If you hire a babysitter, ask for references and contact her. They can help you decide if the person you have in mind is responsible and a good fit for your children. Eventually, if things go well, you can start leaving your kids alone for a few hours. Whether they come home home alone after school while you`re at work or in the evening when you go out to eat with your partner for a date, you`ll figure out when they might be ready, based on how things went with the previous babysitting. Most states don`t have laws setting an age requirement for child custody, and only some have guidelines on how old a child is before being left home alone. These guidelines range from six to 14 years. Here is a list of states with this policy: Colorado: 12*, Delaware: 12*, Georgia: 8*, Illinois: 14, Kansas: 6*, Maryland: 8, Michigan: 11*, Mississippi: 12*, Nebraska: 7*, New Mexico: 10*, North Carolina: 8, North Dakota: 9*, Oregon: 10*, Tennessee: 10* and Washington: 10*. New Mexico does not have a state law setting a minimum age for a child to be home alone; However, an Albuquerque ordinance states that children under the age of 11 cannot be left home alone. The rest is ultimately a verdict of the parents of the children in need of care and the parents of the child who wants to keep the children. Age, maturity and experience with young children are important factors and first aid training. Babysitters need to understand safety and how to respond in an emergency. The legal age to keep children in Kansas is 11.
My 12-year-old daughter was looking at her brother and sister when I ran to the store, post office, etc. And if a curious neighbor decided, he informed me that my children should not be left alone with the eldest until she was 16. So I took it upon myself to call SRS and talk to them about it. They said that 11 years is the minimum for children to babysit the children of others who are not related to them, but that keeping siblings is another story and should only be treated on a maturity basis. She said, admittedly, that you have to have a little common sense and realize that an 8-year-old left alone with a 2-year-old is not a good idea! But I specifically asked her if my 12-year-old daughter could legally take care of her 6-year-old sister and 1-year-old brother, and she said there was nothing illegal or wrong with that, as long as I trusted her and she was a responsible child. I quickly told my neighbor. This was the same neighbor who slept all day while his 6, 5 and 3 year old children ran wildly around their house screaming and throwing things at my children. When I asked where their father was, they said, “He`s sleeping.” Kind! There is no fixed age at which a child can keep other siblings, which is left to parents to decide the maturity level of their children. CPR training is recommended when a child is left unattended with an adult.
DCF says there is no legal definition here of what constitutes an unsupervised child, but there are several factors to consider in determining whether a child is old enough or mature enough to be left alone. It states that children between the ages of zero and six should not be left alone for a period of time. Children between the ages of six and nine can be left alone for a short time. Ten years or older, DCF says they can probably be left alone for long periods of time, but it all depends on the child`s maturity and intellectual abilities. For this reason, I personally believe that the minimum age at which children should keep at night is 16. At this age, you should be able to tell if they are prepared and mature enough to handle the extra responsibilities and pressure. Tweens are simply not ready to take on the extra responsibility that comes with night babysitting. If you ask them if they are willing to babysit overnight, they might think they are.
But once they are all alone in a dark and quiet house, they may feel very uncomfortable and scared, which is quite normal for this age. When you hire a babysitter, tell her what you expect from her. Inform the babysitter of no-go areas and make sure she understands that she must observe children at all times. Tell your babysitter what activities your children are allowed to participate in while you`re away. Also, make sure your babysitter knows the safety instructions for any pool or playground. The difference between babysitting at night and during the day is usually mental. This can be a very scary experience for young children. Gradually increase the amount of time your children are left alone, and soon you could reach a point where you no longer need a paid babysitter from outside your family. Hurrah! Similarly, if you have a newborn or toddler under the age of 2, the attention and care required to keep them may be important. The age at which little ones start running around until they can be trusted not to get into too much trouble requires so much vigilance that the responsibility of an older sibling left alone with them could be overwhelming. *The age shown is the recommended minimum age at which a child can be left home alone instead of a minimum/legal age.
The state of Kansas has no written laws for child custody, except that the minimum age is 11. However, the Kansas Department of Labor and Environment has released suggestions and tips for parents to hire a qualified casual babysitter. Suggestions are ways to ensure your children stay in a safe environment while they are in the care of a babysitter. A favorite babysitter is one who is trained in first aid and CPR. These certifications show that the person has been trained on what to do in the event of a medical emergency. The American Red Cross provides first aid and CPR training and also offers childcare training. Ask the potential candidate to provide their certification card proving that the courses have been completed and that the certifications are up to date. An 11 or 12 year old may be willing to babysit in the afternoon or evening. But babysitting at night is a very different situation, for which they are not quite ready in terms of maturity.
If your child takes the initiative and knows how to do things without being asked, it can be a very strong sign that they are mature enough to babysit. When giving instructions to your child, you should be able to trust that they will follow them reliably. At what age can a child keep his siblings? In general, children as young as 11 or 12 years old can start caring for siblings for a short time. Start by leaving them for a short time and gradually increase them if they prove trustworthy. Don`t leave them alone overnight until your oldest child is at least 16. If your older child has special needs, such as ADHD or behavioral problems, it will take a little longer to develop the level of maturity needed to babysit younger siblings. Children of any age with ADHD are probably too impulsive, distracted, and lack the judgment to care for young children until they are a little older. You must have an excellent attention span and be able to concentrate and think ahead to safely care for one or more younger children. Can they brush their teeth, take a glass of water, call you if there is a problem? The more your children are already able to take care of themselves, the less you have to worry about letting your siblings take care of each other.
Some children are also more aggressive, anxious or impulsive than others. Any type of behavioral problem will make it harder to leave your children home alone. It doesn`t matter if the problem is with the babysitter or the young children they are supervising, as both can cause problems. As a general rule, I recommend that babysitters do not start working until they are 11 years old. This is the minimum age required to attend a Red Cross babysitting course. For an 11- or 12-year-old, I highly recommend signing up for a babysitting class before they start watching their siblings. With regard to the age of the child, eight different areas are acceptable to each State. These areas are the ones that states have decided to have the most acceptable age. In this way, as the child grows, he can begin to adapt to the change and govern himself accordingly. This age is used to determine what age is suitable for children to start babysitting.
The ranges and number of states that adhere to this age are: Children are usually old enough to babysit their siblings during the day for short periods around the age of 11.