Finding a good babysitter is a bit like finding the holy grail, so it’s easy to get excited when that neighbor or older sibling hits double digits and starts wanting to earn some extra cash. But is your potential babysitter ready? How old does a tween need to be in order to deal with all of the potential challenges of caring for younger children? A new study, presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics, seeks to understand just that.
The study surveyed 727 tweens between the ages of 11 and 13 who had childcare experience. The good news was that almost all the tweens surveyed knew who to call in the event of an emergency, whether it was an intruder or an ill or injured child. Most of the tweens interviewed also knew who to contact if a child was inadvertently poisoned.
The bad news? Almost forty percent of younger sitters reported leaving their charges unattended at some point. And twenty percent admitted to opening the door to strangers.
It seems that, while tweens, particularly those who have some kind of professional training like CPR, first aid or Red Cross, can handle emergencies they may be less alert to their charges behavior moment by moment. So is it safe to leave your children with a babysitter who is still in middle school? Like most things, this is a matter of judgement and education. Try having your tween sitter come and take care of the kids while you’re still home the first few times. You’ll get some extra time for housework and relaxation and you’ll also get a sense of how mature your tween sitter really is.
