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

[Anonymous]

My oldest child is very responsible. I know when my 11.5yo was 4-5yo, our 12-13yo next door neighbor would occasionally watch him for 1-2 hours for me.

Would it be ok to leave my youngest (3.5) with my oldest (11.5) for 30 min-45 min?

I would put on a Disney movie or show for the little one.

[Anonymous]

You know your kids, neighborhood, and other risks better than we do... but yes, I would.

[Anonymous]

Yes, definitely.

[Anonymous]

Yes for sure. Do they have a cell phone they can call you with?

[Anonymous]

Yes

[Anonymous]

If you can trust the 11 year old to Sit with and watch the 3 year old, yes. If you are going to rely on tv, then no.

[Anonymous]

Yep, sounds reasonable, especially since you feel you can trust the 11-year-old. I would definitely go over emergency procedures first, and probably only go places that I could very quickly return from. I would also make sure to find a way to reward/thank the 11-year-old for taking on the extra responsibility.

[Anonymous]

yeah. Even an immature 11 year old can watch a 3.5 year old for 30 minutes.

Phone numbeers glued to center of table or somewhere

Remind to dial 911 in case of emergency.

You are good to go.

[Anonymous]

I started babysitting when I was 11. I had two regular families that each had two kids.

With all the extra safety measures today and the ability to have someone on the phone immediately, an 11 year old can handle it.

[Anonymous]

If your 11 yo truly is responsible and will keep eyes on your 3 yo the entire time, then I’m sure it’s reasonably safe, but it would be illegal in MD. In MD, you have to be at least 12 to be responsible for a younger child, and the younger child has to be at least 8 if the child responsible for babysitting is under 16.

[Anonymous]

As long as the 3.5 year old has not attempted to eat any small toys in 6 months or more, then yes. That's the main danger that I don't trust younger babysitters with and why I am extremely picky about babysitters from crawling age until about age 2.5. By 3.5, it's not an issue for most kids.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I would do this. Do you have a trusted neighbor who you can ask to act as back up and go over immediately in the unlikely event of an issue? If so, this is a no brainer for a responsible kid.

[Anonymous]

with the right pair of kids, absolutely.

[Anonymous]

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.