$10 a hr sounds like a good deal. I would also have treats for her (i.e. chocolates, flavoured milk) and let her know she can bring DVDs etc that she wants to watch.
When I babysat, I found that the more welcome I was made to feel, the more comfortable I was with the kids and I felt more capable as the parents trusted me. Also helped when I accidently broke a plate and owned up when they got home. I would have found it harder to own up to a mistake if I wasn't comfortable. Luckily, they were understanding and refused to keep my 'wages' for the night as payment for the plate. Later the wife told me that she hated the plate and had been trying to 'accidently' break it for years. Apparently it was a wedding present from an aunt of her DH's that she loathed.
I agree that you start with short visits and go from there.
We use our neighbour's DD (who's 16 now) and our minister's 15 year old DD, who lives down the road. They're both fabulous! The best thing is they play with DD until she gets into bed non-stop. She gets super-excited when we tell her either of them is coming over to play with her. We usually order pizza as well for both of them (can you see why DD is pushing us out the door? LOL).
We pay about $10 an hour, although we often round it up (so $50 when she's been there for 4.5 hrs). I love having the neighbour's DD especially, I too feel like we've got her Mum as back-up if there was ever an emergency. Our minister's daughter would do it for nothing but we would feel too bad about that!
I would feel fine if her Mum's at home next door. I am a little biased as I have seen 2 incidents in a hospital setting where a teenager was sitting & didn't have first aid experience in a choking incident. Also in Qld it is not considered okay until the child is 16 years old - I know this as a friend of mine was leaving her younger children with her teen whilst she worked and this was not legally allowed.
I'm a teenage babysitter, so I'm a little biased But I'd like to think I'm as responsible as someone older. I don't think anyone should hire a babysitter who isn't first-aid trained (teenage or not), and obviously experience counts for a lot.
I don't think that having a degree in childcare is something completely necessary for babysitting, though. Mums don't have degrees and most of the mums I know do a pretty great job with their kids.
For a regular nanny, of course, my opinion is different, but for a casual babysitter I think it's okay to have a teenager.
Also, $10/hr is very reasonable, even without the TV, internet and food.
Hhmmm I think I'm going to go against the grain here... Personally, I wouldn't leave my DS with a 15 year old right now, maybe a 17 or 18 year old though. For me it really comes down to their ability to cope and think fast in an emergency situation.
Not to be alarmist (and this is only my view with my own child) but with a 13 month old something can go wrong very quickly, a fall from the change table, choking, pulling a hot cuppa onto themselves, a serious knock to the head etc. When these things happen it's important for the person in charge to be able to assess the situation fast and act fast. Doing the wrong thing can have serious consequences and the 15 minutes it takes you to get home could be crucial. That's JMO though, but I also think about the teenager who is in charge, if something awful did happen how would they cope down the track having been the person who was responsible and was it fair to charge them with that responsibility.
Hope I haven't offended anyone, like I said, these are just my thoughts related to my own child at his current age. If he was 3 or 4, I'd probably have a different take on the situation.
I wish I had a 15yr old girl living next door to me willing to babysit
I would definately take her up on it and depending on how long you are gone for I reckon between $10 - $15 an hour would be fair.
Maybe give her a trial run but when you are home.
Her been the main caregiver and you can do all those little jobs that never seem to get done with little people around (ie read a book with your feet up ) Then you can oversee her interaction and make sure you feel comfortable with her.
I do agree that with a baby or young toddler I'd be hesitant to use our teenaged babysitters. Our DD is now four and capable of getting herself off to bed. It's more about having someone around to make sure she stays there and doesn't get up to mischief!
TBH I didn't use any babysitters at all with DD as a baby. Not even adults. At 13 mths my DD still needed a bf and cuddle before bed. I can't see her settling for anyone else or me relaxing while I was out.
I was left to babysit a one year old at age 15, and was not phased by it. As long as you know, and trust, this girl, and if her mum is nearby it sounds like a good plan to me.
I babysat a 9 month old when I was 15 - I can still remember to this day - how paranoid I was about SIDS - so I kept going into the baby's room every 5 mins to listen to her breathe, I was on edge the whole time But there are loads of fantastic teenages who are great with kids, I just hadn't had any experience with baby's - it was my piano teachers baby - I think she didn't know anyone else to ask
My daughter is 14 in july and is very very well behaved and very good with her 2.5 year old and 10 month old sisters. She is also very responsible ... However, I wouldn't leave her arty home with them yet. Especially at night. She is great for her age but a bit too immature just yet I think. she sometimes doesn't think things through and what their consequences would be... But if she lives next door and her parents sure right there if need bee, perhaps it would be great. I think $10 pet hour would be acceptable to both you and her. Enjoy your time out!!!
Well finally giving this a trial - so long after the initial thought too lol! We're off to PT interviews for a half hour and will see how that goes - I figure it will give her an idea and the girls will be up still so easy enough. I feel a bit mean only giving her $10 tho!!!! At 6 and 3.5 the girls can be a bit of a handful so we will start slowly and see how things pan out. Thanks all for your thoughts.
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but we would feel too bad about that!
) Then you can oversee her interaction and make sure you feel comfortable with her.
But there are loads of fantastic teenages who are great with kids, I just hadn't had any experience with baby's - it was my piano teachers baby - I think she didn't know anyone else to ask
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