How old to leave DS alone for 30mins

[mildlymiffed]

I know there is no formal advice online- and it's not a one size fits all...

My ds is yr5 9yo nearly 10.

I'm a single parent so no one else to watch him routinely.

What age did you leave your dc alone for half an hour? I'd like to get back into running but work full time and have ds all but one evening in the week.

I plan to programme the landline so that he can ring me on speed dial if needed, and ensure he knows that he can knock on a neighbour if he was in trouble.

He's desperate to try it to! But I'm not sure if 9/10 is too young?

Can you not run round your block a few times so you’re never too far from the house?

Sensible 8yo with a phone.

Do it. He will be fine. I left my 9yo to go running (may have done so when she was 8).

I leave my 8 year old for 30 mins, she is sensible. I would do it as long as he is happy.

See if there is a neighbour who will be home at the times you want to go out. The first few times I left my 9 year old it made us all feel reassured that someone was up the road in case of emergency. Now he is at High school he is on his own all morning whilst I’m at work!

Our ds was 10 and looking back that was about right for him. Some of his friends weren’t allowed until a bit older, some were earlier.

Go through the “what ifs” with him - I found that quite useful to gauge whether he was ready

Great advice. Thanks everyone

I was babysitting younger brother for the evening at 10. Probably frowned upon now though

I'd let him have a try but in all honesty I feel weird about evenings. Early mornings when they're in bed sits better with me. Less chance to get up to mischief/people knocking on the door etc. Go through different scenarios with him.

I leave my 9 year old happily. He comes home to an empty house once per week in term time, let's himself in and is alone for just over an hour until my 15 and 13 year olds get home. We have multiple good neighbors who he has known all his life and two of whom are his emergency contacts for school.

Age 9-10 is an appropriate age to leave your DC home alone for a short while .

I have left my 9 year old at home for 40 minutes while i ran to the local supermarket. I left him with a phone and a clock, wrote down when i will be back. He sat in front of the tv and when i got home he hadn't moved. You no if your child is mature enough and if they want to be left. I would lock the door and leave key in so if they need to escape in an emergency. I have only done this twice and he has loved it everytime, felt all grown up.

I leave my now 12 yo whilst I take the dog or go for a run. Prob been left a year now for that amount of time. I would do as pp suggests, pick a small block around your house and do circuits for while to make sure you're never more than say half a mile away...
Good luck!

I used to leave Dd to walk to the shops she was 9 it used to be 30 minutes i was out.

I think that fine as long as he’s fed and has something to do.

Depends on the child. DS1 could not/would not be left alone until he was about 12. He got very distressed. DS2 was absolutely fine and happy being left from barely 9.

Oddly, DS1 would happily go to the shop or library on his own from about 8. DS2 still won't at 10.

I run round the block (about 1km) and poke my head in through the living-room window each time. Kids haven't moved!

Fine. I've left me Y4 9yo for 20mins on the odd occasion, and am working up to an hour. As long as you are both happy and have agreed your rules on whether he can answer the door/phone, views on cooking/making hot drinks. Check he can access exits in an emergency and knows what the smoke alarm sounds like. Give a time by which you'll be back, after which he should call someone.

Left my DS when he was just turned 10 while I went to the local supermarket (5 mins away in car). Was in there 10 minutes max then back home (5mins).
DS was fine with this and encouraged me to go saying he was happy playing his x-box.
Was the longest 20mins of my life.
When I got home I found DS had used this time call his friend and their parents and tell them he was left alone 'for ages' that he didn't know where I was and that he could hear strange noises in the house.
He wasn't frightened but was making up stories.
I definitely misjudged him and thought he was more mature.
I'll leave him again when he's 18!

You get than 9, certainly!

You can get a nanny cam type thing that links to your phone so you’d be able to have a quick look every 10 mins or so. I’d make sure you have routes that are always within 5 mins of the house to start off.

I’ve left my 9 year old for 15 mins while I collect his younger brother from a club and he’s been fine. We live 7 minutes away from the school where the club happens so I’m never more that 7 minutes away. He doesn’t have a phone but we have a landline with y number written down next to it.
My rules are-
No cooking
No answering the door
If there’s a fire, get out

By 11 he’ll be getting the bus for 45 minutes to school and back everyday (as his 11 year old brother has to do) so he needs to start small with independence so that he doesn’t have a massive shock come that time.