IT IS EXCITING FOR PARENTS
AND CHILDREN WHEN ONE OF THE
KIDS IS READY TO STEP AND BABY
SIT THE YOUNGER ONES.
BABYSITTING IS A BIG
RESPONSIBILITY.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE KIDS
ARE READY AND MAKE SURE THE
YOUNGER ONES ARE READY TO HAVE
SOMEONE ELSE IN CHARGED.
WE ASKED OUR "MID-MORNING"
PEDIATRICIAN TO SHARE ADVICE
WAS THIS MORNING.
IS THERE A MAGIC AGE THAT A KID
SHOULD BE BEFORE THEY ARE READY
TO START BABYSITTING?
YOU HAVE TO TAKE EACH CHILD
AND THEIR MATURITY LEVEL.
IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA THERE
IS NO SPECIFIC ABSOLUTE AGE.
OTHER THAN KIDS UNDER AGE 11
SHOULD NOT BE LEFT HOME ALONE.
IT IS NOT A LAW.
IT IS A GUIDELINE-KIND OF
THING.
RIGHT.
THINKING ABOUT HAVING A
BABYSITTER OR ONE OF YOUR OWN
CHILDREN WATCH YOUNGER
CHILDREN, 11 AND OLDER IS
PROBABLY THE GOOD LINE.
WHAT TIPS CAN YOU GIVE FOR
WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY STARTING
TO GET THE KID OR TEENAGER
READY FOR BABYSITTING?
IT IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY.
CPR TRAINING IS A GOOD IDEA.
UNDERSTANDING HOW TO MANAGE AN
URGENT SITUATION.
MAKING SURE YOU HAVE EMERGENCY
NUMBERS.
HAVE TEENAGERS REALLY
UNDERSTAND HOW GRAVE TAKING
CARE OF A KID CAN BE.
GENERAL RULES ADULTS RECOGNIZE.
BABIES SHOULD SLEEP ON THEIR
BACKS.
NEVER SHAKE AN INFANT.
SOME OF THOSE THINGS YOU
NATURALLY KNOW AS A GROWN UP,
KIDS NEED TO BE TAUGHT THAT.
BY 11-YEAR-OLD, WE SENT HIM
TO THE RED CROSS CLASS, TO THE
BABYSITTER TRAINING CLASS.
IT WAS A DAY-LONG CLASS.
WE DIDN'T EVEN CARE IF HE WAS
GOING TO BABYSIT FOR OTHER KIDS
BUT FOR HIM TO WATCH HIS
BROTHER WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
GOOD FOR HIM TO HAVE THAT
TRAINING.
THAT IS A WONDERFUL CLASS TO
TAKE.
I TOOK THAT CLASS WHEN I WAS
YOUNGER.
ONE THING I ALSO DID, THEY
CALLED IT A MOTHER'S HELPER
FIRST.
I STARTED BABY YOUNGER KIDS
WITH THE MOM THERE.
SHE WOULD DO SOMETHING ELSE,
MAYBE LAUNDRY BUT SHE WAS THERE
IN CASE I NEEDED HER.
IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO EASE ME
INTO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
TAKING CARE OF SOMEBODY ELSE'S
KID.
MAKE SURE THE KIDS YOU ARE
BABYSITTING FOR KNOW WHO YOU
ARE AND YOU HAVE AN EXPECTATION
OF WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR HOME
TO HAVE A BABYSITTER TO TAKE
CARE OF YOUR KIDS?
AS A PARENT YOU WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT YOU ARE SETTING THIS
CHILD UP, THIS BABYSITTER UP
FOR SUCCESS.
THIS IS A GOOD CHECKLIST YOU
PREPARED.
PERFECT.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE
IMPORTANT NUMBERS.
ESPECIALLY POINTS OF -- EVEN
IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH
DISCIPLINE.
THERE IS URGENT AND THERE IS I
NEED ADVICE.
HAVING URGENT NUMBERS ARE
IMPORTANT.
UNDERSTANDING YOU WANT YOUR
BABYSITTER TO HAVE THIS BE A
FUN TIME FOR THEM.
SETTING IT UP WHERE WHEN YOUR
BABYSITTER IS THERE YOU GET TO
STAY UP 15 MINUTES LATER.
WHAT ABOUT PAY WITH
BABYSITTERS?
PAY IS IMPORTANT THING TO
TALK ABOUT AND NEGOTIATE AHEAD
OF TIME.
$11.50 IS THE METRO GOING RATE.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE.
THE ONE THING I HOPE ADULTS
REMEMBER IS TO ASK THEIR
BABYSITTERS NOT TO USE SOCIAL
MEDIA.
OR HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING ARE
THEY GOING TO BE POSTING
PICTURES OF YOUR CHILD?
AT LEAST, IF THEY ARE TEXTING
WITH THEIR FRIENDS, ARE THEY