When Are Children Old Enough to Start Babysitting Younger Siblings?

One of the most difficult parts of parenthood is trying to determine when a child is old enough to do certain things. When it comes to trying to decide if your child is old enough to start babysitting younger siblings, the first step is to think about how mature your child is. Between evaluating maturity level and experience as well as local laws, you’ll be able to figure out how old your child should be before you leave them home alone with their younger siblings.

 

 

Where Do You Live?

The area you live may play a key role in whether or not you can leave your child home alone to babysit younger siblings. Living in a residential neighborhood where you know your friends and neighbors will make you feel more comfortable leaving your child home to babysit younger siblings. You’ll also want to make sure your child feels comfortable being home alone babysitting their siblings. 

Are They Responsible?

You’ll need to ask yourself whether you feel your child is responsible enough to stay home alone babysitting younger siblings. Does your child know what to do if there’s an emergency? Have you gone over the emergency exit plan? 

Can They Heat Food?

If you’re going to leave your child home alone babysitting their younger siblings during mealtime, you must trust your child heating food or cooking a meal. While an 11-year-old may be mature and responsible enough to watch their siblings for a bit, they’re probably not ready to cook on the stove. It’s important to make sure your child is ready for anything that’s tossed at them, including making food or assisting their siblings with snack time.

Have You Let Your Child Stay Home Alone Before?

You might want to do a trial run to see if your child can truly handle staying home alone to babysit their younger siblings. Try leaving them home while you make a quick run to the grocery store or while you’re working on something at home in another part of the house.

At the end of the day, every child matures differently and only you can make the best choice for your family.  Make sure that your children know that the decision can change at any time as situations change too.