What Age Can You Leave Kids Home Alone? Real Talk From Parents

With the summer holidays fast approaching (it’ll be here in the blink of an eye), some parents will be considering what age is appropriate to leave their kids home alone.There’s not a law that stipulates a specific age when kids can be left on their tod (as every kid matures differently), however the government warns it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk. The NSPCC has shared more specific advice. The charity said babies, toddlers and young children should never be left alone. This also applies to leaving them in cars while you nip to the shops. Kids under 12 are “rarely mature enough” to be left alone for a long period of time, the charity advised. Expanding on this, it said those aged 6-12 years old are “usually too young to walk home from school alone, babysit or cook for themselves without adult supervision”.Secondary school children can be left home alone, however the NSPCC suggests that if they don’t feel ready, or if you don’t feel ready, don’t leave them. It added that under-16s shouldn’t be left alone overnight. What do parents think?In a Mumsnet post, a parent asked fellow mums and dads what age they’d feel comfortable leaving their child at home alone for an hour to 90 minutes after school.Most people suggested they would feel comfortable leaving their child for that length of time if they were in Year 7 (the first year of secondary school).“Mine weren’t alone after school until year 7,” said one parent. “We are a 5 min walk from their primary and the youngest turned 11 at start of year 6.“I still preferred for him to go to after school club as I know he would have just watched TV or played computer games at home so socialised more at after school club.”Another added: “My twin boys are 10 and final year of primary, we leave them for 15-30 minutes if we need to, they have access to a phone and if we are nearer the 30 minutes we often drop in on Alexa to be sure they are ok.”But some parents admitted they left their children from an even younger age – although the length of time they were left for could vary. “We did that at about 8-9 to be honest,” noted one parent. “But my older 2 are twins so had each other which made me feel more comfortable. Then for my younger children, we just kept it the same.”“We left our lad from about 9 but only when we were out on a local walk,” said another. “If he’d rung us we’d have been home in 10 mins tops, probably less.” Tips for parents leaving kids alone at homeIf you are leaving your child home alone, it can help to set some ground rules and agree what they’ll do while you’re out. You could also go over what to do in the case of an emergency.It might be helpful to alleviate any worries by letting your child know when you’ll be back, and by checking in with them while they’re at home alone.The NSPCC also suggests putting dangerous objects and substances out of sight, and building up the amount of time you leave them alone over time. So, the first time could be 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, and so on. And if you’re not ready to leave your child at home, or they don’t feel ready, don’t push it. See if a friend, family member or childcare provider can watch them instead.Related...Schools Have Issued Screen Time Limits For Kids. Here's What Parents ThinkHalf A Million More Pupils To Receive Free School Meals In Eligibility Shake-UpI Hated School – Then Teachers Made An Observation That Changed My Life

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