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How to Know When Your Child Is Ready to Stay Home Alone: Ask Them These Questions
10.01.2025 16:00
Every parent sooner or later faces the question: when can you start leaving your child home alone?
According to psychologists' recommendations, a child who is not yet 7 years old is not ready to stay at home alone.
This is related to physiological and psychological aspects of development.
Starting from the age of 7 (in some cases, from 8), children with normal intellectual and mental development develop skills that allow them to stay at home without adults.
However, it is important to remember that every child is individual, and it is the parents’ job to understand how ready your child is for this step.
How to assess a child's readiness
If you want to know if your children are ready to stay home without adults, ask them a few questions:
- Do they know how to safely pour themselves drinking water?
- Can they find food and cutlery?
- Do they understand that they shouldn't touch hot objects like an iron or a toaster when you're not there? That they shouldn't open windows?
- Do they know what to do in an emergency, such as a fire?
If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then your child is probably ready to be left home alone for a short period of time.
When you shouldn't leave your child alone
There are situations when leaving a baby alone is not recommended:
For example, you shouldn't leave a child under 7 years old alone at home - even if you think he's ready. If something out of the ordinary happens, it's likely that the child will become confused and get hurt because of it.
Don't rush to leave your child home alone if you've just moved. You need to wait a while for your child to get used to the new environment.
It is better if there is always an adult nearby for children if they have experienced a severe shock or upset.
If there is a fear of loneliness, you need to work on this fear first. You can try leaving the child alone when the intensity of his experiences decreases.
It is important to remember that older brothers and sisters will not be able to fully look after the younger ones.