Would you do this?

[AngelUK]

she was the one who was short with me, I was too stunned and shocked to say anything. I don't know her name or her exact address and I am not sure that what she did is an offence as such. But it really never even occurred to me at the time.

 

[Gem1302]

Nope! I'd never do that! I live in a first floor flat and don't even leave Jenson on his own while I go downstairs to check the post or to the binshed!! I'd probably go outside to peg washing out etc when we have a house, but I'd take the monitor. Living in a block of flats I don't know who is always in the building regarding neighbours visitors and things so that's why I don't leave him right now. Children get taken and go missing all the time, and accidents happen when parents are just in the next room, leaving them totally alone like that is just tempting fate IMO.

 

[w8ing4bean]

Christ i dont even nip out to my car while bee naps!! (parked off road 3 houses down) ANYTHING could happen. Burglary/fire/child distressed!!! We had a fire back in april just would never ever risk it!!

 

[Lynzeigh]

Not only the child but what if something happened to the parent while they popped out ie "They unexpectedly get ill and can't get back home to the lone child", get knocked down, get mugged etc etc, anything can happen at any time to any of us. Not worth the risk

 

[minties]

Your UK laws seem the same as ours, that there is no set age where it is legal to leave a child alone in a house. But babies and toddlers would be inadequately supervised surely as this age, and I think the police would be interested to know.

I called the police on a neibour for leaving her toddler alone (awake too) and nothing really happened but she got a warning.

 

[AngelUK]

I will definitely consider it if there is a next time, if by then I learn at least her name or her address.

 

[sue_88]

No I wouldn't do that. I do leave M in the house while she's napping/sleeping whilst I mow the lawn, put the bins out, clean my car etc sometimes I take the monitor, sometimes not but my garden is behind a big locked gate and a high brick wall. It's safer to do hose things for me while she is asleep instead of hanging round my ankles etc and as I live alone I have to do them.

 

[Logan's Mum]

No way! What happens if she does this regularly as a routine and someone is watching her? (like an ex, or just a weirdo). It wouldnt take long if they knew the kid was home alone to break in and snatch the child once she was in the shop. It sounds dramatic, but thought out attacks like this do happen.

If you know she does this regularly and you find out her address I would report her. x

 

[Cariad_x]

Not a chance, just reading that has made me feel ill. I didn't even go across the road to my mums when I lived across from her when Ollie was napping. It's too risky.

 

[d_b]

No! That's terrible! What if the house caught fire? Here it is illegal, you can be charged with child abandonment. I sometimes hang out laundry and will take DS1 into the yard while DS2 naps, but I have a video monitor for each kid that I take with me.

 

[Zephram]

Your UK laws seem the same as ours, that there is no set age where it is legal to leave a child alone in a house. But babies and toddlers would be inadequately supervised surely as this age, and I think the police would be interested to know.

I called the police on a neibour for leaving her toddler alone (awake too) and nothing really happened but she got a warning.

Minties, this is untrue. It is illegal to leave children unsupervised in NZ under the age of 14! Read this:
https://www.practicecentre.cyf.govt.nz/policy/assessment-and-decision-making/key-information/home-alone.html Info you need to know so you don't get in trouble.

AngelUK - I would not do that. As just mentioned, it's illegal here, and it's so irresponsible anyway! Young kids can get up to so much mischief and endanger themselves in seconds, I'd never even consider it.

 

[minties]

Its illegal if you haven't made sure they are safe though isn't it? If you left a 10 year old in s 'safe' house with food and water and a telephone etc that may construe as being a safe circumstance. Or a neighbour keeping an ear out could be called supervision which is pathetic. The law is too vague.

Just going by what the cop I spoke to said as my phone is being silly and I can't click on the link.

I would not leave mine alone until they were teenagers anyway so not worried about getting myself in trouble

 

[Zephram]

Its illegal if you haven't made sure they are safe though isn't it? If you left a 10 year old in s 'safe' house with food and water and a telephone etc that may construe as being a safe circumstance. Or a neighbour keeping an ear out could be called supervision which is pathetic. The law is too vague.

Just going by what the cop I spoke to said as my phone is being silly and I can't click on the link.

I would not leave mine alone until they were teenagers anyway so not worried about getting myself in trouble

It does say circumstances are individual, etc. It'd probably be okay for a responsible 13 year old to walk home from school to a safe house and be alone for a short amount of time while waiting for their caregiver to finish work, or some such. However, you have to have done what you can to make sure they are supervised and know what to do if something goes wrong, etc. I don't know if I'd be happy letting a ten year old be alone though, that'd almost be too young for me.

 

[irish_cob]

Nope. The furthest I go whilst on my own with the kids whether they're awake or asleep is out to my car on my drive which means a trip of about 6ft from my front door to the car, or out to the garage (my tumble drier is out there) and that isn't joined on but near as dammit, the garage door is about 4ft from my front door. And I'll pop rubbish in the bin but that just means me reaching out the back door. I wouldn't go anywhere whilst mine were asleep, they never nap for a consistent length of time, and what if they woke up and I wasn't there? They'd be terrified and I wouldn't blame them. Not on at all in my opinion.

 

[irish_cob]

Oh and if they're awake, especially the eldest I tell them if I'm popping out - e.g. I'm going to fetch in the shopping from the car whilst your sister is asleep or I'm just nipping out to empty the tumble drier so that she doesn't look up and wonder why I'm not in the kitchen! Half the time it doesn't sink in but as I never leave her she knows I'm either in the garage or fetching all the junk that the accumulates in the car! And I do ever only pop out, I don't dawdle in the garage or car.

 

[CupcakeBaby]

The thought alone makes me feel a bit queasy.

I won't even go into the garden to pull the bins up from the road while DD is alone in the house!

 

[Sarah125]

Nope I personally wouldn't. I won't even go and put my bin out whilst she's having a nap.

I know my neighbours do it quite often with their toddler (same age as Sophie) and they will pop to the shop whilst he's napping and just take the monitor. I do find it weird but I wouldn't judge as it's quite unlikely anything would happen.

It's a hard one because yes the parent could get knocked down by a car but then they could choke on their lunch whilst their child is napping and still not be able to respond to them kind of thing.

 

[Jchihuahua]

I wouldn't in case something happened, choking, fitting, an electrical fire, you just don't know and I would never take the risk.

 

[SarahBear]

I would never leave a toddler home alone.

 

[pinklightbulb]

I would not. That said in an emergency as I am a single mum and don't drive, when the boys are long in bed for the night I have nipped up to shop for essentials once or twice. Milk, pads, nappies etc, stuff that couldn't really wait till morning. (Boys always have milk and won't drink anything else in the morning and pads and nappies are self-explanatory.)

Oh damn just realised I am the only one admitting to anything like this. Feel awful now. But house is always locked and so are windows. At times with Eamon being autistic and getting ratty in the evening, I don't think of things till they are both in bed and then realise I really need them. And no way would I take him out in meltdown mode.

I've only done this a max of 3-4 times that I can think of.