What age did you start leaving your kids home alone?

At what age do you leave you kids at home by them selfs, for a maximum of 2.5 hours?

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In Ohio there is no “legal age” but certain things are required that they know how to do - I think.

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Depends on your state and the law. And where they are at with being responsible of course. Had accidents of just being home and my little one overheated something in the microwave. :laughing:

I’ve just starting my 11 Yr olds stay at home, half hour so far xx

My state they have to be 12

Depends on your child’s maturity level. I have no issues with leaving my 15 year old daughter home alone for a few hours. My 13 year old son is a different matter altogether. He is in no way mature enough for that and tends to get into things he shouldn’t if left unsupervised too long.

We leave my son (10) home alone if we just run to the store, however both my neighbors are my in laws and we never do it unless they are home and aware that he is there. But he never leaves his room when we are gone and it’s never more the 30 mins max!

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Depends on lots of factors. My 8 year old daughter has a f*ck ton more common sense than my 10 year old daughter, but my 10 year old is more safety conscious. They pick up each other’s slack lol I wouldn’t leave either one alone without the other. They are PB&J. They are a toasty melty smore. But that being said, I didn’t start letting them stay home alone together until the youngest turned 8, and it wasn’t for more than half an hour at a time, with strict rules/guidelines, they had to have the house emergency phone in arms reach and I checked the cameras in the house often. Now I think I’d comfortably make the 1 1/2hr round trip to Walmart to pick up groceries but that’s the extent of it.

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In my state MD, it’s 9, however I didn’t leave my oldest alone until 12 when we moved into a good neighborhood and he was in middle school by that point

Iv just started leaving my 11 year old son when I nip to Asda ect. Not left him for longer than an hour though & im constantly ringing him to check in. Hes absolutely fine😂 I’m just a proper worrier🤣 I think when high school is in sight that’s when you’ve got to start giving them abit more independence although I’m finding it incredibly hard. Don’t let my kids out my sight and he’s the oldest so definitely struggling with it x

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Walk around the block, I will do. But no more than half an hour for my 11 year old.

I think it depends on thier maturity level. I’ve know 12 year old where it wasn’t safe and 8 year olds where it was. I was an latchkey kid at 5…different times then, but maturity level goes an long way in this situation.

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I started leaving my son at age ten for about a half hour or so and working the way up from there. He is 16 now and would rather not be alone.

According to cas in our country they have to be 10 and up before leaving them for a couple hours. Mine were 12 and 16 they didn’t want to go to the grocery store with me neighbor was quick to call

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Agreeing with a lot of other comments it depends on the child. I feel if a 10 to 11 year old is able to pour a bowl of cereal, make a sandwich and get basic life tasks done when you are home but not having to guide them through that they might be ready. I would also say working them up to longer and long bu like 30 minutes to 1 hr at a time as long as they have a way to contact.

Age and gender are factors for me. My oldest was home alone after school (2hours) at 8 she had wifi to text me on her tablet so it wasn’t without communication. It has grown from there. I started with leaving her home for 20-30 while I ran to the grocery store. My next who is almost 10 I didn’t leave him until 9. Time of day also comes into play in my opinion. We have only left our kiddos home at night for a date night to put themselves to bed 2 or 3 times our oldest being almost 14 and youngest 7.

My oldest is 14 i leave him alone at home. His a very responsible child and will even cook and do laundry for me. The other one is 12 him i wont leave home alone. I think it depends on the child.

Check state laws honestly. People are quick to call and it’s not like it was a long time ago

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Depends on the kids. Mine were given keys at 10 and 11 to let themselves in after school if me and their dad were still at work. They have cell phones and we live in an apartment building with awesome neighbors who they can go to if they need anything. And my mom lives within walking distance of my apt, at another apt complex literally across the street from where I live. They are 12 and 13 now. My 13 year old is on the spectrum but has never eloped and my 12 year old is super responsible

In nc there’s not really a legal age my Daughter was about 11 when I would leave her. But my boys it’s going to be a while :laughing:

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Depends on how mature your child is. I have Irish Twins and there was no way I was leaving them alone until they were 13 or 14 bc boys will be boys. I never left them alone for longer than an hour ever! It’s up to you and your state laws and if they have phones and if they are mature enough to be alone. Trust your gut on this one each parent and child are different.

You really shouldn’t air these kind of questions… we all do things for personal and needed reasons… that’s only a question you can answer… you are the one that knows your kids! Some kids are more responsible and mature than the next! Last thing you want is someone quoting the law to you… and then turning you in!! I’m not placing judgement… mine started at an early age… but I had no other choice!! Just be careful with these kinds of issues!

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I left mine for 5 minutes when I ran to the store quick. She was 7. Left all day at 12.

