Strange things keep happening all around the world. Sometimes, we hear about it from afar, but other times, we are smack in the middle of it. I am not really sure how I would react if I got caught in a situation that sends chills down my spine.
These babysitters also experienced unsettling things while on the job. Some of them froze on the spot and some got spooked, while others refused to babysit for the family ever again. Piqued your interest, have we? Well, prepare yourself for a thread that might unnerve you. Scroll down to start the thrilling journey!
More info: Reddit
#1
When I was in high school I used to baby sit for a family that had a glass door off their kitchen and when ever I’d get something out of the fridge for the kids I’d think to myself how scary it would be if someone was just standing there looking in.
One night it was storming really bad and I went to get one of the kids a glass of milk and lighting flashed and a filthy man I’d never seen was standing there framed in the glass door staring in. I screamed and yelled for the kids to go hide. Of course they didn’t listen and ran into the kitchen.
Turns out it was their uncle stopping by to drop off something he had borrowed. He worked construction and had gotten quite muddy and was just going to leave what ever it was by the door which is when I saw him. So it ended up being a case of nothing, but the terror I felt when the lightning lit him up was pretty intense.
#2
“Babysitting” my cousins when I was like ~10 and the three of them were less than 5. Babysitting is in quotes because their mom was home but I was in charge of them in the bedroom. She was in the living room with my oldest cousin.
I was playing with one of them when the youngest, about 2, started coughing, holding his neck. I clearly remember just standing there for 5 seconds, stone cold completely bewildered. I had NO idea what to do. I just froze.
Luckily my oldest cousin somehow heard the baby choking and he rushed in. He grabbed the baby and pulled a barbie shoe out of his mouth, while I still stood there, shocked. I got an earful from my aunt and mom for nearly letting the baby die.
I’ll never forget it. I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t scared, I didn’t feel anything. Just froze.
Let this be a lesson to never let 10 year olds watch babies. They’re just not equipped to deal with disaster…or at least I wasnt.
#3
Was babysitting my niece. She started crying in her crib upstairs so I paused Netflix and went up to check on her. The lights were completely off as to not wake her up more. As I was standing in this completely dark room soothing her I heard voices downstairs in the living room talking about breaking in and taking things. I had been alone in the house, my cellphone was downstairs, and my sister wasn’t coming home for another four hours. I was freaking the f**k out.
After what seemed like forever I got up the courage to go check out the noise.. only to find Netflix had unpaused and it was a heist movie I was hearing.
Babysitting as a job has been slowly and silently thriving as of late. With inflation weighing down on people, both parents’ earnings have become crucial to raising kids. It’s no wonder that the babysitting services market size was valued at approximately $21.3 billion in 2024, and there are over 48,204sitters currently employed in the US.
Looking after kids while on their own must be like a different adventure for them, with some good, some bad, and some surprising days. I don’t know about you, but as I was scrolling through the list and looking at all the unsettling experiences these sitters had to endure, I developed a newfound respect for them.
#4
My sister was babysitting and I got a screaming panicked call from her. She was putting one child down for the night (a girl around 3, I think), and the little boy (around 6) stopped playing, grabbed a chair, unlocked the front door, and left the apartment. She was distraught.
I told her to call 911 and I’d come help her with the toddler. When I got there, the police were talking to her and wrapping up. Thankfully, even though it was dark, two older women had been out for a walk and found him wandering down the sidewalk of one of the busiest roads in town!
The weirdest thing is that the parents were completely unfazed. They apologized for NOT TELLING HER HE HAD DONE IT BEFORE and wanted her to babysit again. My sister never babysat again.
#5
I live in a small town and our prize possession is a rather large mental hospital. I got a call from the parents telling me to lock all the doors and windows because a dangerous patient had escaped and was in our neighborhood. I told the kids to stay inside, but didn’t tell them the reason in order to not freak them out. I went to change a diaper and when i got back the oldest boy (about 8) was missing. I immediately started panicking and went to look in the backyard. He had decided that that was the perfect time to pee outside because “the outside potty was better”.
Bonus: I babysat two year old twins and they often burped and farted at the same time, it was terrifying.
#6
The estranged husband showed up, drunk, demanding to see his kids. Tried to break into the house. I called the wife and the police. Never babysat for them again, even though the wife was very nice – just too traumatizing for all. The husband moved away I believe. Wife is remarried and much happier.
You know, it’s wild when you think about some of these stories that really highlight just how quirky or even downright strange kids can be sometimes. Like, we’re talking unusual habits, unexpected reactions, or behaviors that would totally catch someone off guard if they weren’t informed.
