Whats everyone's views on the age you could leave children home without a babysitter?

Question

I know it depends on how mature the child/ren are but there seems to be no legal age? My guideline I have used is 14.

Answer 1

Somewhere between 12 and up. Most parents wait until their child is 13. Once a child turns 13, they can no longer go to daycare. The maturity level of a child plays a big role. Being home alone can be a frightening and potentially dangerous situation for many children and adolescents. Parents should strive to limit the times when children are home alone. Parents should prepare their children in advance for how to deal with situations that may arise. I think a child should be eased into it. Leave them home for an hour or two, then go over how things went.

Answer 2

I asked a similar question a little while ago - and I got lots of different opinions.

I have a 10 year old, and have left him for a short period of less than an hour. I trust him, and we have good neighbours if there's a problem. Having said that, it isn't something I would do often - but independence has to start somewhere.

But it will be a long time before I'd go out in the evening and leave him - I agree with you, no less than 14.

And whatever anyone else might say, in the UK there is NO age when you can leave them legally - it's parental discretion. But it's an offence to leave them in a situation that could possibly harm them or cause them distress - so clearly, it's always going to be illegal to leave very young children for any length of time.

Answer 3

I'm sure that most kids would say once they hit the age of 12 or so that they are fine. But I do believe that were I live it is 13 or 14. Babysitting courses are offered for young people aged 15 so obviously it must be under that. I think you are using a good guideline and although the kids may whine and complain about being "babysat" I'm sure that there are times that they have someone there to talk with in case of scary movies or noises they may hear. Besides once they are a little older they will appreciate the fact that you were looking out for their safety and may even thank you for it. Besides we all know what can happen regarding house parties etc. that get out of hand when parents are away and young teens are left to their own vices. Too many parties involving substances and parents house and goods are often destroyed by those who don't have any respect for others belongings. It is not always our own kids fault either (although they need to take some responsibility when this occurs) as sometimes others become aware of parent(s) being away and the next thing you know you have half the school there uninvited and it all just happens innocently. Ha! Good luck to you.

Answer 4

It totally depends on the maturity of the children, and also other factors like :

Is there someone they can go to for advice if necessary - like a neighbour?
How long will you be out?
Are kids being left together? - 2 young teens together may well fight!
Are they happy about being left?
Are they trustworthy?


I was quite happy to leave my kids alone for a while probably from 10 onwards - say while i popped to the shops but not til say 13 for a longer time.

You have to consider how the kid would react if you didn't come home (horrible thought, but accidents happen, and you need to know they would take the right course of action).

Answer 5

My son is16 he is my eldest child and I have three others aged 10, 3, and 1. I have to organise a babysitter because I know my son is not responsible enough to look after 3 others. I think this is a personal choice I think that girls tend to have more about them at probably 15.

By the way my 16 year old has stayed on his own since the age of 14 but there is no way I would leave him with his sisters.

I think that if you trust the person looking after the children then its up too you. I would definitely have to have someone who it totally responsible and probably about 18 -20 plus.

Answer 6

It depends on the children, some kids are mature, some need constant supervision, so in all fairness, it's down to the individual.
Our daughter was left on her own from the age of 11, if i did not feel i could trust her then, their is no way she would have been left on her own!!!!
I am pretty sure their is a guideline of the age that children are allowed to be on their own, but not sure what it is.
My daughter is 14 now, and so fiercely independent, sometimes we wander if we did the right thing, leaving her at the age of 11.

Answer 7

Yes, I would concur that it very much depends on the children. I would never leave them under the age of 12 however mature they were for safety reasons. Would they know what to do if there was a fire or if a younger child was injured etc etc? However, if my 14 year old was extremely immature I wouldn't want to leave him/her alone either! So I would say 12/13 as a rock bottom baseline but only if they were unusually mature for their age.

Answer 8

There are legal age limits to leaving children in the sole care of another. I think 14 is the age you can legally leave children in care of another child. Any younger I think you may find yourself in trouble and it being seen as abandonment. At 14 a young person usually has their wits about them. Personally, I would check with the local police station. There's nothing wrong in asking them as it show you are a responsible adult.

Answer 9

I was left alone from 11 for a couple of weeks at a time and I survived but I would never leave my 11 year old for more that a about 10 minutes he is sensible and well behaved but I think he would be scared to be left for more than that.

I think you have to take into account how they would cope in an emergancy remember no one ever plans for there to be a problem they just happen. What would they do if they got scared?

I think they should be in their teens before you leave them for more than a hour or so. Always leave them with the ability to ring you and tell them you would rather be disturbed then have them scared or upset.

Answer 10

First of all, elkins_debbie is very, very wrong. There is no law that says children under the age of 15 can't be left home alone. Your guideline, 14, is a very reasonable one. My parents first left me home alone at 12, but they had the neighbors checking in on me every so often, and it was not at night.