At what age would you leave you dc at home alone??

[Pennylane]

My df just called to let me know she was on her way to the grocery store and her 6 1/2 yr old son was staying at home!! She just wanted to let me know since she had left my # with him in case of an emergency. I honestly thought she was joking, but no, he is home alone!!!

I was thinking like age 9 or 10. Just curious what others thought.

Ann

ETA: She did say it was a quick trip, just to pick up a few things (if that makes a difference).

[kedss]

When I was growing up, we had live in sitters because my parents were both doctors who could be on call at all hours, so we weren't really 'left alone' til maybe 10-11 years old?

I definitely would not leave my DS at home alone til he was at least 10, but that's just me-

[Wife_and_mommy]

A 6 YO???!!! No way. That's illegal.

I think the legal age is 12/13. I might consider a 20 min or less trip at close to 10.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Hasn't even crossed my mind to do it with an almost 6yo. If I had to pick an age where I would leave for a super quick errand? 9? I'll probably feel differently then. For more than a quick errand? Not till closer to 13-14 (I picked that # b/c that's how old I was when I started babysitting).

Beth

[MontrealMum]

Hard to say since I'm so far from this as a parent. But I was maybe 11-12 when I was first left alone...mom went back to work, I was a latchkey kid for about 45min. some days. Others, my grandma was around, and we also had an aunt that lived with us for part of the year. I also started babysitting at 12. But nowadays, I couldn't say. I do have a friend who started leaving her DS at home (for more than a quick trip) at 9 at the latest. It could have been earlier, that's just when I became aware of it. I was a little shocked at the time since we live in a big city.

ETA: agreeing with Jools below, the people that left babies with me at age 12 must have been nuts!

[Joolsplus2]

9ish during the day... and make sure they know how to use the phone to call you and 911, and have a working knowledge of the microwave and toaster oven...
Every state has different rules about amount of time you can leave them home/at what age/caring for a younger sibling...my neighbor told me ours, but it was young and longer than I'd care to leave them, so I don't remember offhand.

I was babysitting at night at age 11... man, I won't subject my kids to that!!! <counts blessings nothing ever went wrong>

[Melbel]

6 is way too young IMO. Based on my quick research:
http://www.hhs.gov/faq/families/46.html
At what age can a child legally be left alone to care for themselves?
No consistent community standards exist describing when and under what circumstances children can be left alone or in the care of other children. Information about the age at which it is considered appropriate to leave a child alone may exist elsewhere in your local, county or State policies or ordinances that cover this special topic.

Many national organizations have developed resources and guidelines to help parents make decisions on leaving their children home alone while they go to work, run errands, attend social events etc. Listed below are several examples of such guidelines:

National Crime Prevention Council (http://www.ncpc.org )
See: Home Alone (http://www.ncpc.org/parents/Home_Alone.php)

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (http://www.aacap.org )
See: Home Alone Children (http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/homealon.htm)

National Network for Child Care (http://www.nncc.org)
See: Home Alone (http://www.nncc.org/SACC/sac31_home.alone.html)

The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left at home alone. However, consider a child's age and maturity level. For example, if a child is extremely impulsive, it might be best to wait until he or she is older than 12. For a state by state chart:

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm

[KBecks]

I don't know. I wouldn't leave a 6.5 home alone unless I was like next door at the neighbor's house for 15 minutes. It does depend on the maturity of the kid and the duration of the trip. I think maybe 9, but I won't know for sure until I get there with my kids.

[KBecks]

A 6 YO???!!! No way. That's illegal.

I think the legal age is 12/13. I might consider a 20 min or less trip at close to 10.


Interesting that there may be a legal age! I had not considered that.

[Wife_and_mommy]

6 is way too young IMO. Based on my quick research:
http://www.hhs.gov/faq/families/46.html
At what age can a child legally be left alone to care for themselves?
No consistent community standards exist describing when and under what circumstances children can be left alone or in the care of other children. Information about the age at which it is considered appropriate to leave a child alone may exist elsewhere in your local, county or State policies or ordinances that cover this special topic.

