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Smart Living: When to leave kids home alone

Smart Living: When to leave kids home alone
3 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago Thursday, January 30 2025 Jan 30, 2025 January 30, 2025 2:19 PM January 30, 2025 in News
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If you're a parent, you might wonder when it's safe to leave your child home alone.

New research says at least 40 percent of children are left home alone at some point in their life.

Turns out, the laws aren't clear-cut.

There's no national age minimum for kids to be left home alone, which leaves some parents confused, and most states do not set a legal age limit.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that 12 and older is an acceptable age for kids to be left alone for a few hours at a time. 

But experts say you should consider your child's comfort level, maturity, and access to support before making the decision, and be sure to set firm guidelines.

Also keep weapons, alcohol, and tobacco products securely locked away, have a plan for what to do in case of an emergency, make sure your child knows your cell number and any other contact numbers, be sure to post these in a visible location, emphasize that they should call 9-1-1 if it's a life-threatening situation, have clear boundaries about who can or can't visit and check in with your child regularly to make sure all is well.

Many states' child protection laws classify 'failing to provide adequate supervision of a child' as neglect. But most states don't define what is considered adequate supervision.

In October, a mother from Ohio faced jail time after being accused of leaving her 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old twins home alone for nearly three days.

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