They were 7&10 they would be home after school for about an hour til I got home from work on the bus, I had my next door neighbor keeping an eye out and they called me every 20 minutes asking if they could have snacks :melting_face:

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Depending on the kid. My one son, he was 10, but he was a lot more responsible than my other child, who I couldn’t leave alone, until he was like 13… even then I was iffy lol.
All depends on maturity level…

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My 11 yr old is fine by himself for 6 hrs.
He has a phone, knows how to cook, and hangs out watching tv and doing a few things around the house. when I was his age I used to babysit younger kiddos.

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In NC, there is no stated age…however, fire code says age 8. With my kids I waited until middle school.

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Depends on laws and maturity level. My kids were getting home hours ahead of us when they were in elementary school. By the time my daughter (the youngest) was 9 she had supper ready when we got home. Honestly, I gave them so many chores they didn’t have time to get into trouble. Of course they were paid an allowance and if everything wasn’t done, I didn’t care. I just wanted to ensure they stayed close to the house. LOL
By the time she was 12 and her brother 16 we would leave them home on the weekends (not every weekend of course) and go out of town. Never had to worry. Worst thing that ever happened was my son and his buddies went fishing during the day and caught a bunch of fish and turned them loose in the pool. When we got home that night they were sitting around the pool fishing…lol I thought it was hilarious and ingenious, they knew they had to be home after dark and wanted to “night fish”. So, yea it really just depends.
BTW, they’re 35 and 38 now. She has 6 kids and he has 5. They’re awesome parents and love to reminisce about their childhood. :woman_shrugging:

I would start by checking state laws and then I would start evaluating your kids maturity level and independence. One person can say 11 but another’s 13-year-old may not be able to. 

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Depends on your state laws in Iowa there’s no age requirement they just need to know their address phone number how to dial 911 & how to use a microwave

Y’all sound crazy leaving an 8 year old home alone.
Mine is mature but holy hell, guess I’m just paranoid

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I would say it depends on the kid… Like my current 11-year-old I could leave at home for probably about an hour… When my daughter is 12 I could probably leave her alone and with my 8-year-old son to be honest I don’t even know if he’ll be able to ever live on his own. But to be fair at 12 years old I would get up alone get myself ready for school, get to school, go back home what school was over then I would eat a snack go pick up my little sister from elementary school and me and her would be home from 4:00 p.m. together till 11:00 at night.

First things first, check your state and local laws. Some states have a minimum age requirement before it’s legal to leave children home alone for any period of time. In Maryland, the age is 8 years old and then they can only be left home alone for like 2 hours at a time.

Other than any laws, I would say it depends on your child, individually, and their maturity level. My oldest two daughters, who will be 20 next week, I left them home alone for short periods of time (running to the gas station, picking up dinner etc.) at around 8 years old, with the rules that they stay inside the house with the doors locked and open them for no one, as well as keeping their phone ringers on and their phones close, in case of an emergency, no using the stove etc. My son, who will be 15 soon, wasn’t left home alone until he was about 12, although that was rare because his older sisters were almost always home with him. My youngest daughter, who just turned 10, just recently started staying home by herself, again for short periods of time, like running to the store at the end of our road or while I run her brother to/from football practice. She is more scatter-brained than my older 3, so I try not to let her home alone to often.

eeks! I would never advertise leaving my children alone no matter what their age is. They’re not even safe from getting shot when sending them to school now!

12 if alone, 16 if younger children left in their charge as well.

Between 12 and 14. , I wouldn’t leave them any younger.

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It all depends on your state laws, your child, and neighborhood. If an offender lived next door, or a few houses away, I wouldn’t trust leaving my child alone.

Depends on the kid & neighborhood. My oldest was 7-8 the first time I left him alone. He had a fever & I didn’t have Tylenol. I asked my neighbor to watch him but she yelled at me that I’m coddling him & to just go. I didn’t have a choice & let him stay alone while I went to the store. With my younger 2 I wouldn’t do that. I don’t trust my neighborhood. They’re 10&11. I won’t leave them alone for 5 minutes.

Please check your state laws, NOT FACEBOOK

In KY there is no actual legal age to leave your kid. They just have to be able to do certain things, like basically take care of themselves. My oldest has always been very independent, she was 8.5 when I started leaving her home alone. I started with maybe 10 minutes and worked my way up. She also had an ipad where she could contact me and our neighbor in case of any emergency

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I was 8-9 when I stayed home alone. But I also knew how to do basic household work and take care of myself. I knew how to make some simple meals, warm up leftovers, do some laundry, and pick up after myself. If you can’t trust your kid to do that then you have your answer.

My oldest is 11 and I let him stay home alone for max 2 hours.

His very mature, can take care of him self and he is responsible for the most part… he listens to rules but sometimes forgets to throw out the wrappers to the food.

His not allowed using stove once so ever … only microwave… we got a house phone and his got an ipad and computer… just sticks to his electronics when im gone.

But no im not coming home to a big mess but neither am i coming home to a clean house

I also got a camera in our kitchen you can communicate through lol

My state has no age limit, they say the parents have the say if if the child is responsible enough to be home alone or not. I would check with your state laws