Opinions on leaving dc alone in house

[Discus99]

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie and am interested in people's opinions about leaving their children alone in the house at night for about 15 minutes while they were asleep. Personally I would never do this but do know that people do it.

Not while they were asleep. If they woke while you were not there they would be terrified.

I leave dd1 (6) alone while I pop to the shops if she doesn't want to come. But never for more than 10 mins.

People will be along in a moment to tell you your friends houses will spontaeously combust and they love next door to an axe murdering peodophile who will break in and murder their children the instant they leave the house.

Personally I think I would, but not yet (DS is only 1!). I think when they are fairly young I wouldn't worry so much about leaving them, more about what if something happened to me (eg. hit by a car? v. unlikely but could happen), what would they do? You'd have to make a judgement call dependent on your own child's level of common sense.

My sister's friend used to leave hers in bed to pop round to the neighbours for a chat, but she took the baby monitor with her and they were in cots anyway so couldn't come to look for her. It was no different to her sitting in her own living room.

I know people who do this do go get a pint of milk early in the morning and such.

I personally have done this when the gas/electric has cut out and I've had to go and top it up 5 mins walk away.
I'm not comfortable with it, but the possibility of DS waking up and having to cry for 5 minutes I thought was better than having to wake/dress/take him out in the freezing cold late at night.
I also thought, if I'd gone to take a shower while he slept it would be similar, I wouldn't hear him while I was in there.

My mum works in A&E and just last week a little boy was brought in DOA, the mother said she had popped next door for 10 mins and in that time the three year old hanged himself on the blind cord, looking out the window for his mum
Now she may not have been telling the truth it may have been longer.
But honestly I don't leave my 8 year old for 10 mins, maybe my 10 year old whilst I put rubbish in the bin and I run there and back.

God that's awful.

I do think the age of the child is important. It's all about weighing up the risks. Thanks for your replies.

The McCanns left their 2yo twins and 3yo DD alone for 30 minutes a time before checking on them.
Not recommended in any situation but especially so for that family given the subsequent tragedy..

I might for a child in a cot who couldn't get out or injure themselves, but no way with a child in a bed as they could very quickly get up and have some sort of accident. before mccann incident did leave baby in cot in hotel room for daytime nap, now def would not.

Also would no way leave DD(6) during day although this morning did go back to sleep when she woke up at 5.30am and was playing, is this so different - she covered playroom in glue and glitter

probably ok though for child over certain age eg 10 who might not be so alarmed if you were out and unlikely to get into trouble like blind cord incident - also more trustworthy during day.

I wouldn't leave my children (6, 5, nearly 4) in the house alone at any time, largely because I'd be more concerned about what would happen if something happened to me.

A couple of years ago two of my children were at nursery and one was with me and I slipped in the street and ended up in hospital with a head injury. Fortunately, I was with my friend, but had I not been, no one would have known to collect my children from nursery, let alone if they were home alone.

So no, I'd never go out somewhere and leave them.

But then on a summer's evening, DH & I will sit in the garden while they're sleeping.

MillyMollyMoo, how far from your house is your bin? I'm not saying you're wrong, btw, it's just that I wouldn't think twice about putting the bin out or tipping the water from the mop bucket down the outside drain, and my children are a lot younger than yours.

I am sure there are laws about this and apart from anything else you could get yourself in a situation where you could be prosecuted

The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.

I would do no more than to go to the bin in the garden and sometimes I nip out to the car (on the drive outside house) to fetch something.

Misshardbroom My bins are out the front door, turn left up the path, so a good few minutes and more to the point completely out of sight, yours sound just fine.
I'm also expecting a new baby and my biggest worry is that i'll be so used to popping here and there and leaving my, by then 11, 9 and 7 year old for a few minutes I'll forget tiny tot needs to come with me.

No. I wont leave my child alone. Safety reasons purely. I would rather take the trouble of dressing him up and taking him along with me.

I wouldn't if they were asleep (6 and 4). I do put the bin out (round trip of about 2-3 minutes). Wouldn't go out to the village shop (round trip about 10 minutes) although have been tempted sometimes.

I do leave either or both of them in the car while I pop into a shop for about 5 minutes.

Depends on age and maturity of child- and state of awareness+ briefing.

Wouldn't even leave my (very mature) 13yo without telling her I'm going: it just doesn't feel right. (I even like dh to tell me if he's going out).

But I'm quite happy to let my 9yo be alone for a few hours as long as he has been briefed and knows what he's doing.

I leave my 10 year old the 15mins it takes to take his sister to then from Beavers but no more than that at the moment and certainly not if he was asleep and didn't know I was going out.

Leave a 9yo for a few hours? That seems a long time! My DCs are much younger so I don't know what 9 year olds are like.