Can I leave her home alone?

Tiredwithjust2

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 9:37 am

It really depends on the kid. I was babysitting at 10 for hours at a time. My 11 year old doesn’t feel comfortable being home alone even though I trust her to be fine but I bet my next kid in line will be when she’s that age.

amother

NeonGreen

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 9:38 am

amother Royalblue wrote:

If she's a regular healthy teen, yes.

My almost 11 yo will babysit at night (we have a 9, 4, 22 mo) when I run some errands around the neighborhood on foot, if I need to go to grab something quick from the grocery 2 minutes be car. Or if I need to run down to the urgent care down the road with another kid.
I'll put all kids to bed and she'll be awake playing Gameboy or reading. There have been instances when the baby woke, she gave her a bottle. Sang her a song or rocked her back to sleep. If baby wasn't having it, she called me and I came right home. she's extremely responsible quick thinking, responsible and mature by nature. She's the kid who saw I was so sick and pregnant and would let me sleep in on sundays. Try to keep her siblings quiet and feed them breakfast (yogurt & cake lol. But they were fed!) when she was 8.....
(No I would never ask her to do it. She loved playing mommy. And was upset when I did wake up earlier)
I'm not sure I'd be ok with my other kid to babysit at that age.
I'm close enough by she knows the safety plan. All machines and flames are off (washer dryer oven flame) we lock the office. And all the doors.

That’s a lot of responsibility for a 10 year old.

giftedmom

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 10:01 am

Dd has been babysitting since 11. I bribe the younger kids to go to sleep on time. All she has to do is report to me when I get home. She’s only responsible for the toddler which many times is already sleeping for the night. Works out well.
That said I wouldn’t drive more than 45 min away yet.

amother

Burntblack

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 11:09 am

I started letting DS13 do it last year, but not for siblings younger than 5. I don't think he's ready for handling toddlers or younger. But for siblings who are a little older, it worked out well. I'm hoping maybe in another year or two, he'll be mature enough to watch a toddler.

mommyhood

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 11:16 am

We started evening outings around 12 but stuck to local at the beginning, came home before her bedtime, let her have a friend keep her company and built up to going further distances and staying out later once we saw dd was comfortable.

amother

Seablue

Thu, Mar 21 2024, 11:24 am

I have a 12.5 -year-old son and an 11 year old daughter and some younger kids.
I very rarely leave them at night without someone older as my son does not like to babysit and gets nervous at night. During the day they stay home but they fight so I don't so it often with them together. Themselves all the time though during the day.