Home Alone

Hi, At what age do you think its ok to start leaving your children at home without a sitter while you are out for an hour or so??

I think it really depends upon the maturity level of the child and how prepared they are. Both my children were about 11 when I first started leaving them home alone for short periods of time.

Thx Whiterose for responding. My oldest is 11 and very mature. I have always had a sitter but recently hubby and I thought it might be ok for us to go a few miles away and have dinner and let them stay here. :)

Around these areas I believe the child has to be 13 to be able to be alone .. thats a law up here

Good point MerAlove, I should definately check into that. :)

The law in Virginia is this: You must be 9 to be left alone, but you cannot be alone for more than 1 hour. At 11, you can be left home for 2. At 13, you are legally allowed to babysit for others and be home alone at the parents discretion.

Honestly, I think it depends on the child! At 9, I was very mature and AFRAID of my parents or disappointing them. By 11, I had my two HORRIBLE babysitting experiences and swore off that. I was responsible, but I did NOT fair well as a babysitter. LOL.

Laws have changed, but I'd look into your state law and then make a decision based on your childs maturity level and bring a cellphone, so he can call you (and you can check up on him). ;)

~phos

My mom always told me it was 13 here in Kansas, but I never checked up on it. I think my son was about 10 or 11 when I first left him at home when I ran to the store.

Funny thing though...one time I went to the corner store to get a gallon of milk, and my youngest was asleep in the car seat. I asked my oldest, who was about 10 at the time, if he would just wait in the car with the 2-year-old sleeping while I grabbed the milk. The doors were locked and the car wasn't running, and I was in the store tops five minutes, but when I came out the police were waiting for me!!!!

Never did that one again....

I started leaving my daughter home alone for an hour or so when she was 11. She is now almost 14 and I feel comfortable going out for several hours and leaving her alone.

From the posts I have read, it seems the laws vary from state to state. I would have to look up the ones for Maryland.

My daughter has been alone at home since the age of 11.

When we first moved to Indiana, Jerm was working the second shift. So I would have to go and pick him up at 12:30 midnight. I'd be gone a total of 45 minutes. She was sleeping, but I'd always go and nudge her awake letting her know I was leaving and the phone was on her nightstand.

She stays after school 3:00 - 6:00 usually.

She's 12 and very mature for her age. I never worry of what she would do, but moreso of what could happen.

I never leave her home alone to go out somewhere fun, that's not me, if I go to a movie or shopping or whatever, she's always with us.

It really depends on the maturity of the child......just exactly what he/she can handle and how responsible they are.

sora

I think here in England the official age that you can leave a child alone is 14 though I'm sure lots of people leave younger children than that.

I think it also depends on what kind of neighborhood you live in. If there is a trusted neighbor close by that your child is both familiar and comfortable with, a younger age would be ok (depending, of course, on the child), but if you live in a very rural area or in a dangerous part of a big city, I'd wait a little longer.

Be sure to go over "What to do if there is an emergency" with your child. Fires, a stranger at the door, odd phonecalls and the like...

All the law states in Nebraska is that the child must be mature enough to know how to respond in an emergency, although most people think that there is a law that says 11.

This year my daughter stays home alone while I work. She's pretty mature for 11 though, and I really think it depends on the kid. My son in law and daughter work about 6 blocks away, so it's easier having them so close.

I was babysitting for other kids at her age, being the oldest of a big family, I basically grew up taking care of kids. There aren't too many pictures of me as a child that I don't have a baby slapped on my hip. That twenty five cents an hour I got for taking care of other's little ones seemed like a fortune at the time.

My older three I didn't leave alone until the oldest was about 14 and the youngest 11. And actually I trusted the youngest to watch her big brothers. I hate to sound sexist, but in most cases I'd leave a girl home alone lots younger than a boy. They tend to take things apart and stuff, those boys.