When Is My Child Ready to Stay Alone at House

And you, like many other parents, ask yourself, "When is my child ready to stay home alone?" There has been a lot of discussion on this topic and no one knows the right age: some say that at 5-6 years old, others say that when he goes to school, others say that he should not be left alone even at 10 years old.

Every child matures in their way and has a variable sense of responsibility. All you have to do is evaluate your child and decide on criteria that he or she meets whether or not he or she is ready to sit for a few hours without supervision, whether he or she is responsible and obedient.

In any case, the child should not be left unattended for a long time in a day, because every child is tempted to make jokes that an adult would consider dangerous.

The decision to leave your baby alone at home must be made with your life partner and also, the child must be asked if he wants to stay home alone, but do not rely only on his reaction. Some children will be very eager for this experience, enjoying the confidence given, but later they may be scared of responsibilities and situations that may arise in the time they spend alone.

How do you know if your child is old enough to be home alone?

To be left alone, a child must be mature and responsible enough to deal with unpredictable situations. Before the age of 6, the child does not have a sense of independence and does not have the notion of fear and danger very clear in mind, so it is not recommended in any form to be left alone at home.

First of all, to be able to stay home alone, the little one must know how to use the phone - to know how to answer the phone, to dial a number (yours, your father's, emergency numbers if necessary).

To determine if he is ready for this test, you can observe his attitude in different situations and you can see if he is doing well if he is a responsible person and respects the rules and if you can trust him.

Before taking the big step, make sure he can reproduce and understand the rules you discuss with him about being alone in the house.

How do you prepare him to stay awake?

Before leaving your child unattended, it is a good idea to have a discussion with him and explain some rules and how to proceed in some situations.

Write down the phone numbers of relatives and emergency numbers (Rescue, Fire, Police) and teach them how to use them. Make sure the numbers are close to the phone and the child knows how to use them in case of danger.

Teach him to use the key to the entrance. Make sure he knows how to close and open the door and warn him not to lose the key. Explain that he is not allowed to open the door to anyone, not even you or your father, because you have a key and you can enter.

Explain that plugs, stoves, and toxic substances are harmful and can be life-threatening - cover plugs, close gas, and hide toxic substances. Remind them not to forget the open water.

Warn him not to lean on the window because he may fall from a height - it is good to close the windows for children and it is better to leave a small window open, which the child cannot reach. It is good that the balcony door is permanently closed.

Prepare cakes, a snack, water or juice, some food at hand.

Leave your favorite toys inaccessible places so as not to get injured if you want to take them to play.

Teach him to go to the TV or the computer

He asks a trusted neighbor to watch him from time to time, to make sure he gets home from school, that he has eaten, and that he is well.

If the child goes to school, teach him to come straight home at the end of class, not to get out of the way, and not to talk to strangers or to go with a stranger.

Although it is a stressful situation, many families have gone through this period of the child with the "key to the neck", and if you have objectively assessed the maturity of your child, then you should not have problems. As time goes on, the little one will get used to it and will be able to cope with unpredictable situations.