what age is it safe to leave a child alone?

Question

my son is 11 and is mature.

Answer 1

My daughter is 11 too and I have left her alone, but not all day. Just half a day. She has babysat for me her brothers too. She has all the emergency numbers & cell numbers. She knows well what to do incase of an emergency. I think it depends on your child. At the end of the week I give her some money for helping us out. Or I deposit it in her account.

Answer 2

With the way things are in the world today, I would not leave my child home alone at 16! Back when my daughter was in the 8th grade - 13 , tested her to see if she would respond to knocks on the door in my absence and she passed however, I was never comfortable with her being alone. In our state, if THE state finds out you have left an underaged child at home, alone - they can take your child from you and place him/her in foster care until you go to court to prove you are a fit mother. I have witnessed both the taking of a child AND was the person who received the child in my care. It took the mother 9 months to get her child back and not without lots of protocol and interference from the government and parenting classes - all because the child was considered a "latch key kid" and came in everyday the same time, getting off the bus from school, (2:15) Some neighbor saw him everyday for about 2 weeks and noticed it was sometimes well after 7:00 before an adult would show up.

If I were you, I'd check with the state just to see what the policy is. If you HAVE to do this, make sure a reliable neighbor can look in on him, or check with him on occasion. Also, have phone numbers available for him and neighbors to contact.

I would also consider having an older, reliable teen to be there with him, or have him go home with other students who may live nearby.

I am a teacher and I have several students whose parents cannot afford babysitters however, we have afterschool tutoring and this way, their children can have the advantage of homework and other academic help and be picked up later by a parent. The government pays us for the afterschool tutoring and everybody wins.....

Answer 3

If he's mature you should be alright, LOL... I was babysitting other kids before that age!

Things to consider:
The maturity level of the children;
The accessibility of the parent, guardian, caretaker or responsible adult by phone or in person;
The physical or mental health condition of the children;
The behavioral history of the children;
Whether a young child is using a stove, iron or appliance which poses a danger because of their age;
Whether the parents have discussed an escape plan or held a fire drill with the children;
Whether the residence has a smoke detector;
Whether there are unusual hazards in the home;
The children's reaction to being left alone;
The ages of the children being cared for;
Whether the child has completed a Baby-sitting Clinic; and
The reliability of the person that the parent has chosen to provide supervision.

Answer 4

You need to check your local laws. In some states, you cannot leave a child under the age of 13 alone.
If the age is lower in your state and you are comfortable with leaving him home, then make sure he has emergency contacts nearby and knows how to get help if he needs it.
I will caution you though, that no matter how mature they seem, when you leave kids alone, they will get into trouble.

Answer 5

The laws governing this are different in every state and country. I'm in Australia, and the law says that from the age of 12, children can be left without a carer (i'm assuming this means for short periods of time). My son is 8, is very sensible, and usually comes home from school about 1/2 hour before I get home from work. He loves this time,phones me when he gets in, makes himself a drink and snack,(no cooking, no sharp knives) puts on his music, and calls me if he wishes to go out. It's worked well all of this year, and gives him his independence and shows him I trust him. We have a closer, trusting relationship now, and I'm trusting him to make more decisions and do more things. Although I can't say I'd leave him at home while I went out yet, we're slowly building to that.

Answer 6

I was very young. I would be about 5 when my parents would run to the store, and leave me for a few minutes. But to make sure I never answered the phone or the door bell they would trick me and ring it to see if i would answer lol.
But I was staying at home for longer periods of time when I was about 8 or 9. We live in a very small, safe town though. I would walk to school by myself in the 2nd grade. I know a lot of places you cant do that.
If you arent sure, just try leaving him for an hour or so at first, and see how he goes. Do it gradually, but i wouldnt suggest late into the night.

Answer 7

First, make sure about the laws in your area. Some states prohibit children under a certain age to be left alone.
You feel your son is mature, you would know best.
But the fact that you are asking and questioning means you have some reservations and doubts.
Maybe it`s best to wait......

Answer 8

my brother is 11 almost 12 and he stays home alone.....not all day but for a couple of hours...he knows were all the emergency numbers are and my sister lives in the next house over so if anything happens he just walks across the yard

Answer 9

Each state varies with how old children are legally allowed to be home alone. Most of them are between 10 and 12. You might want to check first though.

Answer 10

i think 11 is ok but i think that 13 is a better ago and more of a maturity level this all depends on how you raised him if he was babied or if you let him make most of his own decisions about his life and you just mediated