When did you stop using babysitters?

[Anonymous]

Kids are 12 and 9. No problems staying home alone or together, mostly during the day, or for us to go out to a quick dinner. But what if the event was later? 10pm? Would you bother using a sitter?

[Anonymous]

12 as late as we want to go out. A sitter if overnight or a weekend.

FWIW, I was babysitting within my neighborhood at 12.

[Anonymous]

At 12.

[Anonymous]

What about with an only? I don’t think we can do that. They prob need to sleep over at a friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about with an only? I don’t think we can do that. They prob need to sleep over at a friends.

You know your child best. Ours was left alone at 12. No cell phone either. We do have a land line.

[Anonymous]

We stopped when they were about those ages, maybe even 9 and 11.

We went to a NYE party this year and got home at 2am. Our 14 yo didn’t want to come and we had no issues with him being home alone. I wouldn’t have left our 12 yo alone but it’s kid dependent. They would be fine together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about with an only? I don’t think we can do that. They prob need to sleep over at a friends.

My only was fine. She'd read books, take a bath, watch Netflix, etc.

[Anonymous]

My only is 12 and he doesn't have sitters anymore unless we will be gone overnight.

[Anonymous]

Age 10 we met ours stay home alone. Latest till midnight, but mostly home by 9 or 1Opm. We set house alarm and check in from time to time.

[Anonymous]

At 12

[Anonymous]

Our almost 11 year old is fine during daylight hours, but if she'll be asleep while we're going we'll have someone at the house watching her.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the kid for us. My DC1 was totally fine at 11, but then once they turned 14 we had to be careful that they wouldn't throw a party (which they did when we went out to dinner in DC for a few hours and another time for a Nate game).

My DC2 still gets scared at 12 to be home alone at night, so we try to either not go out too late or arrange for it to be with a neighbor/friend.

[Anonymous]

We leave our 10 and 12 year old now. When it was late night-past 11pm, we’d get a sitter until recently but haven’t had a late night this year so they haven’t really experienced that yet but I think they’d be fine. If 12 year old is at a sleepover and 10 year old is alone, we get a sitter.

[Anonymous]

15 and 16.

[Anonymous]

We have an only who is now 10. We have left her alone for upto 3 hours and she’s been fine. During the week though she has activities she needs driving to so we will probably need a sitter for a few more years on those days, or at least a driver. I wouldn’t leave her to go to dinner, I’d feel guilty, she would either come with us or if spouse and I are doing something special that goes late she can sleep at Grandparents. This happens maybe twice a year.