At what age is it considered ok to leave a responsible child home alone for an h

1. 93

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   At what age is it considered ok to leave a responsible child home alone for an hour?

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2. 70

   Titen-Sxullposted 12 years ago

   I'm not a parent, but I would argue maybe 7 or 8 years old. Of course there's a lot of different factors involved, like how important it is for you to leave (if it's an emergency you might leave an even younger child at home) or how safe a neighborhood you live in (again if your neighborhood is generally very safe you can probably leave a younger child at home) or if your house is 'child-proofed' correctly (cleaners and chemicals put away, knives and other sharp-objects out of reach, etc, if there's nothing dangerous they can get into while you're gone you can leave an even younger child at home).

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3. 74

   breathe2travelposted 12 years ago

   Provided that your neighborhood is safe, you know and trust your neighbors, I would say 8-10.  We allowed our daughter to begin staying home about 30 minutes to an hour when she was nine, under strict instruction to leave doors locked and no one could enter. We notified a trusted neighbor of our plans, and then left.  The first time she was allowed to stay home alone she surprised us with the table set for dinner. 
   
   Three of my children are under 9, and I would not be comfortable leaving any of them home alone  at all.

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4. 83

   kathleenkatposted 12 years ago

   There is no particular age, but provided you can see that they are a self-sufficient, functioning person, it is okay to leave them on their own. Can they feed themselves? Can they use the toilet? Can they stay inside? Can they use the phone? Ask yourself whether or not your child is responsible enough, and observe how they behave when you are at home. Chances are they will probably behave the same.
   
   Also, it is important to ask the child if they would be comfortable staying home alone, too.
   
   Personally, my parents had to beg me to stay home alone when I was nine years old. I always preferred the company of a babysitter.

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5. 37

   edhanposted 12 years ago

   Time has changed as when I was young, I was left alone at the age of 5. Nowadays, that age will not be so instead it will be at least 12 years old.
   
   Maybe the reason is that during those days, we have lots of siblings as my family alone have 8 brothers & sisters. Now most families are having just 1 or 2 children. So, unless you have a maid to care for your child then it will be bringing the child out instead of leaving him/her at home even for an hour.

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6. 72

   MrMaranathaposted 11 years ago

   Single Child or one with siblings?
   When there are two or more kids it starts with the oldest... if you could not trust that one alone by himself/herself then you would not trust a group of two or more either.
   
   Depends allot on the area in which you life and maturity of the kid in question.  Mine have been allowed this time for several years already but they are very mature for their ages mentally. 
   It is not just about the neighborhood being secure.. but worries about whether you can trust the kid to be safe in a house full of potential calamities...
   Does the child use good sense in how they approach challenges
   ...
   For example: Not try to stand on a water-jug for a step stool  while using a large kitchen knife to cut an apple snack... 
   
   Forget about making your House Child Safe.... My question becomes...  Is your child House Safe?  Or are they accident prone??  Foolish?? 
   
   If your child is foolish and accident prone... better not leave them alone  regardless of what age they are..  Your child by the way is a reflection of your instruction... Train them up in the way they Should go... Train them.  That is the responsibility of YOU the parent.

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7. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 6 years ago

   I would say 10 years of age is ok to leave a child home alone for an hour, not younger than that!

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