At what age can you start babysitting?

At what age can you start babysitting?

By Babysits
5 min read

Are you ready to earn an extra buck, are you responsible, and do you love kids? Then babysitting as a full time or part time job is perfect for you! But, before you get started as a babysitter, it’s important to know how old you need to be and what things you should take into account.

How old do you need to be to work as a babysitter?

Well, it depends. In some countries, the minimum age to work as a babysitter is 14 or 15, whereas in others, there isn’t a legal requirement. Or the age restrictions for babysitters are unregulated by the government, particularly when working ‘under the table’ (for example, working for a family member or friend, without a formal contract or employment situation).

In general, as well as on the Babysits platform, age requirements for babysitting generally range between 14-16 year olds, depending on the location.

Age of babysitter
Babysitting age

Are you ready to babysit?

Are you 14-16 years old? There are still a few things you need to take into account if you want to work as a babysitter. It’s important to take a good look at yourself, whether you have enough knowledge and experience to babysit a child, and you need to think about your availability and the pay you’ll ask for babysitting.

Do you have enough knowledge and experience to work as a babysitter?

Babysitting might sound like a side job where you can quickly and easily earn money, however, you should never forget that babysitting requires a lot of responsibility from the babysitter. It’s good to ask yourself the following questions;

  • Am I responsible enough to babysit a child?
  • Do I have enough experience to take care of a kid?
  • Do I have enough knowledge about childcare to babysit a kid?

If you answered a whole-hearted yes to these questions, then you’re surely ready! Still not sure? Why not take our babysitting test or read our other articles with tips on how to become a good babysitter, for example:

Babysitting first aid

8 common babysitting mistakes

How to help kids with homework

Are you a parent and uncertain whether a young babysitter has enough experience, knowledge, and responsibility to babysit your children? Then we highly recommend asking for reviews and references. If the babysitter hasn’t ever babysat before, and doesn’t have these references, you can get an idea of their knowledge and responsibility by asking specific questions. You can read some examples in our article: how to interview a babysitter.

Babysitting babies

If you are rather young yourself, then there’s a large chance that you don’t have any or much experience taking care of children. In this case, it’s often better to first start babysitting children who can already go to the toilet themselves and already speak. Once you’ve gained more experience, then you can consider babysitting babies, if you wish. Because babies can’t do anything to take care of themselves, you need to have thorough knowledge about how to behave with a baby and what you can and can’t do.

baby

Babysitting hours and availability

If you’re 14-16, it’s likely that you are still attending school. With that in mind, you can choose to babysit on the weekend or after school for example. Keep in mind that in some countries it’s not only allowed to babysit as a younger individual late at night or overnight. In that case, you may have to wait until 18 in order to babysit children at these times.

Babysitting rate

The average babysitting rate often varies based on country and city. As a younger babysitter, you can keep in mind that minimum wage is likely lower for your age, compared to older babysitters. And based on lack of experience, you may make less than average rate. However, as you gain more experience you can consider increasing your rate to match your experience.

set your babysitting rate

Character traits that a babysitter needs

There are a few characteristics that a babysitter definitely needs. One of the most important is that you need a big heart for kids. And, were you born to babysit??

  • Responsible!
  • Has a big heart for kids
  • Caring
  • Patient
  • Likes doing crafts and playing games
  • Creative
  • Fair
  • Independent/self-sufficient
  • Trustworthy

character traits babysitter


According to law, you often need to be 14-16 to babysit, that’s also the case when using Babysits. Experience, knowledge, character traits and more are also really important aspects to keep in mind when considering babysitting. Some 14-16 year olds may be perfect candidates to start babysitting while others may not be ready, responsible or knowledgeable enough for the work.

Are you ready to start babysitting? Then, find the perfect babysitting job near you!

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