What age did you leave your kids alone for short times?

[dowagercountess]

Like to run to Starbucks or the grocery store for one thing?

[jinkies]

I am planning to start this coming school year, letting my son stay home while I leave for 15 minutes to get his sister from day care.

He will be in 3rd grade, 8.5 yo. He is a very responsible rule follower, and we have good friends who live next door and wfh, so he knows he could go to them at any time.

I suspect this will be on the earliest edge of the responses you get.

[eb777888]

David is 7 and I know he can handle it, but he's too young. I think he's getting close, though. He can definitely stay in the house and we would trust he'd be okay but, 7. I think by 9 I might be okay with it if he is. Is that flamefu? IDK. I was left alone at such a young age, I don't even know what's normal, lol.

[eddy]

Jack is 8 and he can stay home when I walk to the community garden.

I think next year we will get an extra cell phone and I will feel comfortable dong really quick errands.

[cinco]

8, which is the legal age in MD.

[trytobearunner34]

I wanna say my mom starting doing things like that when I was in 4th grade (little brother would have been in 2nd and little sister would have been in K). I was responsible and we all got along fairly well.

[eb777888]

Aug 14, 2016 18:54:40 GMT -5 jinkies said:

I am planning to start this coming school year, letting my son stay home while I leave for 15 minutes to get his sister from day care.

He will be in 3rd grade, 8.5 yo. He is a very responsible rule follower, and we have good friends who live next door and wfh, so he knows he could go to them at any time.

I suspect this will be on the earliest edge of the responses you get.

I also think the type of kid you have also determines the age for me. I know my kid. He is also very responsible and a rule follower. I feel like it's different for each kid.

[eddy]

Honestly I could leave Jack in front of a video game and he would be fine for hours lol.

[shamrockshake]

We just started leaving dd1 for short times this year at 9

[YahYahs]

Maryland has a law stating that you can leave kids alone for a very brief time (I want to say it's 30 minutes?) starting at age 8. SIL told us about it when nephew was 8.
That's the extent of my knowledge on this, lol.
We live in SC now and I don't think there is a specific law, at least not that I've seen. Our kids are 4 and 5.5, so it won't be for a long time!

[sunnysally]

www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2015/02/guidelines-for-leaving-kids-home-alone-with-printable/

I saw this on Facebook recently. It provides guidelines as well as the lawful age to leave kids alone in each state.

[oliviapope]

I was left alone so early I don't know what normal is. I don't think Texas has a law for minimum age, but I think I'd be okay with it at 8. But I really think it depends on the kid.

[jinkies]

Aug 14, 2016 18:56:55 GMT -5 eddy said:

Honestly I could leave Jack in front of a video game and he would be fine for hours lol.

My plan when we start this is to set him up on minecraft before I go. He probably won't notice I left.

[momof2]

My 4 year old would be fine now, but I won't actually do it. In our state, I have to wait until she is 8, and I'm sure it will be fine then too. My older kid has profound special needs and will literally NEVER be left alone. 24x7 care for life!!! :-)

I will say that I think having a special needs kid makes me super excited (instead of nervous) to see all my younger child can do. I want to encourage as much independence in her as possible.

[Deleted]

I'm thinking into the future here, but I wouldn't until 11-12.

I realize I might be extreme.

[wakka]

Ds1 is 10 and can handle it, but I don't feel like opening the door to him complaining that he should always be left home when we have to go somewhere he doesn't want to.

[vamoose]

My oldest is only 5, but I suspect I won't feel comfortable until 10'or so with him. He is very unfocused and I think he is going to take longer To develop the critical thinking needed to know how to respond to an unexpected situation. I think plenty of kids would be fine at 8.

[eddy]

I am glad to see others feel 9ish is a reasonable age. For awhile I have really felt J was ready, but I didn't know if I was too lax.

[dowagercountess]

OK, she's nine. I need to get like a cheap burner phone. She's responsible, but I'd be more worried something would freak her out.

[kirby]

In Illinois the minimum age is 14? That seems crazy.

[imojoebunny]

I have google the guidelines for my state, and found them lacking, so I go with a county nearby that has a Department of Child and family services guideline. It is from age 9-12 kids can be left home alone for brief periods (up to two hours). I leave my 10 year old alone for a max of 30 minutes to drop DS somewhere, but she would be fine for hours. DS is 7 and I will leave him with her to drive 4 blocks to the store (sub 15 minutes), but that's probably not legal. Both of my kids are pretty well behaved, so it isn't them I worry about. In my old neighborhood, where I knew all my neighbors and they were usually home, I would be more comfortable. Here, I only know neighbors that are further away, and we have had 5 fires in 2 years within 6 houses of ours, which makes me extra nervous.

From 9 on here, kids walk to school alone.

[eb777888]

Aug 14, 2016 18:56:55 GMT -5 eddy said:

Honestly I could leave Jack in front of a video game and he would be fine for hours lol.

David wouldn't even know we were gone, lol. Unless he wanted something to eat that he couldn't reach.

[candreco]

I've let DD stay home for 20-25 minutes during the day by herself a few times in the last few months, so about 7.5. She's a rule follower, and generally just curls up in bed or on the couch with a book, the phone, and a paper with my cell number and our address on it. FWIW, VA state guideline (not law) is around 8 for no more than two hours during the day, depending on the child's comfort level.

At this rate, DS is never staying home alone. OMG.

[cinderbella]

We've been leaving Molly alone for quick trips since she was 8. She's 9 now and we leave her and Lucy alone together for short trips - no more than two hours and a phone call to check in after an hour.

[eb777888]

Aug 14, 2016 19:34:26 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Aug 14, 2016 19:28:39 GMT -5 kirby said:

In Illinois the minimum age is 14? That seems crazy.

I was babysitting an infant before then. lol

ME TOO!!! I was babysitting at 11. 14 blows my mind. Would a 13 year old go to daycare aftercare if you can't find a sitter?

[cheeseandcrackers]

Aug 14, 2016 19:01:10 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Aug 14, 2016 18:56:55 GMT -5 eddy said:

Honestly I could leave Jack in front of a video game and he would be fine for hours lol.

Joanna gets up at 7 and sometimes we don't get up until 10. She just plays and watches tv. I mean, i'm not going to leave my 4yo alone in the house, but she'd probably be fine.

That sounds awesome! But E sleeps till 10??

[jezebel]

It says they have to be 12 in CO, which is literally ridiculous to me.

Idk when I'll think L is ready, but I can guarantee it will be before she's 12.

[hopecounts]

Generally I'd say 8 or 9 depending on the kid and how responsible and confident they are.
But check your state law to CYA.

[eddy]

Aug 14, 2016 19:32:08 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

Aug 14, 2016 18:56:55 GMT -5 eddy said:

Honestly I could leave Jack in front of a video game and he would be fine for hours lol.

David wouldn't even know we were gone, lol. Unless he wanted something to eat that he couldn't reach.

A couple weeks ago I was doing laundry in our basement. That is where Jack's game system is at. I hit my head realllly hard on our wooden laundry chute as I was picking up laundry. I screamed and no one reacted. That is when I realized if I died I better hope my kid is not in front of a screen because he will not notice lol. 

[sweetchix]

DDs are 9 and 7 and I just recently left them home while I ran up to the store for the first time. I was gone maybe 30 minutes.

ETA: no law in NY