For those of you with kids - how old were they when you started leaving them home alone?

[Mreader]

And for how much time? And what safeguards did you have in place?

I was a latchkey kid and was home alone after school for hours at a time from a young age. But that was in the 80s and everyone had a landline and knew all the neighbors.

Anyway I'm just curious about the current trends. My son just turned nine.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Probably about 12, by that time they were at high school and getting the bus there and back. It seemed reasonable to leave them for short periods.

(Actually just had a look at the U.K. guidance from our NSPCC (children’s protection) and it says 12 too)

 

[pearlsngems]

Probably around 12. I was a stay at home mom so she would not have been alone much anyway.

I also didn't let her cross the main road here alone until she was 10 (people routinely go 45 mph on this road). Studies show that kids younger than 10 have a hard time estimating the speed of cars coming toward them.

 

[Lookinagain]

12. The guideline (at least at the time) in my state said they should 12 to be home alone. It was also the age at when after school care was no longer available. So she could come home from school while I was at work and would be home alone about 3 hours. Your state should have some guidelines for this, I would think. Some states have statutes that require a minimum age to be met, but most do not. However I think there can be local city or county guidelines that have not been codified.

 

[Karl_K]

By law 14 in IL these days
To legally babysit someone not related to you and living with you if your under 18 you need a babysitting certificate proving you took an approved class.
Its highly recommended for anyone babysitting.
It teaches cpr+chocking+fire+basic first aid and how to handle other emergencies.
Some teach proper way to hold/lay down babies and diaper changing.
Parents are encourage to take the class with their teens in many programs.

 

[Piper70]

Another SAHM here. I may have left them home for 15 to 20 minutes to run out and pick up pizza or go to the post office at 11 and 8. Anything longer than that was probably nine and 12.
That being said, I was babysitting a seven-year-old when I was 11 and the mom was a waitress so it was 6 to 8 hours in the evening.

 

[Mreader]

Another SAHM here. I may have left them home for 15 to 20 minutes to run out and pick up pizza or go to the post office at 11 and 8. Anything longer than that was probably nine and 12.
That being said, I was babysitting a seven-year-old when I was 11 and the mom was a waitress so it was 6 to 8 hours in the evening.

Wow! 6-8 hours.

 

[Mreader]

In TX there is no law for a specific age (which doesn’t surprise me lol). My kid is still young at 9. I was thinking about 11 would be the age I would feel comfortable leaving him after school for example but just curious what others did nowadays.

 

[Karl_K]

Laws aside....
I think it depends on the kid one might be just fine at 9 or 11 and another not at 14+.
I was watching my younger brother alone for up to 7-8 hours at age 10. 3-4 hours was more usual. Diferent times I guess.

 

[Dandi]

I've been leaving my son home alone occasionally for an hour or two, for a few months now. He's almost 12, so would have started staying home alone from around 11 years old, once he could easily rattle off my do/don't list (don't answer the door, leave it locked, don't use the oven or stove etc). He LOVES having the house to himself. My 8 year old daughter will very occasionally stay home with him if I have to nip out quickly, she's very sensible, but if I'm going to be out for more than half an hour, I take her with me for my own piece of mind, more that they tend to squabble a bit!

 

[seaurchin]

I had lots of babysitting jobs from age 11, including lots of overnights and with babies. Maybe because it was a huge, low income apartment complex or just different times, I don’t know. The going rate was 50 cents an hour.

I started leaving mine for short times at about 8 and 9, as long as they were together and I was just next door or making a quick trip to the corner store or something like that. I was a stay home mom and slowly transitioned to longer times. But I didn’t leave them alone much anyway or hardly ever use babysitters. I told them they were each in charge of the other lol.

Standard rules, I’d guess. Locked doors, no answering door, curtains shut, no friends over, no using stove or oven. Plus discussions of what to do in various emergencies.

 

[HGar]

probably when they were 10 for daytimes BUT my in-laws live next door so they knew where they had to go for an emergency. Nightimes they just went there but from about 13 they were allowed to go back to our house rather then waiting at the front house until we got home. So they’d eat dinner with their grandparents then could go back home.

When they were 14-ish they could choose to stay at home or go upfront.

 

[Lookinagain]

I think it is important that we don't use our own experiences as kids to decide what is okay now. Times have changed, neighborhoods and being neighborly has changed in a lot of places. The safety of relying on the neighborhood may not be as appropriate as it was 30 or so years ago. So I'd use that as my guide, along with the child's maturity level.

 

[Begonia]

Two boys 4 years apart. Quick visit to the grocery store (gone 45 mins) when they were 8 and 12. Then I progressed up to a few hours at a time by 9 and 13. We had to go with the comfort level of the younger one so I'd go during the day when they were busy gaming or watching a movie. They were to stay inside and keep the doors locked.