Babysitting - Katy,TX

I started babysitting as 12 for my own brother who was 5 years younger and for a family friend. I think as long as your daughter knows the ground rules and you trust that she would know what to do if an emergency should arise, you shoule enjoy a night out with your husband!

Your previous poster had a lot of great advice...however, perhaps I misread your post cause I thought your son would be turning 8 years old not 8 months old...

If he is indeed an older child you need to take into account whether you feel he will accept his sister as an authority over him while you and your husband are out of the house. I was often left to babysit my brother (who was only 20 months younger than I) because he was a lot less mature than I was, and couldn't be trusted alone. However; it often was the cause of problems between us with him not respecting my authority over situations. You also have to be sure that your daughter will not use the situation to "boss" your son around.

These are all discussions you should have as a family. Then, if you feel that you want to try it, purchase a pizza for the kids and make sure that there are fun activities for them to do while you are gone (movies, games, etc)...

Their ages are appropriate for this sort of thing (if i read correctly that he is 8 years old) and she is absolutely at an age where she can learn to babysit a baby (though I highly suggest contacting the YMCA or other agencies in your area to see who has a babysitting class available before hand - they teach all of the baby basics, including CPR and heimlich for babies and toddlers).

In the end, while you may be saving money on a sitter, you are making an investment in respect, trust and love with your children... ;-)

Good Luck...

Ha, I just read that he is 8 years old! I read this before my coffee... If he listens to his sister, she should not have any problems. Just make sure he agrees to be on his best behavior and she remembers not to be bossy.I would still have a neighbor your daughter can call so that there is someone close by till you can get there in case of emergency.

You know your daughter the best. If you feel she is a responsible child then also consider....If you feel she is calm under pressure and can easily get in touch with you, I am sure she will be fine. Do you already leave her with her brother for short periods iof the day while you run errands?

Has your daughter ever baby sat for anyone else? Does she know how to care for your son? Diapers, feeding, sleep routine?

Has she taken any sort of CPR or First Aid class?

If you feel she can handle all of this, the only other thing I would suggest is that you also let a neighbor know that this will be the first time for your daughter to "Officially" babysit her brother, so would that neighbor be willing to be called in case of emergency. This way there is a neighbor very close by as well as your daughter able to call you or 911 in an extreme situation.

I am sure she is going to great. This is going to give her such self confidence and could be the beginning of a very profitable, job for your daughter.

Our daughter has baby sat since she was this age and really has a following, but our daughter would only watch toddlers. She was not comfortable with children any younger. A child that can watch a baby is a great find..

With my children I had to start this process slowly. My oldest son, at the age of 14 yrs old, needed the rules to be explained (for example, he is not to push and punish his younger brothers for disobeying him!). The local St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center provides instruction to teens 13+ yrs old, and provides a certificate of completion to show off to potential parents in need of a babysitter. :)

I started with short periods of time, like 30 minutes while my husband and I did shopping for household products and groceries. Then, we did an hour, like at a local Souper Salad.

Practice giving your oldest a call during your absence and practice letting the younger child call you (with or without the 13-yr-old's help.

The best gauge is your instinct and how comfortable you two are.