There’s a good chance, if you’re a parent, you’ve wondered when it’s appropriate to leave your kids at home alone. And, summer break often means more children are staying home alone.
But, every kid is different, so it’s impossible to set an age, but most states have guidelines or laws that do.
(We’ll get to that…)
Is your child ready to be home alone?
There are some basics you should go through when making the decision:
… Is there an accessible cell phone or landline phone the child can – and knows how to – use? (Obviously, they should know how to get a hold of you and have numbers to other trusted relatives or neighbors close by.)
… The knowledge of when to call 9-1-1 and what information they might need (ie: home address)
… They know what to do if a stranger comes to the door (or calls), the smoke alarm goes off, there is a power outage, the weather looks bad outside (tornado warning), etc…
… And, last but not least, he/she feels confident about staying home alone and will not be nervous, anxious or afraid. It is important to consider maturity and emotional health.
Those are some of the basics. You know your child best, so it is good to be thorough when making your decision.
CLICK HERE
for the “Home Alone: Is your child ready?” brochure from the ND Department of Human Services.
States weigh in
All states have recommendations on when to leave your child alone, and some have passed laws about it.
NORTH DAKOTA
There is no state law in North Dakota that specifies the age a child can stay home alone or babysit
another child. However,
the North Dakota Department of Human Services says they recommend a child must be at least 9 years old before he or she is left alone.
North Dakota says ages 0-8 must not be left alone under any circumstances. A 9-year-old child can only be left alone for two hours or less during daytime hours and cannot be responsible for the care of other children. Once the child is 10, he or she can be left alone for more than 2 hours but it must be during daylight hours. And a child cannot be responsible for others (like babysitting) until he or she is 12 years or older.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota law does not specify an age, just guidelines to consider prosecuting child neglect.
It is advised by the state’s attorney office that children:
Under 7 should not be left alone
Ages 8-9 should not be left unattended for more than two hours
10-13 should not be left alone for more than 12 hours
Ages 14-17 should not be left unattended for more than 24 hours and must have adequate back up adult supervision.
Parents and caregivers with questions on child supervision guidelines can also contact their county
social service office. Contact information is at
www.nd.gov/dhs/locations/countysocialserv/.
Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota and the North Dakota State University Extension Service Parent
Resource Centers also offer helpful information and training opportunities for parents and caregivers.
Details can be found on their websites:
www.pcand.org
and
www.pcand.org
(Amy Iler is a talk-show host at 790 AM KFGO – and 94.1 FM – in Fargo-Moorhead. She can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm during “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ”. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKFGO.)
