text: what age do you think children should be able to stay home alone? what age should they no longer have a babysitter?  example:coming home from school and spending 3-5 hours alone. it depends on the child, and your exact situation; but a safe bet would be a young teenager, 13-16. an extremely responsible child in a neighborhood with very little crime, i might say as young as 10. then again, i know some kids who aren't responsible enough to be alone before they turn 14; and some neighborhoods i've lived in where i wouldn't let the best kid stay even then. my best advice is if you trust them to fix a healthy meal for themselves (especially since they'll be alone until between 6 & 9 pm) then you can probably trust them to be alone.