At what age is it okay to leave them home alone?

a_mastermom · Guru

At what age is it okay to leave them home alone?

a_mastermom · Guru

I am voting for 11, but really I mean 11 1/2, lol. Natalie is a little older than some of the younger siblings, and Jake is a very responsible kid. In addition, all three of my kids get along very well. I think I would feel comfortable leaving Jake in charge for short time periods, like running a quick errand. If Natalie was younger, or I was afraid Jake and Logan would beat each other up, my thoughts might be different, but I am hopeful that 11 is the age!

3s_a_crowd · Guru

i put twelve. For some reason 11 in my head still seems so young to me. BUt I guess it also depends on the neighborhood, where Im going, how long, the kid etc.

kdrew · Guru

We just started leaving Jack alone.

It's been so nice not to have to drag 3 around.

Especially this summer when they were all home.

I make him keep a phone by him at all times and I call and check in.

He's completely not ready to watch the other kids though.

muffy · Guru

it depends on the child. and if its just them or are they "babysitting" younger siblings.

tim and cecile i would leave home briefly (an hour?) when they were 10 and alone. well, i think i let the 2 say when he was 10 and cecile 8.

i would let the 2 of the home alone for a few hours, like dinner out, (and take clara with me) when tim was 11 and cecile 9.

since clara was 3, cecile 10 and tim 12, i would leave the 3 home for a few hours. i would pay cecile a little babysitting money as it was her who played with clara and put her to bed (tim would watch tv lol)

cecile wants to properly babysit cate, but i wont do that till next year after cate is 1. but cecile is realllly responsible.

and plus i have been flying cecile cross the atlantic alone since she was 9, so perhaps i am more open to these things?

-- Edited by muffy on Saturday 28th of August 2010 11:54:57 AM

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Here they can get babysitting certification at 12. So, I would think a kid at 11 should be able to stay home alone. I would say 10 for short spurts if the child was very responsible.

sappy · Guru

i'm having a hard time answering.

jake is 15.5 and i still don't leave him home alone with the other kids unless they are already asleep.

i know he won't change a diaper so no leaving bennett with him. he & caroline fight a lot (weird!?!) so i won't leave her with him & mikey has always been sick so i never felt comfortable that jake would know what to do if mikey started bleeding or got sick or something....

i guess it says a lot about jake's maturity level that at his age i still can't leave him home with his siblings. hmm

kdrew · Guru

sappy wrote:

i'm having a hard time answering.

jake is 15.5 and i still don't leave him home alone with the other kids unless they are already asleep.

i know he won't change a diaper so no leaving bennett with him. he & caroline fight a lot (weird!?!) so i won't leave her with him & mikey has always been sick so i never felt comfortable that jake would know what to do if mikey started bleeding or got sick or something....

i guess it says a lot about jake's maturity level that at his age i still can't leave him home with his siblings.

Sara some kids just aren't babysitting material.

I don't see Jack ever being responsible enough.

Ryan will be great I'm sure.

Plus, I think girls just have that instinct more, not to say that some boys aren't good at it but the girls in my neighborhood were all wanting to babysit and 11 and 12.

The 11 and 12 year old boys were not chomping at the bit.

muffy · Guru

sappy wrote:

i'm having a hard time answering.

jake is 15.5 and i still don't leave him home alone with the other kids unless they are already asleep.

i know he won't change a diaper so no leaving bennett with him. he & caroline fight a lot (weird!?!) so i won't leave her with him & mikey has always been sick so i never felt comfortable that jake would know what to do if mikey started bleeding or got sick or something....

i guess it says a lot about jake's maturity level that at his age i still can't leave him home with his siblings.

sara.... tim is 14 and i never have him babysit clara, let alone cate.

no way.

its because cecile is so mature that i take advantage of instant babysitting.

i think its a boy thing... not just jake.

Supafly · Guru

I said 11, but I would probably say older if they were watching sibs a lot younger (and I think it depends on the children).

I babysat at 12, but for neighbors only and when my parents were at home in case there were problems.

By the time Anna is 11, Kate will be almost 10, so I imagine they would be ok on their own for short stretches. Anna is very responsible for 5, so unless things drastically change, I think she would be ok.

I might even leave Anna to babysit a younger sib, should we be so lucky.

