At what age would you leave children alone ?

mishkanorman

I have 2 DS who are 5 and 6 and due to work arrangements at times it is necessary to leave them while I catch up on sleep. I know there is a legal minimum for children to be left on their own (12 ?) but dont think it applies here ?

So what age have you left your children at whilst busy doing other things ?

pinknfluffy0

Could you put them in the room with you with a dvd on and get some sleep then?

Bitsy_Beans

I didn't think there was a legal min age TBH.

I wouldn't in all conscience do it. I wouldn't be able to sleep for worrying what trouble they'd get into anyway.
Is there no family or neighbour you could leave them with for a few hours so you can catch up on sleep.

Tulip09

I personally would sleep on the settee whilst they are playing/ watching tv in the livingroom. I wouldnt be in bed as they are pretty young still to be responsible. I had a fire in my hallway whilst sleeping, kids can get up to all kinds of mischief no matter how trustworthy they are previously and my children were 9 & 10 at the time.

http://s998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/tulip09photoalbum/Fire%20Damage%2009/

^^^^ The result of leaving 2 'responsible' children whilst i was sleeping

xmaslolly76

At 5 & 6 i wouldnt feel comfortable leaving them on their own for any length of time. I have at times as suggested above when they were that age put a dvd on for them whilst ive cat napped on the sofa but im usually a light sleeper anyway so i am aware of what they are doing. They are now 8 & 12 and the 8yr old will still quite happily sit and watch a film whilst i doze and the older one goes off and does her own thing either in her room or on the computer in the kitchen.

Gingham_Ribbon

I think that's too young to be left alone to be honest. Dozing on the sofa while they're watching a DVD seems like the most realistic solution if there is no-one else to care for them.

The law allows parents to make the decision as to when their children are responsible enough to be left alone, so there is no minimum age as such, but if there was an accident or problem, the parent can be charged with negligence (though obviously that is a minor inconvenience when compared to what might happen.)

If it's an ongoing issue and you need proper sleep, is there a neighbour or friend who can help out sometimes, or even a teenager who can sit with them while you're sleeping?

gratefulforhelp_2

There is no legal minimum age, but the younger they are, the more likely it will be deemed unreasonable if something (God Forbid) goes wrong and you end up in court.

I agree with Gingham Ribbon, I'm not sure this is a sustainable thing to do on a regular basis.

My_Fathers_Daughter

Tulip09 wrote: »

I personally would sleep on the settee whilst they are playing/ watching tv in the livingroom. I wouldnt be in bed as they are pretty young still to be responsible. I had a fire in my hallway whilst sleeping, kids can get up to all kinds of mischief no matter how trustworthy they are previously and my children were 9 & 10 at the time.

http://s998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/tulip09photoalbum/Fire%20Damage%2009/

^^^^ The result of leaving 2 'responsible' children whilst i was sleeping

Picture 10 of 11 chilled me to the bone - thank goodness you were all safe.

A lesson for us all perhaps?

Alikay

Leaving children alone and being busy doing something else are two completely different things. I wouldn't leave a pre school or primary school aged child alone in the house ever. At 3 or 4 I'd pop a DVD on whilst I was within sight of them and busy doing the ironing for example.

I don't think I'd go to sleep or take a shower with a child under say 10 awake in the house....this I do find a bit of a problem as I foster young children and DH sometimes works away for a week at a time. Some days they wake up before my alarm goes off, so I have to make do with a good wash until they go to bed or I seize the opportunity for a shower if my mum drops by:D.

I think this is the hardest bit about having children......until you're a mum you really don't understand the "I never have any time for myself" thing!

Tulip09

My_Fathers_Daughter wrote: »

Picture 10 of 11 chilled me to the bone - thank goodness you were all safe.

A lesson for us all perhaps?

Yep we were very lucky, my children had decided that because i was so tired they would tidy up the hallway and light some smelly candles to make the place relaxing for me as a treat, they had even ran a bubble bath. The fire melted the floor and roof aswell as the smoke alarms, it went through 4 rooms in less than 10 minutes and we were on the 4th floor and had to be pulled out from the livingroom window.

Kids take things on themselves, they like to surprise you. OP i know it is really hard when you are tired and no matter how responsible your children are, children really cant be trusted on their own. And i think someone mentioned previously about social services etc if things go wrong. We had to go through 6 months of investigations/ meetings after the fire to try and prove that we were responsible parents and didnt make a habit of leaving my children unattended whilst i slept.

pinknfluffy0

Alikay wrote: »

I don't think I'd go to sleep or take a shower with a child under say 10 awake in the house....this I do find a bit of a problem as I foster young children and DH sometimes works away for a week at a time. Some days they wake up before my alarm goes off, so I have to make do with a good wash until they go to bed or I seize the opportunity for a shower if my mum drops by:D.

Under 10 you wouldnt have a shower?