Guide to minimize risk of leaving child home alone - Smart Security – | Kwikset

When carefully thought-out and planned for, leaving a mature child at home without adult supervision for an hour or two after school can be a valuable learning experience and teach independence, self-reliance, and self-discipline. The key is to strike a balance between giving your child room to grow and keeping in constant contact for your own peace of mind.

If you’re considering whether to leave your children at home unsupervised for a few hours between the last class bell and the end of your workday, these tips compiled from the Red Cross and ChildWelfare.gov may help with your decision:

Is your child mature enough to handle being home alone?

Though there are many excellent resources to help parents determine whether their children are ready to be home alone, there’s no substitution for your instinct. No one knows your child better than you do; you see them in every setting and you know how they respond to stress, fear, responsibility, and independence. Some child welfare experts suggest that children younger than 8 should not be left alone, though according to ChildWelfare.gov only three states have laws establishing minimum ages at which it is legal to leave children unsupervised. Illinois requires children left home alone to be at least 14, while the minimum age in Oregon is 10 and in Maryland children must be at least 8².

Is your child excited about being home alone?

A defining factor of your child’s success staying home unsupervised is how badly they want the responsibility². Are they likely to work to prove to you that they deserve the privilege and freedom of being home alone? Or are they likely to act out, signaling they need supervision despite what they might tell you.

Is your neighborhood safe?

Do you worry about crime in your area? Do you know and trust your neighbors? Do you have a nearby friend or relative who will be available for your child to contact in an emergency? Part of your decision will be based on factors external to your child’s maturity level and willingness to take on the responsibility.

Once you determine that your child is capable of taking care of him or herself and possibly younger siblings for short periods of time without your supervision, consider some of these preparedness exercises to equip them to handle any unexpected situations that may arise with confidence:

Establish an after-school routine and stick to it².

On days when you are home, or on the weekends, work with your child to set clear expectations of him or her in the hours immediately after school. This could include eating a healthy snack, starting or completing homework, an agreed upon amount of time spent watching TV or playing video games, or time spent practicing an instrument or other extracurricular activity or project. With a clear idea of how the time before you get home should pass, your child is less likely to seek other ways to entertain him or herself.

Create and write out an emergency preparedness plan.

Image from http://www.parentalguide.org/

Confidence in any situation comes from preparedness. Give your child everything he or she will need to cope with any emergency that may come up in your absence. In fact, the more your talk through possible emergency scenarios and how to handle them, the better you both will feel about your child’s ability to handle the situation. FEMA has an excellent emergency preparedness plan you and your family can fill out together and the Red Cross offers Be Red Cross Ready , a family preparedness class in an online presentation format.

Rehearse various hypothetical scenarios with your child².

Just as you might run through your child’s lines for a school play with him or her, rehearsing how you want your child to handle certain situations when home alone is the best way to prepare them to act when the time comes. Do you want your child to answer the phone? What should they say when asked if a parent is home? Practice calling the house or your child’s cell phone from your own cell phone and see how they do. What should your child do if a delivery or serviceman comes to the door? A neighbor? Discuss with your child how they should react, then run through it with them. This can be fun for both of you and will leave your child feeling empowered.

Once you know your child is emotionally ready and prepared to deal with anything that may come up while you’re not home, it’s a good idea to evaluate your home’s security. Is there anything you can do to make your home more secure, or keep a better eye on your child remotely? One excellent option is connected keyless deadbolts which sync with web-enabled devices to give you insight into the comings and goings of the people in your home from anywhere with an Internet connection.

The SmartCode electronic door locks with Home Connect technology from Kwikset are designed so each family member can have their own personal code, allowing them to enter the home with just a few simple pushes of a button and lock it with just one. Thus, kids can each have their own code for increased security and safety, as they no longer have to carry keys, which can often get lost.

SmartCode lock technology also provides more control over who has access to your home: a temporary code can be assigned to various parties — service providers or housekeepers, for example — to whoever needs one and deleted whenever the homeowner sees fit. The temporary code can even be set up to work only during a certain timeframe, while kids are at school, for example. And you can be notified if the service provider doesn’t leave before the child is scheduled to come home.

Most importantly, the locks can be set up to send you a text when your child arrives home after school so you can be assured of their whereabouts while giving them the freedom they’ve earned. Even if you have an agreement that your child should call when they get home, with SmartCode there’s no panic in the event they forget.

Because you can monitor lock status remotely, you’ll know if your child forgets to lock the door. What’s more, you have the power to lock the door remotely from any web-enabled device, even across the country.

By taking the right precautions and by establishing an open dialogue between you and your child about their comfort level with being home alone, you can turn what can be an uncomfortable process into a growth opportunity for your child.