Every Tuesday, local experts answer your questions about your kids, your health and related topics. E-mail me any questions you have.

Today, Dr. Michael Steiner, a pediatrician at the N.C. Children's Hospital and interim medical director of the Children's Clinic, answers a question about a potential babysitter.

The question: When is a child ready to babysit? My neighbor next door has offered her 11-year-old several times as a babysitter to my 2- and 4-year-old. The 11-year-old is a nice girl, I just wonder if she's mature enough yet. Is this a case-by-case thing or should she be a little older?

The answer: There are no absolute answers to your question, but the 11-year-old is probably too young.

Maturity obviously develops at different times in different people, but 11 years old is either at or below the age that most people would consider for babysitting.

You also have two children at potentially difficult ages and this could become a problem for an inexperienced babysitter to handle.

That being said, there are some things in favor of this relatively young babysitter. One is that I assume you know her family relatively well and, secondly, if her mother is next door during the babysitting, then there is essentially a back-up adult to help make decisions in emergencies (assuming you trust the neighbor).

It sounds like you would like to find a babysitter, and this 11-year-old may eventually be a good option. What I would recommend is that you hire the 11-year-old as a "mother's helper" to come over and help entertain the kids for short periods of time while you are still at home. You can take time to yourself or work on other things you've wanted to get done around the house, while the "babysitter" watches the kids. This will give both you and her a chance to "try it out" under your supervision. Also, you should ask her to take the American Red Cross babysitting class which will help teach practical skills.

Maintain this relationship over the next year or so and, if everything goes well, it will be very easy for her to slip into watching your children during the day while you are away from home.

Check out our other daily themes at TriangleMom2Mom:

MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
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THURSDAY: Play!
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