Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

There is no simple rule about the minimum age of a babysitter.

There is no simple rule for leaving kids home alone. How old is the older child? How mature and responsible? How independent and resourceful? Has he/she taken a babysitting clinic? How young is the younger child? What special needs do they have? How long will they be alone? What time of day? How often does this happen? Do the kids have a special number or a neighbor to call for help if needed? Does anyone check up on the children?

The law simply does not have a straight answer to the question, "how old must the babysitter be?"

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Minimum Age to be Left Home Alone: Website addresses

Each of the following websites discusses babysitting, and several discuss the minimum recommended age (see, i.e., http://nccic.org/faqs/homealone.html). Note: several sites discuss their Babysitter Training Course and most accept eleven-year-olds into the program.

http://www.nlc.bc.ca/ce/children.htm

http://chapters.redcross.org/ga/negeorgia/newsbabysitter.htm

http://nccic.org/faqs/homealone.html

http://www.alexian.org/news/press/20010123-1.html

http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/homealon.htm

http://www.nncc.org/SACC/sac42_old.enough.html

http://www.raisingkids.co.uk/ask/ex06_gen01.asp

http://www.njredcross.org/babysitting.html

http://www.drkutner.com/articles/babysitter.html