Many national organizations have developed resources and guidelines to help parents make decisions on leaving their children home alone while they go to work, run errands, attend social events etc. Listed below are several examples of such guidelines:

National Crime Prevention Council (http://www.ncpc.org )
See: Home Alone (http://www.ncpc.org/parents/Home_Alone.php)

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (http://www.aacap.org )
See: Home Alone Children (http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/homealon.htm)

National Network for Child Care (http://www.nncc.org)
See: Home Alone (http://www.nncc.org/SACC/sac31_home.alone.html)

The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left at home alone. However, consider a child's age and maturity level. For example, if a child is extremely impulsive, it might be best to wait until he or she is older than 12. For a state by state chart:

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm

Great info. Thanks for looking that up.

I find it scary that many states have no minimum age. It's nice to know that if I thought my 10-11 yo could handle it, I'd not have CPS called on me.

Brings to mind that it's a matter for parents to decide on with a good dose of common sense. But here we have a mom who thought it was okay to leave a 6yo. Where does that leave us?

[Wife_and_mommy]

Interesting that there may be a legal age! I had not considered that.

LOL. Look below. Someone checked it out. Many states dont' have a minimum.....

I was never left alone but remember hearing about minimum ages growing up. Didn't know they were so low.

[Tondi G]

My DS will be 7 in a couple of weeks and there is no way I would make a trip to the store with him home alone!!! I have run over to the neighbors house to borrow milk (and ended up chatting on their front porch for a few minutes) while he was here watching tv or playing in his room. He knew where I was going and could come down the street if he needed me. I would not leave my block and leave him alone NO WAY!

I don't think I would be comfortable till he was at least 10 and then it would depend on his maturity level at that point!

[JTsMom]

I agree with the pp's- no way would I leave a 6 year old alone! Maybe 10-11, at the earliest, depending on the child, and then only for a quick trip. I was babysitting at 10 or 11 too- sounds insane to me now though! I would watch my sister and 2 cousins at that age. What was my mother thinking?!? I was a pretty mature kid, but still.

[Globetrotter]

We live in earthquake country, so I can't imagine leaving a kid at home until they were old enough to deal with it alone, heaven forbid the big one should come along while I was out :eek: I'm not sure what that age is, and I imagine it would vary from one kid to the next. Maybe early teens?

Besides, there could be a fire or injury.

Kris

[bubbaray]

Where I live (BC, Canada), it is not legal to leave a child alone if they are under age 12. Please don't ask me what actual statute its in (hanging head in lawyer shame), but I know its there somewhere, LOL!

Having said that, I think parents here DO leave their children alone at younger ages. In some cultures, MUCH younger ages AND having the (IMO) too young child caring for even younger children. Ugh.

I know 10 yo's who babysit. And, if you recall my vent from last year when I was 2 WEEKS PP with DD#2, DH wanted to have some twins down the street babysit for us because they had turned 10. Um, yeah, NOT.

[MelissaTC]

My DS is about to turn 6 and the only time he is home alone is when I am standing outside, yapping with my neighbors. I don't know how old I would leave him on his own but I *know* that he has to be at least in middle school, double digits, ykwim???

[kijip]

I was a latchkey kid at age 10. I can't imagine doing that for my own kid, though I could see leaving the house for a short errand (maybe running to the corner store a block away BUT not driving to the grocery store) when my kid was 10-11.

[niccig]

I think DS would have to be 10 and up for a quick errand. Much older for a longer errand or night alone. My sister was babysitting us when she was 12, before that mum got a friend's daughter who was a senior in high school. Friends suggested their babysitter, who actually lives on our street, for DS, she was 13 at the time and DS was 1 yo. Um, no thanks. I want someone much older for my baby.

[AngelaS]

My oldest is 10.5 and I've never left her home alone.

Funny, at her age, I was babysitting kids that were 3 and 4 every day from 8 to 5. They lived right across the street from my folks and my mom usually was home during the day. The summer I turned 11, I had a 4 and 5 yo AND their newborn sister! Crazy, huh?

[g-mama]

The county regulation here where I live in VA is that at age 8, they can stay home alone for a maximum of 1.5 hours in daytime hours only. By age 10, they can stay alone for up to 3 hours.

My oldest ds is 7.5, and I could see that he could be trusted to stay home alone, I would only do it in some very unusual circumstances. And, knowing him, if I allowed him to stay home alone even once, he'd want to do it ALL THE TIME!! Like if I had to run to the grocery store or something he didn't want to do, he'd beg me to stay home.

[Pennylane]

I had no idea that there were laws concerning this! Growing up, my mom worked and I came home to an empty house everyday starting in the first grade. I think it was only for about 30 minutes to one hour though. I can't imagine my dd doing that now.

