When to Feel Comfortable Enough to Leave Kid(s) Alone at Home?

I have left my 8-year old for 5 minutes while I picked the other one up at school less than a mile away... but I kept him on the phone with me the whole time and locked the doors and put the house alarm on lol... I would say for a little longer probably 10 years old? Really he would probably be fine now though, he is a major rule follower and is very level headed.

I think there's a difference between leaving alone for a night out with your husband or to run an errand etc vs every day after school... One issue seems to be safety and another loneliness. I think most people who were "latch key" kids didn't think it was great. So not sure if that's really your question. For errands etc, I think it depends on the kid but I figure around age 10 if it's quick. For every day after school, not till high school IMO and then hopefully they have sports or something so they're not coming home to an empty house every day. Some people would say that's an even more dangerous age to do that bc of what they might get involved in.

gosh i wish the answer was 6 because before and after care is expensive!
I'm thinking 9 is when i can leave her for 20 minutes before school and an hour or 2 after

Some kids even at 12 years old, can't be alone at home by themselves.
Depending on their personality and the general environment/neighborhood/neighbors/laws etc.

There is no clear cut specific age.... and by deduction and hopefully accurate. But again, all scenarios cannot be anticipated.

And if leaving a child home, alone, for the hours that a parent is at work, then that may be too long.
Also, if some observant stranger sees that a child is home alone, and it is a pattern, they will notice.

Depends on what you mean about home alone. Do you mean home alone for the hours that you work? Do you mean for an hour between the time you get home from work and when they get home from school? If the later then I felt comfortable at about 10, but he was only alone for 15 minutes till my older kid arrived from school...
Also like the other ladies said it depends on the child also...

I think it depends on the child's maturity, siblings, and maybe your neighbors.

My son is now 9. I feel ok leaving him in the car when i run in to drop off a library book --2 mins, safe community.

I would feel ok leaving him home alone 15 mins in the afternoon to walk his sis around the block.

I do not trust the 2 of them together PERIOD it's lil sis that is the problem.

for an hour or more consistently maybe at 12??

I had a lovely employer tell me one time that children as infants and toddlers need someone to teach them to share who can change their diapers and feed them, Teenagers ( and preteens) need a PARENT there to guide them to make good choices and to love them. and that that might be even more important because not just anyone can parent them.
just something to think about.

My boys are 7 and 10. I feel comfortable leaving them at home for short periods, such as 15-30 minutes while I run an errand. When my older son is 11 the plan will be for him to walk from the middle school to pick up his brother at the elementary school, then walk home and be alone for about 30 minutes each day. My older son will be taking the babysitting course and has already taken first aid. Both of my boys are rule followers. We've been over safety rules. We live in a safe neighbourhood, and have close neighbours who they can go to for help. We have been working towards this level of independance for some time now. They have been walking to school and going to the playground on their own for the past year now.

I believe that kids need to have opportunities to stay home alone starting around 8 years of age. Not for more than a few minutes at this age though, it's a learning process.

If kids are legally old enough to take the Red Cross Babysitting Class at age 12 and watch other peoples kids, legally, then they better have learned how to take care of themselves by them self already.

If i am going to walk to the neighbors house to chat for a moment I allow the 8 year old to stay at home but the 5 year old comes with. I have very strict rules about what she can do while she is home those few minutes. No cooking in the microwave, no phone calls answered or made except to me or hubby if she gets scared, she is not to answer the door if someone knocks, etc...good common sense stuff.

As she gets older over the next year I will start leaving her home alone for a bit more, starting with 30 minutes, see how she does with that, then increase it if she does well.

I fully expect her to be able to be home alone for an hour to 3 hours by the time she is 12. That is the goal, it may take her longer and it will take my grandson longer due to his issues.

But kids need to learn and have learning experiences to be able to do things successfully.

Definitely depends on the child. My parents were okay with me staying by myself at 11 but my sister was a freshman in high school before she was able to be left alone. It depends on how well they will follow the rules and guidelines set forth but the parent about staying home alone. At this time I still don't know when my kids will be okay to be left a lone but I have several more years before I even have to think about it.

When my eldest daughter has had either her Girl Scout babysitting training or the Red Cross training, either usually done at 12-13 years old. She turns 12 next month.

The thing is, as brilliant as she is... I mean brilliant, this girl is so book smart it just amazes me and she's top of her class... she's not emotionally mature enough to handle emergencies. She has too much sibling rivalry and that often translates to meanness when dealing with her sisters, and that comes from her immaturity. I realize that much of it comes from her really, really bad ADHD and we're working on building her sense of responsibility. Her leadership skills are fantastic. She does love her sisters.

My other concern is the fact that my middle daughter is special needs and although she's 9 1/2 she still needs near constant adult supervision. My eldest takes the lead and is very good with her, but if there were an emergency involving my autistic daughter and there were a meltdown it would be up to a 7 year old and 12 year old to work it out.

That said, during a huge meltdown in public at a store yesterday my autistic daughter would ONLY deal with my eldest daughter and not me, not my husband... it had to be Big Sister. So maybe it's more about my own fears than her actual capabilities.

With my oldest (boy) I started leaving at home when he in 3rd or 4th grade. 20 minutes tops. Always in the day never at night. My second child will be starting 3 rd grade this September. He would be way to scared to stay at home by himself and I would not leave the 2 boys together I think they would bickering.
When my oldest stays home there are rules. Only answer the phone if its daddy or me. Dont answer or open the front door. Do not take a bath or a shower if I neither I or my husband is not home and eating. I think eating by yourself is a choking hazard.

I think one of the most important things to consider about letting your kids stay home alone is to make sure they are comfortable being there by themselves. I know with my children I started out by leaving them for only a few minutes to run to the store for a short grocery list. Then only for an hour or two after school. This is the first summer I have allowed them to stay home by them selves and they are in 7th and 5th grade. I always leave them a "to do" list so they have something to occupy their time with, other than tv and video games.