How old should my kids be when I can leave them alone in the house?

Question

I'm talking about during the day, for less than an hour- we live in the suburbs.

Answer 1

How old should a child be?
Younger children in primary school should not be left alone but age should not be the only factor in your decision. Parents should make a decision based on their child's responsibility and emotional stability. The child should want responsibility, be able to follow directions and be able to solve problems independently.

How can you tell if a child is ready to be left alone?
The answer to this is to simply ask. The majority of children will tell the truth. If your child turns on all the lights, has the radio or TV on full volume or has nightmares- do not leave him alone.

How much can a child be left alone?
A child should be left alone as little as possible. Older children, three hours a day is enough. Parents should put off their errands until they can come home and take their children with them.

Can a child be left alone with their brother or sister?
No child younger than 10 can effectively supervise other children. If an older child is in charge, younger children should still be taught some self-reliance.

Extra suggestions
Make a sheet outlining rules and responsibilities.
Make another one with important phone numbers and locations.
Get the family together and make a daily schedule that everyone can feel comfortable with so that tasks can get accomplished easier.

Answer 2

I started at about 10 years old for no more then 15 minutes. By 11 it was less then an hour but it depends on the child. I dont know how old your kids are but you can't leave an 11 year old child with a younger sibling. Many states require a child to be 12 to be left alone to care for a younger child.

Answer 3

Well, what I do is every night when I go and get our 11 yr old I leave our 4 and 6 yr old home watching a cartoon. We do have another adult but she's disabled and always sleeping so they do have someone if they need to but only if they need to. They've done very well with it and I'm only gone like 20 min. As far as really alone for an hour I'd say about 9 or 10. At that age they should be responsible enough to get out in case of fire and be able to handle themselves for a short time. In all cases though it depends on the child. Good luck

Answer 4

This is an question, I struggled with when my girls were younger. I did test drives by working outside in the yard or going into my room with the door shut or taking a long bath. I explained that mommy was taking a timeout and my oldest was in charge. I reminded them how to answer the phone, not to answer the doors and basic rules that we keep at all times. To begin with it was a struggle for them to learn to rely on themselves and each other but they soon became accustomed to it. I then ventured out to the store to get milk, go to the bank, or pick up a movie. However, I would not have done any of these things without a cell phone in my pocket and our big hunka dog in the house.

My oldest was 10 years old and there was times I got phone calls that were frantic with fighting kids. However, only once did I have to make a frantic drive home to rescue the remote. By the time my daughter was 12, I was able to leave them home for longer periods of time.

This was how I judged my oldest ready to take charge. I asked her a serious of questions. What would you do if....When she answered 80% right and could call my cell phone under stress. I considered her ready. Good luck and remember kids make mistakes and will fight with each other.

Answer 5

For less than an hour? Ten will probably be okay, but make sure that the rules are firmly set.

They need to call you when they get home, no company, NO cooking, and homework first.

Run about a week's worth of practice afternoons, and then have a trial day. Make sure that you have a back up, though, in case things will not work out.

Answer 6

I don't think age is the question, does the child know how to dial 911 and answer questions that they would ask (address, parents cell numbers, etc) Do you trust the child to not use the stove or any other appliance? Would the child open the door to anyone? Is your child a curious one that would see something and want to explore (matches, weapons, anything that could be dangerous). Some kids at 8 are ready and some kids at14 aren't!

Answer 7

Actually there IS a law and people who don't know this should not be saying there isn't. In most states it's between 11-13. If there were no law against it then you would be able to leave a toddler home alone, get real.

When I was young I was taken away from my mother and my brother and I were put in a horrible children's shelter for about 6 months. It was very tramatic. Please be careful. You could call your local social services and ask them what the legal age is.

To Dizney: I AM IN CALIFORNIA. I also have worked with children before I know my laws about children.

I got this from the web: I would urge you to contact your local law enforcement agency, like the city police or county Sheriff's office to get the specifics for your area. This is what I did in my own county, in California, some time ago, when I was heading up a hotline for kids left home alone. In our area, it is considered illegal for children under 11 to be left home alone. But, the law enforcement agency warned me that any child left home alone is at risk, and if anything should happen to the child, such as a burn or traffic accident, the parents could be arrested for child abandonment. The officer told me that it was a "big gamble" whenever you leave children home alone.
Web Page: http://parentingtoolbox.com/engineers/homealone.html

No laws huh??? Look again. That's why I was taken away from my mother because she left me alone! If there was no laws then any child of any age could be left alone. It's illegal.

Answer 8

There is no law. I think people are getting confused about the laws in some states that say you have to be 12 to babysit another person's children. There is not a certain age either. It is when you can trust them to not open the doors to strangers, not answer the phone, not use the stove/microwave/oven when they are not suppose to, go in rooms they are not suppose to (attic or something that is dangerous), and etc. So if you think you can trust them to just sit and play a game or watch TV and wait until you get home I say try it and if it doesn't work out wait another year or so.

Answer 9

It depends how responsible they are. The minimum age is probably around nine, but if they feel insecure being left alone, then don't leave them alone. Make sure that they know what to do in an emergency, your phone number, don't touch the stove, etc.

Answer 10

It depends on the child. Some 14 year olds are less mature than some 11 year olds!

Remember, kids have to grow up sometime. Some parents seem to want to wrap their kids in "bubble wrap" to keep them safe. Let them try it and see what happens.

Don't listen to "musicpartner67" about laws. At least in CA, there is no law as to minumum age.