Kate? IDK. I doubt it. Unless she grows up some with a younger sib in the house, or gains some common sense, I think she would be older before I let her stay on her own or babysit.

Oh, and Sara, my brother is 3 years older than I am-he never babysat. He wasn't interested. And I HATED when my mom and dad left him in charge, so they mostly got babysitters, even when we were at an age where my brother tried to hit on them, lol.

Alicia · Senior Member

Stephen was 11 when Raven was born and was never left alone at that age. I didn't start leaving him home until he ask not to go somewhere. I started leaving Raven with him when I went to the store/errands when she was 2. I would pick him over any other babysitter. He is 16 now and I would leave her with him overnight if needed.
For me it has nothing to do with age/gender. My niece is 16 and lives next door and I wouldn't leave Raven with her. It comes down to maturity, personality and how well they know Raven so that is why Stephen is the best choice.

Corey · Guru

i was allowed to babysit at age 12, so i think 11 is appropriate to stay home alone. i would not allow him/her to go outside, doors would need to stay locked, no friends, no answering the door, etc.

supergrover · Guru

Total latch key kid here. My brother started watching me when he was 8 before and after school when parents were at work.

In retrospect...wow. Bad idea.

11 I can see if they aren't responsible for little sibs. Older- depending on the child- to watch littles.

Boots and Bananas · Guru

Travis is 12.5 and can watch Lucas and my almost 3 year old niece. Lucas is incredibly independent though and Evie just chills and plays. Travis is not good at actually playing with them vs just making sure they are safe which is fine with me.

I can't think of how old Nikki was when I let her watch Travis (they are only 5 years apart LOL) but she has been watching Lucas pretty much since he was born and she was 12.5 then.

LucsMama · Senior Member

I was just wondering about that... I remember walking home alone in elm school 2 & 3rd grade and being by myself for a while. My mom was working 12 hour shifts and my Dad was in Kuwait... I'm pretty sure my older brother in HS was PROBABLY supposed to be watching me and or picking me up....

I don't know what age I'll start to leave Lucas home.. I was thinking 11 or 12

Michele · Senior Member

I voted 12 but might allow 11 depending on the child and their maturity level.

Juni · Guru

I have no freakin' idea! I almost never came home to an empty house. My dad got off work before I got home from school and he drove me to school or walked me every morning.

I really don't know and probably won't know until we get there.

LucsMama · Senior Member

So there is a kid on Lucas' Elm school bus that gets off the bus and goes home alone... she is in either 4th of 5th grade. Isn't that a little young? I'm not sure how long she is there by herself but it kind of bothers me... she walks straight home and pulls out her key and unlocks the door and goes inside.

apies · Guru

LucsMama wrote:

So there is a kid on Lucas' Elm school bus that gets off the bus and goes home alone... she is in either 4th of 5th grade. Isn't that a little young? I'm not sure how long she is there by herself but it kind of bothers me... she walks straight home and pulls out her key and unlocks the door and goes inside.

IMO a mature 8 or 9 year old could come home lock the door and be there alone for an hour. No younger siblings or anything.

I think there are plenty of kids that age who couldn't handle it but some who could. Jammis neighbor has a 5th grader who is super mature. I know they leave her home sometimes and I wouldn't question that at all. I think it's a matter of knowing your kid.

-- Edited by apies on Sunday 5th of September 2010 08:03:10 AM

LucsMama · Senior Member

apies wrote:

LucsMama wrote:

So there is a kid on Lucas' Elm school bus that gets off the bus and goes home alone... she is in either 4th of 5th grade. Isn't that a little young? I'm not sure how long she is there by herself but it kind of bothers me... she walks straight home and pulls out her key and unlocks the door and goes inside.

IMO a mature 8 or 9 year old could come home lock the door and be there alone for an hour. No younger siblings or anything.

I think there are plenty of kids that age who couldn't handle it but some who could. Jammis neighbor has a 5th grader who is super mature. I know they leave her home sometimes and I wouldn't question that at all. I think it's a matter of knowing your kid.

-- Edited by apies on Sunday 5th of September 2010 08:03:10 AM

Yeah she has no younger siblings and I forgot to mention she has a cell phone. She calls her parents as soon as she gets off the bus and talks to them while she is walking home.