babysitters...

mummy2girls wrote: My old boss who i nannied for for 2.5 years emailed me to congratulate me on the fill up of my dayhome so fast. ( she is the big honcho for the agnecy i got the dayhome through). anyways she told me someone who had been with the agency for a long time has a 16 year old girl that is super nice and lives super close to me.. ( i love her wording for a perfessional lady...LOL). anyways... the 16 year old loves babysitting. Thats is so awesome to know because i am looking into finding one for jenna so i can actually start having a life and go out and meet some cute cowboys...LOL... this is my question... has anyone had a teenage babysitter and did well? im pretty on edge when it comes to this stuff.. but i would love if this worked out because then i can actually have a life... YEAH!

C&K*s Mommie replied: Times have changed since I babysat. And since I still have young children at home, I am less inclined to have a teenager watch our girls at this time.

Anyhow, I wish you well with your quest to have a life outside.

Bee_Kay replied: I really don't know.
When my kids were younger, the only people that I had watch my children were VERY close family members.... or my VERY good friends.

So, I don't have any advice. Good luck!

Brias3 replied: I don't know either. I used to babysit tons when I was a teenager but times have certainly changed. Typically, the only ones who watch our kids outside of our parents are my younger siblings.

I recently found a girl in the neighborhood that came highly recommended and she's been over a few times to play with the kids for a few hours time while I get homework done. However, I'm right in the next room so its not the same situation as you're suggesting. I'd say maybe have this girl over if you're interested in using her services. See how she interacts with Jenna and how they get along, ask if she can provide you some reference. Play it by ear from there. I hate to think that there are NO good teen sitters anymore, I'm just reluctant to give it a shot too.

C&K*s Mommie replied: One thing that I started to post, but decided against it, because I was not positive if you were asking for things to look for is~ I would ensure that a potential teenager is CPR certified. It may not be commonplace for teens to be, but at least it would put them a notch above and shows you that they are serious about taking on the responsibility of watching another's child.

Speaking of responsibility, like Bria said, I would also see how a potential babysitter would interact with Jenna, note to see if they are a little more on the mature side for their age too. Were they punctual? That may be asking alot, but that may give you an indication of things. Find out as much as you can about the teen, as you would a with a potential suitor before you brought that person home to meet Jenna. KWIM? Are they heavy partiers? Are they responsible with the schoolwork? Alot of things to note, before you may want to allow them to watch your most precious. But Jenna is well worth the extra effort.

Alot to consider. But I wish you well.

Bee_Kay replied: Oh yes, I would personally check her out Shelly. Maybe invite her over.... or a little trip to the playground.
Pay attention to how she interacts with Jenna... her demeaner, her patience. Keep an eye on how she dresses.... if her attention span is short (especially if there are boys approx her age around).

Also, pay special attention to how Jenna interacts WITH HER! Kids are so intuitive ya know

Good luck and let us know how it goes if you choose to "try her out"

ETA: pay attn to how she talks (swearing, slurs, ect).

Shelly, it is so darn hard to know who to trust. I COMPLETELY understand your concerns. I hope it all works out so you can have a little time away now & then

luvmykids replied: I'm on the fence, I was babysitting alone around 14 years old, but like everyone has said, times have changed. However, I have had a teen watch them during the day for about 2 hours and things were great. I'm not sure I'd use her for late night stuff but afternoons I'm comfortable with. My main thing is having all three kids if something happened to one I'd be afraid she couldn't deal with them all, kwim? If I had one child I think I'd be more inclined to use her more.

mckayleesmom replied: I have only had one babysitter Shelly....It was for one night and it was at Dh's company ball....I didn't even get to meet her the till the day she sat for Mckaylee. We lived too far away, The company hired her and other girls in the area. She did great...Mckaylee was 6 months old and in love with her. She was 15.

TheOaf66 replied: yeah, we have had one of the girls from my youth group babysit tanner before, he loves her...I would be more skeptical of babies but 2yrs on up I think they are ok...and now with cell phones etc, parents are much easier to get a hold of.

coasterqueen replied: I haven't had anyone yet, but I'm dying to find a teenager in our school system to watch the girls. I should post something at Kylie's dance school to see if one of the teen girls there would like to do it. Granted, I'd be nervous, like you, but I babysat when I was a teen. For petes sake, I watched a newborn on a heart monitor and three other little kids under the age of 8 for a couple many times. I quite after the 1st few times of watching them with the baby on the monitor because the thing went off all the time and freaked me out, but I watched their other three many times before the last one was born. I also watched many other kids as well, at different times.

There is a girl two doors down from us that her mom said she was going through babysitting school through the state (?) and getting cpr training and such. I'll have to look into her.

Ok, Im rambling. I'd try to find someone CPR certified for sure. I'd suggest just trying her out for an hour or so. You know to let you go run an errand. Then after a few times gradually get up to longer than just a few hours. This is probably how I'll do it when the time comes.

GL.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: My last sitter for Logan was 15 years old. She's the 3rd child in a family of 6 and she was great. She brought over a bag of her little brother's toys and books so it was new stuff to Logan and he loved her. Also she didn't charge nearly as much as others do. Only $2/hour.

CantWait replied: I have NEVER had a GREAT teenage babysitter, and I've had lots. However if the dayhome agency said that she's good, chances are she's probably not half that bad.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: My cousins used to babysit for us all the time. They were around 15 or 16 and they all took the a Babysitting course through St. Johns Ambulance. My suggestion would be to have her watch Jenna for a few hours one afternoon and see how that goes! Good Luck!

moped replied: I think it sounds fine!!!!!

ions_momma replied: I dont see a problem with having a teenage babysitter. I probably wouldnt hire one I didnt know very well though. We have two girls that have watched Ion quite a few times and he loves them. I know them pretty well and trust them, and that helps alot. Let her come over a few times so you can get to know her and get used to and see what type of a girl she is, and then go for it!

AlexsPajamaMama replied:
That is a good idea

Maddy'sMommy replied: I have never had a teenage babysitter either... although I would love to find one.. so that I don't have to rely on my mom to babysit everytime we want to go out. I babysat when I was 14 all the time. I think just make sure they are responsible and well trained. Good luck...

holley79 replied: I started babysitting when I was 13. I would allow her to come to the house and maybe spend some time with you and Jenna. If you are comfortable with her I would go with it. Totally up to you though.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
A girl from our church who is 15 is an awesome babysitter. I will admit, I often think of a teenager as being irresponsible and thought I'd never go for a teenager watching my children. However, the girl who has watched him is great. I would trust her over a few of my adult family members, to be honest. I think if she is mature enough and shows she can handle the responsibility, then she'll do great.