Thinking about leaving your child home alone? An independent study found that 99% of kids between the ages of 10 and 14 stated they wanted to be left at home alone. But what if you fall into that 1% who doesn’t want to? Does this mean you can never leave them home by themselves again? Probably not. Parenting is all about trial and error, but there is a way to leave them home alone again without fearing for their safety. …
What’s the age to leave your child home alone?
When determining when it’s appropriate to leave a child at home alone, some parents turn to the law for guidance. Currently, only three States have laws establishing a minimum age for leaving kids unattended at home: Illinois, 14 years old; Maryland, 8 years old; and 10 years old for Oregon. For more details on related laws and guidelines in your State, contact your local CPS agency.
Although there is no specific age when your children can be left home alone, there are certain tasks that must be handled by themselves to determine if they are mature and responsible enough.
Ideally, your child should be able to do the following:
- – Make an emergency phone call.
- – Avoid strangers.
- – Put away their own laundry.
- – Put away their dishes.
- – Put away their toys.
- – Wash their dishes.
- – Mop their floors.
- – Take out their trash.
- – Feed themselves.
- – Wake up and get ready for school without assistance.
If your child can handle these basic daily tasks, they are probably ready to be left home alone.
Precautions to be taken before leaving a child by himself
If you must leave the house without the little kids, there are certain precautions you should take before doing so:
- Before you leave your child alone, make sure that they understand what to do in case of an emergency. If your child is old enough, allow them to have a phone with them so they can call you for help if they need it, or calling a back-up adult like a neighbor or a friend.
- You should also make sure that there are no accessible ladders or unsecured items in your home, so that there are no accidental injuries.
- There should be no toxic materials in the house. If you have toxic items in the house, make sure to put them in a safe place so that your child doesn’t accidentally get hurt.
- Make sure to leave them a list of tasks to complete while you are gone so that they aren’t idle while you are away.
- Leave them enough food and drinks in case they get hungry or thirsty.
To sum it up..
There is no set age when your child can be left home alone, but there are certain tasks your child should be able to handle before leaving them alone. If your child is responsible, cautious, and mature beyond their years, you can leave them home alone. The best way to determine if your child is ready to be left alone is gauging how responsible they are. Make sure that your child understands what to do in case of an emergency, has a way to call for help, and can’t access harmful items.
Read also How to find your babysitter?