Is My Child Old Enough to Be Left at Home Alone?

Unfortunately, there is no strict law about how old a child has to be before they can be left at home alone, which blurs the lines and leaves it up to your judgement as a parent. The NSPCC has certain guidelines, like children under 16 should not be left at alone overnight, children under 12 should not be left for long periods of time and babies and toddlers should never be left alone. As long as your child is not in any danger and they are emotionally mature enough to be left alone, then it’s really up to you. Here’s some more advice from a prep school in West London.

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It’s perfectly normal to feel a little nervous if you are leaving your child home alone for the first time. Preparation is important in order for both of you to feel more comfortable with the decision. However, with no stringent rules in place, it’s hard to know if your child is even old enough. You should consider their feelings on the matter and their ability to solve problems. Are they capable of safely preparing food and drinks on their own? Do you trust them to be sensible, or are they likely to throw a house party in your absence? 

Make sure your child has a strict set of rules for when you’re gone, such as no opening the door to strangers and no posting online that they are alone. Ask them if they have any concerns about being home alone and, if they do, try to ease their mind a little. It might even be worth doing a few practise runs, where you leave them for short bursts of time and stay local. Make sure they have an emergency contact that they can call if they run into any problems whilst you’re gone.

The decision to start leaving your child at home without adult supervision is a big milestone in their life. While it may seem scary, it will also teach them to be more independent and responsible, which is great for their overall development. 

This is a collaborative post.