When Is It Okay For A Child To Stay Alone Without An Adult's Supervision & Care?

When is it okay for a child to stay alone without an adult's supervision and care? No Texas law specifies an age, but the law says that a child should not be "placed in a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or action beyond the child's level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities." Pre-school children cannot be left alone, as they are not capable of caring for themselves.

When deciding if your school-age child can stay home alone, think about the child's age, abilities, maturity, behavior, and judgement. Also, consider the length of time plus the activities in and around your home a neighborhood.

Does Your Child?

• Feel safe and comfortable being home alone?
• Know how to call 911, you, and other emergency numbers?
• Know where the emergency phone numbers and the home address are posted by the telephone?
• Know basic first aid and where to find your first aid kit?
• Know the fire exits in your home in case of a fire?
• Know the family's plan for emergencies and what neighbor or relative will be available?
• Know all safety rules, including limits for using the microwave, stove, oven, scissors, knives, and other potentially dangerous items while you are away?
• Know how to handle telephone calls? How to use the answering machine to screen calls? Which calls to answer? Or to tell callers that their parent "is busy"?
• Know to never answer the door or to allow strangers in the house?
• Know to call you first before allowing any unexpected, know person to enter?
• Know not to enter the house if something looks different and to immediately call you from a neighbor's house?
• Know to lock the doors once inside the house?
• Know and use internet safety rules?

After Doing The Above & Knowing Your Child's Abilities, Have You:

• Arranged for a reliable and trustworthy, nearby friend, neighbor, or relative to be available for your child?
• Posted emergency numbers and practiced with your child drills for fires and other emergencies?
• Set the guidelines with your child about activities and guests while alone?
• Deciding if the arrangement is working for your child:
• Start with very brief absences.
• Call while away.
• Drop in.

After Being Away, Talk With Your Child. Find Out:

• Are the family's rules being observed?
• Are your child's activities what you have agreed upon?
• If siblings are staying alone together, how do they get along without you?
• What have trusted neighbors observed?

It only takes a few seconds for a child to drown or suffer irreversible, permanent damage from a near drowning. A toilet, bucket, hot tub bathtub, aquarium, or any other container of water can increase the risk for drowning. Drowning is the leading cause for unintentional injury deaths of children age 4 and younger. In children 14 and younger, drowning is second leading cause for unintentional injury fatalities.

Inside The House

• Never leave small children alone around any container of water. This includes toilets, tubs, wading pools, spas, aquariums, and buckets.
• Keep bathroom doors closed and secure toilet lids with lid locks.
• Safeguard bathtubs and sinks used for bathing by using faucet covers and nonskid mats or decals.
• Before bathing children, gather the soap, shampoo, toys, towel, diaper, clothing, and any other needed items before running the bath water. Place these items within easy reach.
• After running bath water, check the water temperature before placing the child in the bath water.
• Once your child is in the bath, don't leave for any reason. Children can drown in just a small amount of water. They can easily topple into the tub or toilet. It only takes a few seconds for a drowning to happen.
• If you must leave the room for the telephone or door, take the child with you after taking the child out of the water and wrapping him in a towel.
• To avoid falls and slipping under the water, always keep one hand firmly around the child when bathing him and keep the child sitting.
• Ensure pet doors are inaccessible to young children. Young children like to crawl through the doors to gain access to the outside.

Outside The House

• Never leave children alone with water including a pool, wading pool, pond, drainage ditch, or lake.
• Stay with children swimming or playing in water. They need an adult or certified lifeguard to keep a constant watch.
• Use approved life jackets.
• Arrange for swimming lessons for your children with a qualified instructor.
• Safeguard swimming pools. Use fences. Install self-closing and latching gates, and water surface alarms.
• Completely remove pool covers when the pool is in use.
• Make sure proper safety equipment is located near the pool.
• Store water toys away from the pool when they are not in use.
• Encourage safe practices. Don't assume young children will use good judgement and caution around water.
• Be prepared for emergencies. Have a first-aid kit and emergency medical telephone contacts. Learn CPR.
• Know if your child's friends have home pools.

Safety begins at home. Most people think their homes are safe. However, most injuries involving chlidren occur in the child's home. Using common safeguards can reduce the risk of injuries.

Choking

• Keep drapery, blind, electrical, and telephone cords out of reach.
• For children under 4, avoid hard, smooth foods like hard candies, nuts, seeds, grapes and raw vegetables that can lodge in the child's throat. Chop hotdogs, grapes, caramels, sausages and other like foods into small pieces.
• Keep small objects that can be swallowed off floors, tables, and other areas.
• Remove drawstrings and hoods from children's clothing.

Poisoning

• Keep cleaning supplies, chemicals, paints, and cosmetics in original containers. Use cabinet and drawer latches and locks.
• Keep all medicines, prescription and non-prescription, in original containers and out reach. Use child resistant bottles.
• Keep toxic plants out of reach.
• Keep purses carrying cosmetics, medications and small objects out of reach. Use child resistant bottles.
• Keep toxic plants out of reach.
• Keep purses carrying cosmetics, medications and small objects out of reach.

Suffocation

• Place infants on their backs to sleep.
• In cribs, avoid soft bedding, pillows and stuffed animals.
• Keep plastic bags away from children.
• Keep children from playing in parked cars, refrigerators, dryers, freezers and stoves.

Burns and Fires

• Set hot water heater thermostats to 120 degrees or less.
• Check bath water should be no warmer than 100 degrees.
• Baby's bath water should be no warmer than 100 degrees.
• Use back burners and turn pot handles inward when cooking.
• Avoid placing hot liquids within reach.
• Place matches, lighters, gasoline and other flammables out of reach.
• Use electrical outlet covers.
• Keep all electrical appliances like curling irons and irons out of reach.
• Place guards around all heaters, fireplaces, and barbeque grills.
• Install smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in houses using wood and fuel heating.

Other Safety Tips

• Prevent falls on stairs by using safety gates at top and bottom of stairs.
• Prevent bathtub falls and injuries by using a bath mat and spout guard.
• Use colorful decals so glass doors are visible.
  Lock unloaded guns and mmunition separately in a secure place.
• Use locking safety devices on guns.
• Childproof doors and gates to prevent children leaving without being noticed.
• Watch children around dogs and other pets.

Be Prepared for Accidents

• Post numbers for Poison Center 1-800-764-7661 (1-800-POISON1), 911 for emergency services, and your doctor.
• Have a first aid kit.
• Learn first aid and CPR.

Parents and caregivers: please take a moment to discuss safety with your child. This is a guide to help you as you review ways to keep your child out of harms way.

I Will Always:

• get permission before going somewhere
• say no to drugs
• trust my inner feelings
• use the buddy system if I go somewhere
• run away from a stranger if approached
• tell someone I trust if someone touches me in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable
• know at least two escape routes from each area of the house in case of an emergency
• walk or play in groups
• call 911 if I'm scared and need help

I Will Never:

• keep secrets that make me feel bad
• accept gifts or money without first checking with my parents
• help a stranger with directions, find their lost pet or in any other way
• touch a weapon
• accept car rides unless I have permission from my parents
• go with anyone who does not know the family "secret code" word
• tell a caller I am home alone

Signed:

______________________________

Child

______________________________

Parent