What’s really surprising, though, is that parents, who know their kid does these things, don’t always give the babysitter a heads-up. I mean, how is the sitter supposed to deal with that? They’re walking in totally blind! One minute, they’re thinking they’re in for a chill night of cartoons, and the next, the kid’s suddenly screaming his lungs out.
It really makes you wonder what’s going through the parents’ minds. Maybe they think it’s normal, or they are just so used to it that they forget it’s even a thing? Either way, it can be quite disturbing for the oblivious sitter.
#7
My wife does hair from home and her clients will often bring their kids with them. This usually results in me having to keep them occupied for several hours.
One time, this woman came with her son & daughter who were maybe seven and five and this boy is farting non-stop and laughing his head off. At one point he aims his a**e towards his sister and farts in her general direction, which seems to p**s her off. I made some joking comment like “Do that again and I’ll fart on you” and this kids eyes just lit up.
He starts going “Yeah! Yeah! Fart on me! Fart on me!” and won’t shut up about it. I get a bit freaked out and try to brush it off and carry on distracting them and trying to entertain them but this kid won’t drop it.
He carrys on farting for the next 20 or so minutes and at one point flat out sits on his sister and let’s one rip. She looks like she’s about to burst out crying and wriggles free, then this kid lies down on my sofa, opens his mouth wide, then literally screams “PIN ME DOWN AND FART IN MY MOUTH” with clenched fists raised in the air.
I had maybe another hour or so of looking after these kids and he spent the entire time trying to get me to fart in his mouth or on him in some capacity.
Kid was f*****g weird.
#8
The parents, when asked, told me there were no guns in the house. An hour after they left the five year old ran to a closet, opened it and cane running out with a gun. Yes, it was fully loaded. He pointed it at his two year old brother. This took less then thirty seconds to go from my playing Candyland to child holding gun and pointing it at other child. I disarmed the child immediately and placed it where it was inaccessible to the children. When the parents came home I told them what had happened. Father apologized and said he would be more careful. Mom was flabbergasted and very angry (as was I). She has no idea that her husband had hidden a loaded gun in their house AND that he had Done it so carelessly that the kids knew where it was and could reach it. I showed myself out while they were arguing about it. Never went back.
#9
I was babysitting 2 kiddos at nighttime- a toddler and a 7/8 year old while the parents were on a date. It was late, kids were sleeping and I was downstairs doing homework. I heard this blood curdling shrieking scream coming from upstairs that I’ll never get out of my memory. I ran up and into the older boys room who was hysterically screaming but laying down still with his eyes closed and grabbing the sheets flailing around. I yelled his name and tried to hold him but he kept screaming and freaking out with tears coming out of his eyes waving his arms. It was the most bizarre thing I’ve seen like a possession. After a few minutes of this the screaming stopped and he just laid back down asleep. I called his parents obviously really shaken and they failed to tell me he gets horrible night terrors. Never had seen anything like that.
Some instances also involved erratic actions from parents. We’re talking about showing up completely drunk, leaving the house in a complete mess, or, scarily enough, having a loaded gun just lying around where the kids could totally get to it.
I mean, aren’t the grown-ups supposed to be the responsible ones here? The role models? Because research says kids are like little sponges: they’re watching everything, soaking it all up, and learning how to act based on what the adults around them do. So when the people who are supposed to be setting the rules are out here breaking the most basic ones, of course, that’s a problem!
It really makes you wonder how kids are supposed to understand boundaries or safety, or just, you know, basic common sense if the adults fail at that. It’s honestly kind of scary, and definitely super frustrating for anyone who’s stepping in to help, like the poor sitters caught in the middle of all this madness.
#10
Watching my younger sister, infant at the time. I wasn’t much older, like 7. Mom’s in the house, but downstairs dealing with a contractor that came by.
Upstairs on the second story, internal balcony that overlooked the central area of the first floor. Railings all around the upper edges, with gaps, but pretty small gaps in most cases.
Sister is crawling around, puts her head between bars on railing. Annnnd her head is small enough that her whole body starts to slip through.
I got ahold of her shirt and some diaper before she tumbled completely through the railings. Managed to keep the grip and stopped her midair with my arms hanging out the railings.
Cried bloody murder and my Mom stood below while the contractor sprinted upstairs and pulled my sister up and back in.
30+ years ago at this point, but still remember it pretty d**n clearly. I took it pretty well but parents were quite shaken for awhile.
#11
Back in HS I watched a neighbor’s dog while they were out of town and they wanted me to stay there. They had dolls EVERYWHERE. Bedrooms, offices, bathrooms…it was creepy. Really nice people but it was just off.
