'The Baby-Sitters Club' Might Not Be for Everyone — But People of All Ages Can Enjoy the Show

Now that Season 2 of The Baby-Sitters Club is here, and Season 1 has already gained a few Emmy nods, many people are wondering what age group the Netflix series is for. Is it for the people who read the book series in the '80s and '90s to bring back the nostalgia, or is it a new show for young audiences?

The characters deal with many of the same themes and conflicts they do in the original book series, but when it comes to handling these topics on television, they can often seem pretty mature. So is The Baby-Sitters Club appropriate for younger audiences like the books were, or is it meant for an older age group?

While The Baby-Sitters Club is definitely a piece of nostalgia for a lot of us who read the books when we were growing up, the television series was created for a new generation. The main characters are girls in middle school who are in the midst of growing up — they’re becoming women.

However, unlike some more risque representations of middle school, such as Big Mouth or Pen15, The Baby-Sitters Club was created with its target audience of middle schoolers in mind.

Unlike the aforementioned shows, the main characters in The Baby-Sitters Club are played by age-appropriate actors who are actually close to middle school age. In addition, although the show tackles sensitive topics, it does so in a responsible way instead of a raunchy or insensitive way. It’s more akin to Full House in its handling of mature themes than of a modern-day middle school romp.

While most parents would agree that it’s appropriate for anyone over the age of 8, The Baby-Sitters Club does tackle mature themes that parents may want to discuss with their younger children. There aren’t any curse words, so parents don’t have to worry about that. But even within the first few episodes, the girls deal with menstruation, death, and divorce.

In addition to those topics, there is are trans and gay characters featured, which should be introduced to children at young ages, but young children might ask questions about what that means. Of course, there are also storylines around crushes and love, but they’re pretty innocent (featuring, at first, just a kiss on the cheek).

Even though The Baby-Sitters Club is intended for younger age groups, around ages 8-14, it’s still entertaining for people outside of that age range as well!

Parents have thoroughly enjoyed watching the series with their kids, and people who’ve read the books will surely fall in love with The Baby-Sitters Club’s modern take on the books. We’ve brought our favorite babysitters into the age of Instagram in a way that the characters can still learn about the world outside of their cell phones.

So whether you’re 8 or 18 or 58, The Baby-Sitters Club is sure to bring joy to anyone who has experience with growing up.

Season 2 of The Baby-Sitters Club is now available on Netflix.