Your 11-year-old wants to babysit the kid next door. How can you be sure he or she is ready for the responsibility? Here are some tips to help your child prepare.
Gauge your child’s interests. Does he or she like spending time with other kids and want to take care of younger children?
“To be a great babysitter, you really have to love children,” says Diane DuBois, RN, instructor of the Babysitting 101 class at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “It isn’t a fit for every child. You need to have an interest in the welfare of others.”
Be businesslike. Encourage your child to keep a notebook filled with important details, including children’s names and ages, any allergies, specific instructions for caring for each child and phone numbers where the parents can be reached. Make sure he or she has the phone number and address in case of emergency.
Know the “nevers.” While on the job, be sure your child never:
- Opens the door to anyone
- Tells a caller on the phone that he or she is the babysitter
- Stays anywhere he or she smells smoke or hears a fire alarm
- Goes outside to check on something strange, such as an unusual noise