#12
Yes. I was 13 or barely 14. Some friends of a family I regularly babysat for called to ask if I could babysit their 3 children. I said I wasn’t ready for infants, and that I didn’t do overnight stays. The mother assured me there were no infants, and the plan was dinner and a movie, and then they’ll be home. I agreed. When I got there, the kids were watching TV,, dinner was ready to be served, and everything seemed fine. Then, in the middle of serving dinner, I heard a baby crying. I asked the oldest child if there was a baby. She said, “No, that’s my older brother. He probably needs to be changed.” It turned out her 12 year old brother had hydrocephalus (build-up of fluid on the brain), and whereas his poor misshapen head was quite large, his body hadn’t gotten much bigger than a 1 yr old. The pressure on the brain had prevented any normal physical or mental development, so effectively I had a very young infant to deal with. That was my first diaper change, complicated by the fact that his legs had severe contractures, so lifting his bum up couldn’t be done the normal way by lifting his ankles. His sister calmly explained what and how to clean him and change the diaper, as well as how to feed him. I got an education that night. I learned that little ones (the oldest girl was no more than 8) can be very mature if they’re in a position where they’re forced to be. I learned also that not all adults told the truth, which shocked the fire out of me. When the parents got home and asked how things went, I said everything was fine, but it wasn’t due to their behavior. I told them their daughter was a great help, but that they had lied to me and I couldnt trust them, so I wouldn’t babysit for them again. They begged me to reconsider, told me they’d been unable to get babysitters because of their son, and felt compelled to lie. I didn’t relent, telling them that if they’d explained the situation beforehand and invited me over to meet the children, showed me how to take of the child with hydrocephalus, that I’d probably have had no problem with it. In later years, I feel maybe I’d been harsh and a bit judgmental.
There were also instances of actual spooky stuff that happened with these sitters. Some of them were really spine-chilling, and as an enthusiast of all things creepy, these stories fascinated me quite a bit. I mean, haunted houses and weird apparitions? I would jump at such an opportunity, but alas, I’m not the one doing the job.
It’s the sitters who have to go through all the trauma, especially facing undisciplined kids who also feature in some of these entries. UNICEFstates thatthere are no bad children, only bad behavior, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. In the end, it’s the parents’ job to teach the little ones discipline, and we all know how important that is!
#13
So I used to babysit for the lady who lived next door to me a few years back. Her children’s room was the bedroom that shared a wall with me. While putting the kids to bed I heard someone moving around my bedroom (the walls were stupidly thin). One of the children told me that they hear the noise a lot. My parents weren’t home. I didn’t want to go home.
#14
Sort of. I used to regularly babysit two kids when I was about 14. Every Thursday and Saturday so I knew the family well.
One night after I got there, the little girl was sat snuggling with me in the chair while we were watching TV, then told me she had something to tell me.
She said mummy said she hadn’t to say anything because it was dirty and no one could know. Fearing the worst I gently encouraged her to talk. And she told me she had nits (head lice).
So phew! But also blurgh, because now so did I. And upon checking later, so did my little sister who played out with her after school.
Would have been so much easier, and preventable if mum had just got over herself and told us!
#15
I have a crazy aunt and this was about 25yrs ago. I was a teen and I babysat alot. One evening she called and said her buddy needed a sitter asap and I would be paid well for such short notice, she said they were about 6 and 8. Also I was already watching my aunts kid who was almost 1.
She came and took me to the guys house and I walk in carrying my lil cousin on my hip. The guy thanks me and rushes off to his overnight shift. So its pretty dim and only a lamp is on. Im still standing there holding my cousin and introducing myself to the kids, who are itching like crazy.
I say ‘whats wrong?’ And the girl says ‘we have lice’. Omg I was so freaked out and so glad I hadnt put my lil cousin down yet. I grabbed the phone and called her mom to come get her asap. I said you need to call your friend and he needs to send someone else or get home because no way am I staying.
Aunt comes to pick up the baby, and Im just standing in the livingroom waiting for the dad to come home. I can see into the kitchen and I start seeing things moving so I walk closer. There were roaches everywhere and they werent afraid. I was mortified.
I didnt even say goodbye to the dad when he walked in, I just bolted to my aunts car. I said dont ever ask me to babysit for anyone like that again. I went home and showered for probably 2 hours.
Well, dear readers, that’s it from our side for today. Now we want to hear your thoughts about this very interesting thread. Also, if you have any stories that are just like these, just type away in the comments. You know we always love to hear from you. Also, to all the sitter pandas reading this, happy babysitting—and wishing you don’t have to encounter any of these!
