Is your teen is ready to be the babysitter?

When a little girl locked the family dog in her parents’ bedroom, the babysitter, 14-year-old Lauren Appel of Severna Park wasn’t sure what to do.

“I tried to get the dog out myself, but it clearly wasn’t going to happen,” says Lauren, who started babysitting when she turned 13.

It was time to call her parents. Her dad came over and removed the doorknob so the dog could get out.

“We have to be fairly close by in case she needed anything,” says Lauren’s mom Elizabeth Appel.

Appel didn’t really think about the possibility of Lauren babysitting at 13. But, when a health teacher at Lauren’s middle school distributed flyers about babysitting safety courses, Lauren jumped on the opportunity.

Parents who are wondering whether their teens are ready to babysit should consider the following:

• Maturity: According to Maryland law, children can be left alone to care for a younger child by the age of 13, though this does not mean all 13 year olds are ready to babysit young children.

“There isn’t a magic age,” says Sally Herrholz, executive director of Safe Sitter, a national not-for-profit organization which trains young people how to be safe and nurturing babysitters.

• Education: A babysitting safety course is essential before young teenagers start babysitting, says Bell Phit, an instructor of a babysitting course at Anne Arundel Community College. Babysitting courses usually cover safety topics in detail, and teach young teenagers how to handle a child who is choking, as well as basic first aid.

• Responsibility: Before babysitting, young people need to prove they are able to take care of themselves, as well as consistently show responsibility. A babysitter needs to be patient, and possess the ability to stay calm and alert, says Phit.
“When you accept responsibility for a child’s life, it’s a sobering thought. It’s a very important decision,” Herrholz says.

• Common Sense: Babysitters should know how to distract a crying toddler, intervene in sibling fights and also discipline if necessary, Herrholz says.

Also needed are the skills to react in an emergency, such as when a baby or young child is choking. “They need to know what to do. They need to know how to stay calm and also know their limits,” Herrholz says.

Most importantly a sitter should also know when to ask for help.

• Willingness to be available when your child is babysitting: Lauren’s parents were available when she needed help letting the dog out of the bedroom, and Appel distinctly remembers an instance when a babysitter she hired called her parents to help unclog a toilet.

“We make sure we’re always available,” Appel says.