I spoke again with his mom when she got home (she was gone about 40 minutes) and she said he was in the same spot as when she left. I told her next time to just please send him to my house!

Ann

[lorinick]

I have son soon to be 8 in a few weeks. No way would I think of leaving him home alone. I'm not sure even at 10. Maybe some kids at 10. Every child is different. To bad we need a law to tell us what age we can leave our children home alone. Looks like the ones they make this laws for don't follow them anyway. I've never heard of a six year old staying home alone. CRAZY!

[lizajane]

holy bananas! 6!!! my 5 year old is TERRIFIED if i leave the room without telling him!!!

i used to BABYSIT at age 9. yikes!! i did let a 12 year old babysit my kids, but she (now 15) was a VERY special 12 year old, unlike most.

with my specific kids, i bet schuyler will be 12 and dylan will be 10 before i leave them alone. and i mean, they would be together. MAYBE i could leave dylan alone for 1/2 hour at age 9. but not schuyler. he is my worrier.

[kijip]

holy bananas! 6!!! my 5 year old is TERRIFIED if i leave the room without telling him!!!



EXACTLY. T has a freakout "where are you MAMA, where are you DADDY???!!!" if we walk upstairs to do laundry when he is on the main level of the house. He will be 5 in less than a freaking week. I can't imagine leaving him alone in only 12 months. I think he would have a kid heart attack. I picture that six year old in the same spot, somewhat afraid to move. I used to get freaked out home alone at 10...I remember 1 afternoon where I did not go to the bathroom because I was convinced "something" was in there. :ROTFLMAO:

[DDowning]

I had to be 12 before my mom would let me stay home by myself. She was ever so glad too because that was one less child she had to worry about arranging daycare for after school!

[Melanie]

Maybe 12. It will depend, but probably not when he is 12 WITH his at-the-time 8 yo sister.

My 6 yo freaks out if I go to the mailbox during rest time. I can't imagine actually being alone. It's one thing to think they're "safe" and won't "do" anything dangerous, but what if something just happens. A fire starts, a natural disaster, someone breaks in, a glass breaks. All these odd-ball circumstances a young child cannot handle.

[kk]

I don't think I would leave my child alone to go somewhere in the car until they're 10. that said, I do run across the street to pick up dry cleaning or run in the corner market and leave my oldest alone. She's almost 8. These two storefronts are so close to our house that she could stick her head out the door and yell and I'd hear her.

[g-mama]

Every child is different.

I'm not saying I *would* leave my ds alone when he was 8 (the one who is now 7.5), but I probably *could*. When I was pregnant with my third baby and he was 5, I would go upstairs to my bedroom to take a nap and he would stay downstairs for an hour or more playing by himself. He will go out in the fenced backyard and play for a long time alone while I'm in the house.

OTOH, my almost-5-year-old FREAKS OUT if I leave the room and he doesn't see me. Go to the mailbox without him coming with me? Forget about it. He'd have an anxiety attack.

Just examples of different kids having different comfort levels with being alone, not saying that I would leave him at home alone. I just know that when you have a kid who is a certain way, it's very difficult to conceive of a child having traits that are completely different than those that you live with.

[nov04]

When I was confidant they could deal with an emergency on their own Ie: calling 911 and/or walking out of the house calmly. Honestly, I think that would be around 10 to 12.

[Christyscmh]

As far as legality goes - there aren't any laws that specify what age your child should be left alone. That truly is a case for the parent's decision. I think the reason for this is that kids mature at varying ages these days and the parent usually can take discretion in this when considering what is best for them and their child. My best friend has a 9 year old that she occasionally leaves alone; which normally would have made me squeemish but given that her daughter is probably the most mature 9 year old I've ever seen, I didn't think anything of it when she told me. But 6 years old? No matter how mature they might be, I still find this a little too young to be left alone. Anything could happen - and the curiosity level of a child that young makes that risk even higher...what if they wanted to try cooking? even if they know they aren't supposed to touch the stove - you're not there to enforce that or even to be used as a deterrent. Or what if they wanted to go for a walk? The scenario's that could be presented in this case could go on and on, and get scarier and scarier by the moment. If I were you, for your own peace of mind as well as your child's priceless safety, I'd make other arrangements.

[brittone2]

I don't think I'll know until I'm there. I think the age thing is relatively arbitrary (although 6 is far too young IMO).