How old can they be to stay home alone? - Page 2

[LynnS6]

I think it depends completely on maturity and so can really vary. Our ds is 9, and not at all ready to stay home alone. I asked him last night. He'd had to go home with a friend because dh's car broke down and dh wasn't able to pick ds up from the bus stop. I told ds that since he had a key to the house, he could come home and wait for his dad. Ds told me that he didn't like to be alone.

Many local Red Cross organizations have a "when I'm home alone" course that teaches kids the basics about being safe at home. Our local organization offers the course for kids 8-11.

This is a pretty good list of things to think about to see if your child is ready to stay home alone.

[damona]

i leave my kids alone sometimes after they are all asleep. they know i'm going out (and it's only to one of the neighbours within our complex) and i take my cell phone. i don't leave them alone to go anywhere off the property, unless it's a quick run to the store for something. we live in a pretty small town, so i don't worry much. as flaky as my 11yo can be, he is very responsible about his brothers, and i think it's good for kids to learn to be self-sufficient.

i only leave during the day to run and do laundry (which i do at my neighbours these days. my wretched washing machine broke ) my 5yo cannot be left to his own devices for longer than 5 minutes, even with all his brothers watching him!

[Ann-Marita]

Like others have posted, it all depend on the kid's maturity. And also the neighborhood. We're more likely to get raccoons in the house than strangers in our yard.

DD was mature, so by age 8 I was able to run to the corner store. Probably no more than 5 or 10 minutes.

And around that age, I was able to walk around (and around and around) the small block that our house faces, walking past my house every 3 - 5 minutes. I got in shape one spring doing that. DD would wave to me from the window some, and run out to stop me if she wanted me.

When she was about 12, she got a cell phone and house key, and that gave us all a nice degree of freedom. I had opposed the cell phone when DH first came home with it, but after setting firm limits on its use, it turned out to be a real help!

If needed, we trust her alone at the house for up to a few hours.

She's a young teen now, and I'm wondering when we will feel comfortable leaving her overnight. We have really wonderful neighbors (the people that would raise her if DH and I both died), who work in the medical field (that's handy!), so that helps.

[Kindermama]

Just started to do this with our oldest...she loves it!

[mar123]

It does depend, but check state laws. I know ours are pretty strict.

I started teaching summer school in 2007. My kids were 11, 9, and 6 (almost 7). I was gone for 4 hours and my in laws live a mile away and dh was working 5 minutes away. They did great that summer! Better than they do now that they are 14, 12 and 9, LOL. They fight more now and make bigger messes, LOL.

[time4another]

Close to age 10 when I let her stay home for a few when running her sister to dance lessons or running to the store.

Now I let her stay home one on one with either of her sisters while I run errands or one of them to dance lessons, she's close to 11. Just this week I let her come home from school, let herself in and chill while I was at a meeting and the other 2 were at the sitters. First time she was home alone for more than an hour-she called me when she got here, I let her on the 'puter and called before I left. She said she was bored! LOL

This summer I plan on trying to have her with the older 2 while I go to yoga or running. But they fight alot now, so we'll see.

For the 7 year old, she'll probably be ready to hang out at home for short trips when she's around 8-9 (in a year).

For the 3 year old, I'm thinking probably never...

[1xmom]

I checked the state laws in MD and it said 8. But there is no way my child was ready to stay home alone then. She is 10 now and like others have stated, I let her stay home for abut 10 mins. at a time, just long enough to make a quick dash to the store or pick up pizza or something.