When did you go to work, leaving a sick child home alone?

[Anonymous]

At what age did you leave a sick child home while you went to work?
My son is 11, home sick from camp with a fever that also included an upset stomach earlier though that has passed.
I am WfH, as I have always done. But it has me wondering when it becomes reasonable to leave him for much of a workday (like 6 hours maybe) to go to work.
If you had a kid with a fever or something that didn't involve throwing up, when did you feel comfortable?
Did it make a difference if s/he was throwing up?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I'd even leave my DH if he was throwing up. That can lead to serious dehydration and I think warrants some hourly check ins.

So I would never leave a child who was throwing up alone.

[Anonymous]

I also would never leave a vomiting child alone. That is a miserable time to be alone and without your parents, not to mention risks of dehydration or choking.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't leave a child who was throwing up or had a high fever. A low-grade fever where the child is just feeling tired but perfectly okay to get up and get themselves a drink, make some lunch, etc., I would consider it.

[Anonymous]

I left my 12 yr old home alone once this year when he was sick. I had an observation that day that had already been rescheduled once and the deadline was the next day so I didn't have much choice. I texted him throughout the day and my neighbor is home most of the time. I texted her too to let her know. He was fine. He mostly just watched YouTube and slept.

[Anonymous]

To answer the question that PPs are skipping -

if DS seemed to be feeling better, wasn't throwing up and was 11, I'd probably be comfortable leaving him for a day - with the TV on, phone in hand, crackers and water. Esp. if he's home alone when he's well.

I left my DS at 9 like this, on day 3 of being sick (e.g., too sick to be outside at camp in the heat, but well enough to hang out, eat, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think my 11 year old is mature enough. However, he has asthma which can act up with colds. So even if he was feeling well enough to look out for himself (he'd just sleep and play minecraft or something), I'd be worried he'd start wheezing, and it has, in the past, gotten bad enough to go immediately to a doctor, and in one case the ambulance picked him up at school. So for those reasons, I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone. But these are extenuating circumstances, IMO.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't leave an 11 year old at home alone more than an hour or two if they were perfectly well, so no way I would leave one alone for a whole day who was sick. SMH.

[Anonymous]

To answer your original question: never, and I never would, even if they were in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer your original question: never, and I never would, even if they were in high school.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Never leave a child home. If I am sick, if my husband can, he'll stay home with me if it is bad enough.

[Anonymous]

We did starting around age 10, since either my wife or I was able to check in via Skype every few hours and stagger our schedules so DD was only alone for around 6 hours at a time rather than a full day of 8-9.

[Anonymous]

OP, the mom to mom answer (or parent to parent) is, I think, "You'll know when it feels right." At some point, you start to see you kid really more as a capable, almost adult versus as a defenseless child. If they are very ill, your gut won't let you leave of course. But if they often stay home alone, when healthy, and they aren't too sick, you will feel OK maybe leaving them home for a short half day (maybe one parent goes in a little later, and the other parent comes home a little earlier.) It just won't feel neglectful; in fact it'll feel a little silly staying home just to watch them hanging out watching TV.

The actual age? I felt OK with kids home alone for a half day, around 6th grade/middle school. A whole day, by 9th grade. Not if they were really miserably sick, actively throwing up, or really bedridden with fever. But on the last day of the illness, recovering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't leave an 11 year old at home alone more than an hour or two if they were perfectly well, so no way I would leave one alone for a whole day who was sick. SMH.

SMH at judgy parents who never let go.

[Anonymous]

There was a looooong thread in this before with some really scary anecdotes.

Better to take the kid to work and stash him in your office.