How old should you be to babysit?

i started babysitting when i was 12

it really depends more on how old the age of the child is that is being babysat! For example--no one under the age of being a mother already will watch my newborn unless they are a licensed professional. If it is a 5 year old kid i would allow a 16 year old to watch them.

13. But 16 if the child is under 1 yr.

I was 11 when I started babysitting. But before you start, be sure you take an American Red Cross CPR class so you will have experience so more people will hire you!!

14

I would say 16. You should also know CRP and other life saving precautions.

it depeands, if you are babysitting at 12 you should do beteen 4 and 8, if you are 16 babysit who ever you want

i was 11. its more about maturity than age.

Babysitting is about maturity, If you aren't mature, the parents won't trust you, and if you're very young, you shouldn't charge much. Atleast 14, or older. It would also help if you took a babysitting course.

I'd expect the sitter to be about ten years older than the sittee as a rule of thumb, and no younger than 14

A responsible 13 or 14 year old should be able to handle it well. Previous training such as helping out in a day care or having younger siblings helps significantly.

I started watching an 8 month old girl when I was thirteen a couple of hours a week. That was my first regular job. Since then I have cared for many kids from 2 months to 6 years old, but usually they are under 4. I am almost 18 and have 2 regular babysitting jobs, with 2-3 occasional clients.

It depends on how responsible the person is and how much experience they have with children. I would say 14 minimum :)