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Would you be happy using teenage babysitters for your young kids?
How much would you pay them?
The young girl next door is 15 and has offered to babysit for us, we'd only be 2 hours and local. She is lovely and we are a wee bit desperate to get out and about on a more regular basis - but are finding the $25/hr charged by childcare girls too prohibitive. Am I being a bit too keen thinking that his may be a good option??
TIA - happy to be told the good the bad and the ugly!!!
I babysat right through my teenage years. I only charged like $5 max $10 an hour. $5 if I only had one kid and $10 for 2 or more.
Does she have siblings that she may have had exzperiene with? Has she done babysitting before for anyone else? Does she know your little ones? I had about 5 regular families that i'd look after and still look after a few families kids when they are really desperate.
I baby sat for friends of my parents and their friends and neighbours from the age of 12-17.... I enjoyed it, I used to get about 20-30 bucks a night (sometimes stay the night ).
I would suggest maybe giving her a trial run, see how she and your DDs interact? then when you are a bit more confident leave them longer?
She has an older brother and hasn't babysat before but she was very open about that. I guess I am a little biased as I did heaps of babysitting when I was her age and younger. I am surprised as one of my friends was quite negative about me even considering it. I guess because we are only going to grab a meal and would be within 15min drive rather than across town for hours and hours then I am more keen. Her parents are next door too. I was thinking about $10 hour whne the kids were in bbed!
I think it's a great idea. :)
DD1 used to babysit up until she got a social life and too much work at Maccas. She got about $8 an hour but that was 4 years ago (she was 14) She had plenty of experience with younger siblings and she is quite responsible.
I think nowadays the average money is $10 an hour from what I hear from the mums at school. I would be happy to use a neighbour because in the event of a problem her mum is right there IYKWIM?
So long as you think she would be able to handle an emergency situation etc etc, I see no issue. I say go for it and enjoy your meal out! :)
ETA Phwoar, I babysit/nanny and charge $15 an hour, all these younger girls are charging $10...seems like I am a bargain lol ;) :lol:
I too babysat from about 13 or so and now that I am a parent I am amazed that these women left me with their kids when I knew nothing LOL. But I knew the kids and mothers quite well and they had seen me interact with their children from early on. I would visit them and hang out with them after school and on weekends as I lived in small county town and had no friends in close proximity. Maybe if she hasn't already, get her to come over for a couple of afternoon's to get to know your kids well first. Sounds a good idea especially as her parents are close and you would not be far away.
I think at 15 she'd be quite capable for a couple of hours. And I agree with the $10 an hour.
Depends on the teenager and the child. I babysat as a teen and knew the children and parents well beforehand (family friends). My mum lived a 5 min walk away. At first it was when the children were in bed (paid for watching TV and doing homework, bonus!) but age 15 onwards it was for whole days. It was a great summer job!
I think if you know the teen and she's responsible, doesn't matter about experience. A lot of people have no experience about things they do for the first time, a good dollop of common sense is all you need most first times. There are some teens I know I would be OK with them babysitting Liebs (should the need arise) so I don't think it's a bad idea.
Given her parents are right next door, I cannot see an issue.
We all pretty much were babysat by teens or sat as teens, I think it is great experience, and a bit more invested responsibility and trust in teens these days wouldn't go astray.
If you trust her and the kids get along with her well, go for it - and have fun on your night out!! :)
Yes I would allow her to mind my kids.. i pay a sitter now that is a qalified child care working 10$ so i would pay the same..
this is how i feel - age is nothing but a number - if she is responsible and you trust her to take care of your children as you expect them to be cared for, go for it!:
i was babysitting kids by the time i was 12, newborns by 14 (youngest was 5 weeks - brother was unwell and she needed to get him to the doctors, she was a very nervous mummy and just couldn't cope). all were within 5 minues drive for MY mum if things went to hell and i needed her (never did, but knowing she was available helped).
i think looking past the age and looking at the person is the ONLY way to decide who you are comfortable looking after your kids. make sure you are clear about your "rules" re bedtime (routine/drinks etc) and what your expectations are
i used to get $20 for an evening caring for a kidlet, up to 9.30pm, then i went to $10 an hour after that (mum did FDC so she made sure i didn't get ripped lol). during the day it was dependent on who, how many kids etc as to what we negotiated for me to be paid. most of the kids i looked after were FDC kids who became friends of the family, so the parents knew me, had seen me with their kids etc...
I would do it.
Great thanks everyone! My gut feeling is really good about this - I am also very happy to have her in the house which is not necessarily how I have felt about other people. I am off to chat to her mum and dad to make sure they are all ok with it too. If that is good then we'll organise an hour or two with the kids on a Sat pm and DH and I will take the dog for a walk!!! I am really excited as Dh and I both realise we need to make a bigger effort to invest in us after 4 years of just getting by.
One last question - is $10/hr too measly???
Thanks again for your encouragement!
I'd do it. When we were kids we were always babysat by teenagers and I've always had teens babysit my kids when I've needed it.
She lives next door so if she needs any help her mother is right there.
$10 an hour sounds perfect.
i remember i used to get $10 an hour..... when I was 12 My mum used to leave me with 2 brothers 9 and 6, step brother 5 and stepsister 1 yr old. So lots of other parents started 'using ' me lol
But of course experience with younger brothers/sisters was what made it easy for me.
I'd only leave my son with someone he knew, who had experience with a baby and could react in an emergency. Not just call 000 or run next door to their parents. I'd want someone who could help me son if he was choking etc. Things happen in the blink of an eye.
I'd trust a 12 year old that knew how to look after a child already rather than an 18 year old who didn't. Just my thoughts :)
$10 sounds perfect...
If you come home and she has done your dishes and tidied up for you then I would up it to $15 lol
$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.
Have fun on your night out!
$10 an hour is great IMO.
If I were to have teens here they get access to wireless, my cooking, snacks, foxtel etc so IMO $10-$15 is a good deal ;)
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 :o 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.
Having Mum next door though would be fine for me. :hug:
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 :rolleyes:
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 :shhh:) Then you can oversee her interaction and make sure you feel comfortable with her.
Good luck
I think Feijoa Mums idea is really good - do a trial run at home with her first.
I have a trial sitting for a family tomorrow where the mum will be home for the first half hour. It makes such an easier transition for the kids too.
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!!!
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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.