What is the youngest responsible babysitter you parents would hire?

Also, would they have to be certified?What is the youngest responsible babysitter you parents would hire?
I would hire a 14 yr old but I would give them as many phone numbers for help as I could. They would be given exact instructions on what i expect and I would call and check up on them once. Being certified is a plus but not necessary if i trust them. But this is my opinion. JenWhat is the youngest responsible babysitter you parents would hire?
It really depends. If it is a close family member and the baby is of talking age then 16 but I do not leave my youngest with anyone other than my husbands father's wife -- Confused yet?? LOL She is the only person that has been a contant in my kids life and the only person I trust to watch my kids. Now I would never let a random teenager watch my kids. Guess that is why we only get a sitter every 3 months.
Well, call me overprotective, but I was babysitting when I was 12 and I'm appalled in retrospect to think about it. I hire only college age or above to babysit. I will hire younger for a mother's helper.





And since my kids have life-threatening medical conditions, yes, they absolutely must be first aid/ cpr certified.
My son is four months old and I right now I don't want to leave him with with anyone younger than 30 (and I'm 25). As he gets older and is able to talk and do more for himself I would be comfortable leaving him with a sitter as young as 12 for short stretches of time if she is very responsible and reliable. Certification would be a plus but not a necessity.
17 and I would have to know her and her family very well.
i dunno i knew this 14 year old id trust my kids with she moved away but it depends on how well you know then and how mature they are
16 because i would want them to be able to drive my children to the hospital if something happened.
Depends on how responsible they are. If you are unsure, have the sitter come while your still home. Do a little house work or whatever and kind of watch to see how it goes. If you have a young baby.....such as under 1 years old.....I would make sure they are at least 18 regardless. I don't think certification is necessary, unless your going to be gone an really long time or have a special needs child.
I wouldnt hire a babysitter, i would never forgive myself if somethin happened, the only person who looks after my daughter is my mam and even then i worry...i trust no one.
I have hired a girl my famliy knows to watch my daughter. She is only 10...but very responsible. She has a babysitters certificate and I have only had her watch my daughter on short outtings (such as while I grocery shop for an hour). I am really using her right now so that when she's a little older my child will be fermillar with her for when I need a sitter.
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We've used babysitters as young as 12, but it really depends more on their maturity and experience than their age. Old enough to drive isn't an issue for me because if something of a medical nature happened to my child I'd rather they call 911 than drive to the hospital...it'd be much safer than a scared babysitter behind the wheel. I've never had a requirement that they be certified, but all of my sitters have had younger siblings so I knew what they could handle.





Personally, I think the poster with the 13 year olds is making her kids feel that they're not responsible or trustworthy to have to have a babysitter at that age. Right now my kids are 14, 12, and 6 (all boys), and I'll leave my 6-year-old with either of the older two. They know we always have our cell phones with us and they know which neighbors they can contact if they need anything.
I use them as young as 12. Certified is best but if they have really young siblings I consider that on the job training. Sometimes younger is better because they don't have boyfriends yet and seem to be more avaiable. We currently use a high school freshman and senior.
well my parents dont need a babysitter... cause Im an only child and my parents let me babysit other kids myself. But for my future kids I would say atleast 13 or 14.
If responsible, 13yo the youngest. Doesn't have to be certified.
Well, I have a babysitter that is 12, and will be turning 13 soon. She is VERY responsible, mature and is certified and all that. It really just depends on the maturity level of the person. :-)





~Kate, mommy of six





PS- She never babysits ALL six, by the way...lol
At my son's current age of 2, I'd say no younger than 16 and yes I would prefer certified.





Usually the in laws watch him though.
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My mom always says, ';your children are your most prized possession, so why would you want to skimp on childcare?'; And really, age has nothing to do with it. It really has to do with experience, maturity, and responsibility.
when my kids were little I wouldn't leave them with a babysitter





now that they are older (13, 13, 10,and 8), I will leave them with a girl we know who is 16. She is not certified but she has younger sibblngs and experience and she is great with the kids. Her younger brother is friends with my youngest.