At what age is it okay to leave a kid in the car for a few minutes?

[Anonymous]

Never, since you run the risk of a DCUMer calling CPS on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never. To the poster who valued their dry cleaning over their child--what is wrong with you??

np. I feel the same way about you. What is wrong with you?? Crazy overprotective helicopter parent that has lost all common sense.

[Anonymous]

I'm in MD, and I figure that I better follow the law, even though I think it's stupid. So my 7 year old, who would be perfectly fine, still has to traipse inside with me to pick up his little sister. He is so excited to turn 8 so that he can sit in the car alone for a few minutes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they are old enough to be behind the wheel. This is a person, not a package. Why on earth would you make them wait alone in a car?

What? For real? You would make your 15 year old get out of the car and walk into the grocery store with you? And then somehow, magically, on their 16th birthday, you expect them to be responsible and competent enough to not just sit in a car for a few minutes, but to operate it safely. Huh. Sure doesn't seem like a smart idea to me.

[Anonymous]

At about age 5, I would let DS wait in the car while I ran in to pick up the younger kid from school. But this was in a parking lot that is surrounded by the school (so not easily accessible unless you're affiliated with the school) and he was in full view of teachers on the playground the whole time. These are his former teachers, so all adults he is comfortable with, if he needed to get out of the car for some reason. So he was hardly "alone."

At 7, I still haven't left him alone in the car anywhere else, certainly not something like a busy shopping center parking lot. I would wait until probably 9-10 for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whenever. If you're pulling up to school and getting the older child out, why would you take the newborn out of the car seat? If it's fast and safe enough that you don't need to turn off the car it's okay.

I know people will write in to say that your baby could die in the 3 to 5 minutes you're away from the car, but there are a lot of crazy people on this board. There's another thread about birthday parties where people are writing in to say that they shadow their 8 year olds because they're worried about child abductions and sexual abuse.... At a birthday party.

You should never, ever leave a baby in a car with the keys inside! What if you get locked out? Or someone steals the car? And if you turn off the car and it takes longer than you think, baby could over heat. It's not that hard to just take a baby with you.

[Anonymous]

I don't because of crazy people, calling CPS. I'll leave my 8 yo home alone for a little while to run those quick errands or to drop off a sibling but I still won't leave him in the car. We started that at 8 and only occasionally if he doesn't want to come. He's responsible and it's for under 30 min.

[Anonymous]

I cannot see me ever doing this. If my son is old enough to sit in the car by himself, he is old enough to get out of the car and help with whatever errand we are doing. Unless he has a broken leg or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot see me ever doing this. If my son is old enough to sit in the car by himself, he is old enough to get out of the car and help with whatever errand we are doing. Unless he has a broken leg or something.

Plenty of errands don't require help. If you are going into the gas station convenience store to use the bathroom and buy a soda, are you going to make your 13 year old, your 16 year old, your 17 year old "come in and help"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they are old enough to be behind the wheel. This is a person, not a package. Why on earth would you make them wait alone in a car?

Make them? No. Let them? 8 is about right, depending on where you're running into, and other factors like disability, weather, etc . . .

A co-worker gave me a ride home the other day. She stopped at the bank, and ran inside because the ATM was broken. I sat in her car and checked emails on my phone. Didn't feel at all like a package. Similarly, my kid sometimes chose to stay in the car while I ran into a store, and starting about 8 or 9 I'd let him.

[Anonymous]

The OP made it clear that she wanted to leave a YOUNGER SIBLING. This is not a 15 year old. When someone steals your car or calls the police, I would love to hear your explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When they are old enough to be behind the wheel. This is a person, not a package. Why on earth would you make them wait alone in a car?

My parents often left me in the car while they ran boring errands. Fine by me, I didn't want to go in with them. Starting around 7-8.

Same here. And I don't *make* my kids wait alone in a car. They ask to be left in the car because it is preferable to standing a boring line at the post office, dry cleaners, etc.

My 7yo always asks me to leave him in the car...not sure what the laws are but I always take him along. I do remember being left at home by 9 though.

[Anonymous]

I leave my 3 year old in the car (off and locked) to drop off my older kid at SACC. I don't have to go all the way in with my older kid - I just walk him up to the door and poke my head in while he walks in to the classroom (the very next door inside). I can see the car the whole time and it's easier, especially in the winter, than getting my three year old out of the car seat and into his winter coat just to run up to the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When they are old enough to be behind the wheel. This is a person, not a package. Why on earth would you make them wait alone in a car?

My parents often left me in the car while they ran boring errands. Fine by me, I didn't want to go in with them. Starting around 7-8.

Me too. As a pre-teen, I preferred being allowed to hide in the car. I kind of feel bad for my mom, now that I look back on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they are old enough to be behind the wheel. This is a person, not a package. Why on earth would you make them wait alone in a car?

You've got to be kidding. You wouldn't let your kid sit alone in a car until age 16???