#16
I’m an au pair and my first few days in Australia the little boy I was living with stopped breathing- I woke up to his mom screaming for me to “ring emergency!” Still jet lagged I remembered to dial 0-0-0 and not 9-1-1 🙌🏼 He had a bad asthma attack that worked into a panic attack, after a couple breathing treatments he was ok- hell of a welcome though!
#17
I was 11 babysitting for a neighbor who had 4 kids under the age of 6, I was to watch them from noon until midnight. I was making dinner for them and the older boys were playing in the backyard while the 9 month old was napping. I went to get them from the backyard and one of them had climbed a trellis onto the roof and wouldn’t come down. After a long time of persuading him he came down I set them up to eat while I went to get the baby up. I go to her crib and she had dug in her diaper and smeared s**t all over her, the crib and walls. After cleaning them all up and putting them to bed I laid on the couch. Next thing I know the parents and another couple were standing over me. I had fallen asleep, they knocked, rang the doorbell and finally climbed thru the window above the kitchen sink. I was worn out and they thought it was funny. I declined future jobs with them due to my embarrassment.
#18
I was brought along on my bestie’s family vacation when I think I was around 15ish. It was on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier that day we had heard about a dead dolphin that had been found on the beach. We didn’t see it but other than thinking it was sad- we just didn’t think anymore about it. The sun was setting and everyone wanted to go back except my friend’s little brother. I think he was around 8. I volunteered to stay behind and watch him. Anyway- we’re about waist/chest deep in the water and the sun is very close to the horizon/setting. I look out and I swear to God I see a large shark fin. I calmly tell friend’s little bro that we’re leaving immediately but we’re going to do it slowly and calmly. He started to complain but could tell from my demeanor that playtime was over. I privately told my friend and her parents about it later. It COULD have been a dolphin, but…… blargh.
#19
1978, fall (October?), Wyo. I was watching my Spanish teacher’s kids when I heard a gunshot. It actually went through a small shared section of the wall. Scared the c**p out of me! I knew a cop, called his house and he came over. Turns out the neighbors were cleaning their hunting rifles…drunk.
#20
One time I was babysitting for a family in the neighborhood. I was probably 16. I had put the kids to bed and was sitting on the couch watching TV. All of a sudden this guy I don’t recognize walks in and my heart leaps out of my chest. He looks just as scared to see me as I’m sure I did to see him. Then he says, “Fatiguedaardvark? What are you doing here?” Turns out that the wife, who had asked me to babysit, never told her husband I was there so he thought I was the intruder. I also hadn’t been told that the clean cut guy I had known for a while was now working undercover and looked unrecognizable. Scared the hell out of me at the time.
#21
Had the neighbor’s teenage boys climb over the backyard fence between the two properties while I was swimming with the kids. Ushered the kids inside and called the dad who called the police and came home himself.
Other time, same family, the kids were out front playing in the yard with their toys while I was making PB&J sandwiches for lunch (so only about 5 minutes since I’d left them) when one of the kids came inside. I asked where their sibling was and they said they’d gone down the street to visit their friend. Panicking, I asked if they knew where the friend was and they said they lived down the street but didn’t know where they lived exactly, so I went running down the street, screaming this little kid’s name until they came out of one of the houses, surprised that I was so upset. Dragged (not literally) them back home and told them they were NEVER to leave the yard, especially without telling an adult where they were going.
#22
I occasionally watch my younger cousins when i want to earn some money, all 3 of them are below 6 years old so it’s already a hassle, but the youngest, around 2 years old, knows how to work EVERY DOOR HANDLE AND LOCK IN THE HOUSE. last summer (when he was 1???) he would just up and get his boots on and leave the house to go play outside, and my aunt lives in a very secluded area on a farm, only a few other houses even somewhat closeby with lots of fields and cows by their house. one time i was sitting in their living room when the kids were supposed to be sleeping and i went to check on the youngest and he wasn’t in his bed and i flipped the f**k out (i was 12/13 at the time) and went to check the backyard and he had his blanket and sippy cup with him and had almost reached the cows when i got to him. needless to say i only watch those kids when i really need money.
#23
Growing up, my friend’s mom worked as a babysitter. She was stay at home, but then when dad was home, she was free to go babysit for some other family and pull in some extra cash. Kid she was watching had SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Completely shattered her as a person. She left home, I don’t know if she ever came back.
At least that was the story I was told. Thinking back now, I suppose it could have been one of those situations where something horrible and violent happened, she ended up in prison, and I got told a sanitized version.
