD has not shown herself to less mature &/or responsible than is the norm for girls her age & her younger siblings aren't especially difficult for their ages.

For numbers 2 & 3, assuming your older DD will only be babysjtting at most a couple of weekend afternoons or evenings a month on average, I also might allow the kids to watch a preapproved movie/pre-approved shows for a couple of the hours you will be gone if you think it will make things easier for your older DD & greatly lessen the chances that one of the younger kids doing something to get hurt or otherwise causing trouble. I know my younger kids can get so mesmerized (& immobilized)
by the tv that, if not for small the chance of an electrical fire or some other unlikely event requiring them to be pulled away from the tv & led to safety occuring while we are out, a goldfish could probably safely babysit them while they are watching something they find even remotely entertaining!

[Anonymous]

Hire a babysitter. Your oldest is not responsible for parenting your younger kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hire a babysitter. Your oldest is not responsible for parenting your younger kids.

Woah I guess I missed the part where OP is moving out of the house, leaving the eldest to parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. 12
2. 14, but I only let her microwave (not cook on stove)
3. 14-15

I'm this pp. The reason I went with 14/14-15 is the age of the younger kid. If you are pretty sure the kid will just be watching TV, I it could go younger. But I have kids this age span and the youngest was pretty active and I'm not sure the oldest could have handled when younger. All this to say that the difference between 2 or 3 years really depends on the kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. 12
2. 14, but I only let her microwave (not cook on stove)
3. 14-15

I'm this pp. The reason I went with 14/14-15 is the age of the younger kid. If you are pretty sure the kid will just be watching TV, I it could go younger. But I have kids this age span and the youngest was pretty active and I'm not sure the oldest could have handled when younger. All this to say that the difference between 2 or 3 years really depends on the kids!

We severely limited screen time generally when my three fell in the range of 8-14. The few times we needed an afternoon/evening out and left the kids at home, we gave them unlimited screen time and knew exactly where they would be for the time we were gone. Worst that would happen is they would forget to eat.

But seriously, it really depends on their actual ages, what their individual personalities are, and how they are together. I can think of situations where a younger child might be better off alone for a while, rather than with an older child, because the two together might come up with ideas that one alone wouldn't. Use the law as your starting minimum ages, and then go up from there based on other factors.

[Anonymous]

Depends on actual ages.
I would leave an 8yo and 12 yo together for half an hour or so. But I would not leave a 12yo with a 2yo.