Today’s working parents face the dilemma of having their children home alone anywhere from a few minutes to several hours per day with hungry bellies and idle hands. Before you allow your child to be in your home alone, clear communication is crucial. Just like there are house rules, there should also be rules governing food, especially what’s okay to eat, what’s not, whether or not it should be cooked and the best way to do it.
In general, parents should discourage the use of the stove or oven in their absence. Not only can burns be a safety hazard but the most common types of burns are those from improperly handled boiling water. Only after being well trained by an adult is cooking okay for children who are home alone. Parents must address all aspects of kitchen safety thoroughly. The decision to let kids cook, just like the decision to allow them be home alone, is based on age, maturity and the development of skills to handle not only cooking but what to do in case of an emergency.
Spending some of your free time in the kitchen cooking with your children will help them learn simple cooking and food preparation techniques that they can use when you’re gone. This will not only help to give you peace of mind but you will have been able to supervise them as they learn proper techniques. As a result, they will feel safer, more confident and begin to develop more independence.
If you’ve decided that it’s okay for your child to start cooking when he or she is home alone, it’s important to talk about what’s okay to eat and cook, and what’s not. One way to draw clear parameters is to provide simple recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily.
A good alternative to oven or stovetop cooking is the microwave, especially when heating frozen meals. Children should be reminded to be careful when using the microwave, however, since what’s coming out of it can be steaming hot. Potholders should always be used to remove food and it should be allowed to cool thoroughly before eating.
Snacks and meals that don’t require cooking or cutting are the best option for children who are home alone. Parents can help kids by keeping pre-prepared foods in the refrigerator and a well-stocked shelf in the pantry full of healthy snacks that cover the four basic food groups. There are plenty of good choices: raisins, granola bars, trail mix, wheat crackers, individually packaged cheeses like cheddar and string cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, beef or turkey jerky, cold cuts, tuna, pre-cut veggies and fruit.
Children who spend time alone at home while their parents are at work have a unique opportunity to learn valuable life skills like independence and problem-solving. The key is for parents make clear rules, especially about cooking and eating, so that kids are properly prepared to be alone and can be well-nourished and safe.