#24
Not terrifying as such, but when my mom was a teenager, she used to babysit for her boss who’s two sons had haemophilia.
The parents would put them in their cribs to sleep, and my mom would literally be paid to stay and watch them. If they woke up crying my mom was not under any circumstances to lift them, or comfort them by touching in any way. She hated it as they could cry for hours and she couldn’t help, but felt like she couldn’t say no as it was her boss.
#25
I remember vividly, the time I babysat this kid only ONCE. The job came through my mom, who did the child’s mother’s hair. My mother was a well known hairdresser in the small Texas oil rich town, that we lived in, at that time. I was 15. The child’s parents were the richest people in town, owning most of the oil rigs, outside of the town. Anyway, they needed a babysitter for the night, and the woman asked my mom if she knew anyone reliable. Well, I had been babysitting for awhile, so she recommended me, and the lady quickly agreed. So, as I was babysitting, I went to use the restroom, and came back and couldn’t find the kid. I finally found him, in the front hall closet. But it’s what I discovered what he was doing there that was most shocking. He was sitting in front of a floor safe, which was wide open, I’m assuming by him. He was reaching into the safe, where I could very easily see a few different handguns, ammunition, cash, jewelry, paperwork, passports, and other illegal items. I quickly grabbed him up, (he was only 7), shut the safe, but did not lock it, in case he wasn’t the one who had opened it, and took him out of the closet, to the living room. By this time, I thought he would be crying, saying he didn’t want to get in any trouble, but NO, he had the biggest creepy grin on his face. I immediately called my mom, to ask her what to do. She said she would call his parents, and take care of it. His parents showed up within 20 minutes, gave me $500.00 for the night(I only watched him for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, so I’m assuming they wanted to buy my silence), and my mother picked me up, instead of one of them driving me home. The lady never came back in as a customer my mother’s either. They also moved out of town, not too long after that. The only thing I regret about the whole situation was, I should have locked that safe.
#26
Once I was babysitting a friend’s three-year-old daughter. She had gone to bed and I was watching TV waiting for her parents to come home. Suddenly, she just starts screaming bloody murder. The “Someone is in the process of [ending] me” type of screaming. I rush into her room and find her sitting up in bed. I sit down next to her, start talking to her, and she is just staring off into space completely ignoring me. Eventually she settles down and goes back to sleep. Turns out she had night terrors and this sorta thing was relatively common, but no one had told me and I had never heard of them before so it really freaked me the f**k out.
Another time, when I was about 8ish, my sister (who was 3) and I were being babysat by this teenage girl who had only babysat us once before, but was super cool and awesome. This time, she called her friends, gave them our address and asked them to come over. I was like, “Dude, this is not OK. I’m not sure about this,” but she just laughed it off and said it was cool. After about 20 minutes a car full of stupid teenagers showed up, and they hung out for a bit on our driveway (thank God they didn’t come in the house) before leaving. Unfortunately, they ditched my babysitter’s boyfriend so he ended up staying there until my parents got home, which they both knew would be bad. My dad almost shattered the windows on our house when my parents got home. After some yelling, he drove them both home and my mom came and asked me wtf had happened so I told her. That girl never babysat for us, or anyone else we knew ever again.
#27
My babysitter quit because my house is haunted. She started having experiences about 6 months into watching my kids. She had one in my bedroom where she went to put some laundry on my bed and she said she felt someone breathing on her neck. Then another time my daughter (7 yrs who always talks/makes friends with the spirits in my house) was upstairs sitting with her babies and stuffed animals in a circle around her. She was carrying on a full conversation with them. The babysitter asked her who she was talking to. My daughter proceeded to pick up a bear from the circle and introduces it to her as “Mr. Mischief Bear.” “Mr. Mischief likes to whisper bad things and tells her to do bad stuff.” Then she started having nightmares of a man that had black holes for eyes in my house. Finally the last 3 times she babysat she called me each time crying. Once she had a friend die, another she found out her bf was cheating, and the final time she sat frozen on my couch watching the door to the upstairs opening and shutting by itself. Needless to say, I no longer have a sitter. I’m aware of the spirits in my house. They don’t scare me but are actually just a nuisance and oppressive.
#28
A kid got up from bed went downstairs opened the fridge and asked “can i make some chocolate milk?” I said no and he poured the milk on the floor and threatened to blame me.
#29
Nothing spooky, just generally unsettling. Their first baby died of SIDS so I basically sat in silence listening to the baby monitor the whole night, worried in case something happened.
#30
Tornado warning with sirens.
#31
The 12 yr old pulled a gun on me. A real loaded pistol. No reason… just for the lols I guess.