By Robin Wilcox for Safe Kids Worldwide
The Census Bureau estimates that nearly 7 million school-age children routinely stay home alone. Yes, home can be a hazardous place -- every year, nearly 3.4 million kids visit the emergency room with accidental injuries suffered at home; nearly 2 million of these children are ages 4 and under; and more than 2,000 children die.
The leading accidental causes of child fatalities in the home are fire and burns (27 percent), suffocation (22 percent), drowning (15 percent), and choking (7 percent). Another 8 percent involve poison, falls or firearms.
All of these accidental injuries are preventable, but the most important component of injury prevention in the home is active supervision -- the undivided attention of an adult caregiver who keeps the child in sight and in reach. A babysitter or older sibling who is talking on the phone, watching TV, reading or eating cannot be considered active supervision for the purposes of preventing accidental injury. In addition to active supervision, it is critical that the primary caregiver makes sure the home is as “childproof” as possible and the child is thoroughly trained in emergency procedures. This is especially true for children who are home alone.
First, know the law. In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to leave a child under age 12 or 13 home alone; call the non-emergency number of the local police department or child welfare agency to find out any age requirements. Preferably, children should be supervised until they are at least 12 years old and they have learned and practiced good safety rules and demonstrated their ability and judgment to follow them. Every child is different. The parent or primary caregiver knows best when a particular child is mature enough to stay home alone -- and for how long.
The first time a child stays home alone, it should be for a short time and a parent or caregiver should be nearby. The child should always know where the parents are and what time they will be home. The parents should also be reachable by cell phone.
Safe Kids Worldwide also recommends that parents:
- Post emergency numbers (police, fire,
EMS
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue and the smoke alarm is going off” or “I’m at 401 E Street by myself. I fell down the stairs and I can’t move my leg.” - Make sure potentially poisonous or hazardous household items are locked up out of reach -- especially medications, matches, lighters, firearms and cleaning products. Teach children to read warning labels on household products and to follow first aid instructions for accidental exposure.
- Review the family’s emergency escape plan and make sure the children know what to do if the smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector goes off. Practice two escape routes from each room -- crawling to stay below the smoke and feeling doors for heat before opening them. Emphasize that everyone should get out of the house immediately, call the fire department from a cell phone or cordless phone outside, and stay outside until the fire department says it’s safe to go back in.
- Show the child where to find the household first aid kit and how to use basic first aid supplies. Ideally, the child should take a first aid and safety course for babysitters before staying home alone.
- Prepare a snack or meal in advance -- preferably one that does not need to be heated. Children should be taught to never leave an oven or stove unattended while cooking and to turn it off when they are finished. Cooking is the leading cause of residential fires and related injuries! Even a microwave can heat food or liquids enough to cause scald burns from steam or spills.
Many of these general preparedness skills can be taught or reinforced in school, and relevant curriculum materials are available from Safe Kids Worldwide and related nonprofits, such as the National Fire Protection Association, the American Association of Poison Control Centers and the American Safety and Health Institute. Local fire departments, hospitals and chapters of the American Red Cross and American Heart Association might also provide helpful resources and expertise.
Schools can also help keep children’s “latchkey” hours to a minimum by providing afterschool activities and extending the hours of adult supervision. Certain amenities at home, such as a pool or backyard play equipment, need to be off limits in the absence of active supervision, while schools are well situated to provide supervised recreation on site.
As with any other benchmark of cognitive and affective learning, a child’s readiness to stay home alone emerges gradually, not as a threshold event. Advise parents to start with short errands close to home and to debrief with the child in order to assess coping skills. As extensions of greater independence are validated with good behavior, the child can progress to longer periods of self-reliance and eventually, if necessary, stay home on a regular basis.
Even then, have several backup plans ready. Adolescents who can look after themselves under normal circumstances might need a caregiver present when they’re sick, when severe weather is predicted, when the daily routine is disrupted and the parent or primary caregiver is out longer than usual, or when they wish to have guests.
Simply put, no bright line or magic number can substitute for parental judgment and observation of the individual child’s actual abilities. A statutory minimum age for “latchkey” kids should be understood as a minimum based on averages, not as a signal that any given child is suddenly ready for this level of responsibility. Parents, in this matter, should trust their knowledge of their child and their own common sense.
