Babysitting

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Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's parents. Babysitting is most commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money, stereotypically, but not necessarily, girls. Babysitting can be quite lucrative in some countries, but rates vary considerably according to the location. According to Runzheimer International's Mobility Report, average hourly rates in September 2005 in the United States of America are $6.04. In New York City, the average is $11.08, whereas in some places in the U.S., the average is $2.90. Babysitters are often employed on Friday and Saturday nights when parents wish to go out. A babysitter is distinguished from a nanny by the term of employment; while some parents may have a regular babysitter "on retainer," so to speak, the sitter is normally contracted one night at a time.

The term "baby-sit" (from "baby" plus the agent form of "sit") first appeared in 1937, and its short-form "sitter" is attested from 1943. The use of the word "sit" to abbreviate "to baby-sit" is recorded from 1800. The term probably originated from the action of the caretaker "sitting on" the baby in one room, while the parents were entertaining or busy in another.

The American Red Cross offers a babysitters' safety course. This course teaches important safety to babysitters. These include rescuing a choking victim and fire safety. At the end of the course, the completee is given a certificate of completion.

International variations in definition

In British English the term refers only to caring for a child for a few hours, on an informal basis and usually in the evening when the child is asleep for most of the time. In American English the term can include caring for a child for the whole or most of the day, and on a regular or more formal basis, which would be described as childminding in British English.

Crime

According to a US Juvenile Justice Bulletin from September 2001, babysitters commit about 4.2% of crimes against children less than 6 years old in the United States.

See also

• Day care
• Infant
• Legal guardian
• Au Pair

External links

• A Guide to the Business of babysitting
• Quality Child Care From University of Florida/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Factors in choosing quality child care.

References

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Last updated on Sunday July 20, 2008 at 23:44:41 PDT (GMT -0700)
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