How old to leave a child home alone for 10-30 minutes

[Anonymous]

I left my 8 year old home while I went to pick up his sisters at preschool and get him some gatorade when he was home sick last week--I didn't want him puking/having diarrhea in my vehicle. I was probably gone an hour. He slept through most of it.

[Anonymous]

My oldest is 5 but I can't imagine in 3 yrs I would be okay leaving him alone. He is very mature, frequently people tell me he is an old soul but 8 seems so young still

[Anonymous]

You'll be surprised how much changes in those three short years.

[Anonymous]

An 8 year old cannot babysit younger children in md. The law says you must be 13 to babysit. This includes siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids don't like the after-care at our school. They ride home and watch TV until their dad gets home. It's about an hour. They are 7 and 10.

Jealous! My 9 yo dd also doesn't like aftercare, but she also doesn't like to be home alone. So... aftercare it is for a while longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the time DD was 7, I would leave her for up to an hour. For me, it works best if I give her some specific tasks to do before I leave. "Finish eating, wash your plate, then after you get ready for bed you can either knit or read."

I hope that you are just using this as a random example.

Because leaving a 7 year old home alone unsupervised for dinner and bedtime is just irresponsible.

[Anonymous]

I know this isn't the question, but I can remember being 5 and my mom left me for literally 2 minutes to walk my 6 year old brother directly across the street. I threw a fit about being a big girl and how I didn't have to walk with them.

So, my mom agreed that if I stood at the family room window, she would leave me while she walked my brother across the street. I could see her the entire time, yet was sobbing hysterically at being left alone. I think I tried to say that I broke a toy or something when my mom asked why I was crying. I refused to admit I wasn't as much of a "big girl" as I'd claimed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time DD was 7, I would leave her for up to an hour. For me, it works best if I give her some specific tasks to do before I leave. "Finish eating, wash your plate, then after you get ready for bed you can either knit or read."

I hope that you are just using this as a random example.

Because leaving a 7 year old home alone unsupervised for dinner and bedtime is just irresponsible.

I wouldn't do that either when my daughter was 7, but seriously, think about what you just said. Who are you to tell other parents (who you don't know, whose kid you don't know) that they are "just irresponsible" for making a choice they believe is right for their family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time DD was 7, I would leave her for up to an hour. For me, it works best if I give her some specific tasks to do before I leave. "Finish eating, wash your plate, then after you get ready for bed you can either knit or read."

I hope that you are just using this as a random example.

Because leaving a 7 year old home alone unsupervised for dinner and bedtime is just irresponsible.

I wouldn't do that either when my daughter was 7, but seriously, think about what you just said. Who are you to tell other parents (who you don't know, whose kid you don't know) that they are "just irresponsible" for making a choice they believe is right for their family?

Because A) 7 years old is too young to legally be left alone without an adult and B) What kind of parent leaves their 7 year old (1st grade) alone at night?

I am guessing that if CPS were to be called about this, the parent would be in a heap of trouble.

[Anonymous]

I will leave my 10 year old home alone for an hour or so. But I just started doing it this year. I wouldn't have left him home alone at 8.

My daughter's were both babysitting infants and very young children by 13.

[Anonymous]

Related question, at what age would you leave your kid home at night without hiring a babysitter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time DD was 7, I would leave her for up to an hour. For me, it works best if I give her some specific tasks to do before I leave. "Finish eating, wash your plate, then after you get ready for bed you can either knit or read."

I hope that you are just using this as a random example.

Because leaving a 7 year old home alone unsupervised for dinner and bedtime is just irresponsible.

I wouldn't do that either when my daughter was 7, but seriously, think about what you just said. Who are you to tell other parents (who you don't know, whose kid you don't know) that they are "just irresponsible" for making a choice they believe is right for their family?

Because A) 7 years old is too young to legally be left alone without an adult and B) What kind of parent leaves their 7 year old (1st grade) alone at night?

[B]I am guessing that if CPS were to be called about this, the parent would be in a heap of trouble.

Please keep your helicopters away from my family. We are fine.

[Anonymous]

(New poster, by the way, but one who shares the same sentiment).

[Anonymous]

7 isn't actually too young to be left alone for an hour at dinner time or any time, legally, in most places.

Many states and counties do not set a specific age at which children can or cannot be alone at home.

In the PP's example, I'm imagining leaving a child at 5:30 to finish dinner while you take the other child to a Scout meeting, knowing that your spouse will be home by 6 or 6:30. So you tell the child to finish dine, clear your plate, and get PJs on, and then the other parent will be home.

Personally, my 7 year olds would not have been ready for that but maybe some people's 7 year olds are!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7 isn't actually too young to be left alone for an hour at dinner time or any time, legally, in most places.

Many states and counties do not set a specific age at which children can or cannot be alone at home.

In the PP's example, I'm imagining leaving a child at 5:30 to finish dinner while you take the other child to a Scout meeting, knowing that your spouse will be home by 6 or 6:30. So you tell the child to finish dine, clear your plate, and get PJs on, and then the other parent will be home.

Personally, my 7 year olds would not have been ready for that but maybe some people's 7 year olds are!

Fairfax County's policy (not allowed before age 8, not allowed during non-daylight hours ages 8-10): http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/childrenyouth/supervision_eng.htm

Montgomery County's policy (parents leaving a child younger than 8 home alone can be investigated for neglect): http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhstmpl.asp?url=/content/hhs/childwelfare/faq.asp#H