Age for First Sleepover?

[HLAuburn]

For those of you with girls, how old were they when hey first spent the night at a friend's house or if she hasn't yet, when do you think she'll be old enough to?

The reason I ask...we just got an invite for a Tangled sleepover party from a girl in my daughter's class. We won't be in town, so it's not really an issue for us, but honestly, at 6 years old, I don't think I would let her go and she has no interest in spending the night away from home anyway.

I'm all worried parents won't feel comfortable dropping their kids off for DD's movie party at the theater, so I was a little surprised to see a sleepover (an pool) party for a 6 year old. But then again, I am a little overprotective!

 

[JessicaR]

I wouldn't allow my 6 year old to attend any sleepover party. Too young. I think between 10-12 is a good starting age for sleepovers. Just my opinion and what I would be comfortable with.

This excludes family sleepovers, that I would allow at any age.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My son went to his first sleepover at 6 but it was at a very close friend's house and he was the only kid besides their own.

He actually tried at 5, I think twice, and asked to come home both times.

Having said that, while I'd have let my 6 year old try a sleepover (with me by the phone for a pick up if need be, and instructions to the parents not to hesitate to call), I wouldn't let them go to a pool party without me.

 

[kirstenb1]

Our dd went to her first sleepover in first grade, so she would have been 6. I think rather than age, you just have to know your child. Some kids are real homebodies, and don't ever like sleepovers, others are ready at a young age.

 

[U2_rocks!]

There's no magic age - it depends on your child, the family she'll be sleeping at etc. My DS wasn't ready to sleep out until he was 7 or 8, but my DDs were sleeping at friends houses from the time they were around 5 I guess. But only close friends - to be honest, I don't think they were invited to sleep over at a not so close friend when they were that young.

 

[dngnb8]

For those of you with girls, how old were they when hey first spent the night at a friend's house or if she hasn't yet, when do you think she'll be old enough to?

Totally depends on the friend. My DD was 7, but we were very close with the family and their DD7 slept at our place.

she has no interest in spending the night away from home anyway.

This would be the big issue, but I found once they do it, they have a blast

I'm all worried parents won't feel comfortable dropping their kids off for DD's movie party at the theater, so I was a little surprised to see a sleepover (an pool) party for a 6 year old. But then again, I am a little overprotective!

A couple of things.

1: You will be out of town. I would most likely say no because if something happened, youre away.

2: I havent heard yet how well you know these people. The pool adds to the dynamic. Is it fenced in? Do they have a dog? I agree 6 y/o is young, especially if you dont know the people well

3: If you agree, and youre out of town, have the adults in charge asked for a permission slip allowing them to consent to medical treatment if God forbid, something did happen?

 

[luvmy3]

I think my dd was around 7 for her first sleepover party. I agree with other pp's there is no "right" age because it really depends on the individual kid, and (for me) how well I know the family.
If I was going to be out of town, I would not let my child have his/her first sleepover no matter what their age.

ETA I would never leave my 6 year old at a "pool" party, regardless if it was a sleepover or not.

 

[rodeo65]

DD had her first sleepover for her 8th birthday. She had three friends stay. All of them had both had and been to quite a few already. She then stayed over at a friend's for the first time about 6 months later and called me twice and I was told the next morning that she was awake a lot in the night and she told me she was scared staying there (old creaky house).

I think she likes the idea more than the reality, and at home is fine but staying somewhere else is another story. She has had two friends sleep over since but that is home turf so all good for her.

 

[luvsJack]

DD was 5 when she went to her first sleep over that was just her and the one friend. At 6 a lot of the girls were having slumber birthday parties.

Now, dd attends a small school that is in our community, most of the parents and kids were former clients in our child care center and a lot of them go to our church. So I do know these parents, they aren't just the parents of someone she goes to school with. So, that may make a difference.

As for their having a pool, I guess because anytime someone comes over to our house during the summer its pretty much understood that they will more than likely be in the pool, I just don't think too much about that at all. I might would ask if they need any help with supervision in the pool, just to make sure they got it covered.

 

[NHdisneylover]

It really, really depends on teh kid.

DD was 7. it was at a close friend's house. She had two friends she would sleep over with at that age and no one else (and no parties of more than just those two there). There have been exactly three other friends she has been comfortable enough to spend the night with since then (she is 15) and only one party (at one of those friend's houses). She is a more timid kid.

DS, on the other hand, is very outgoing and not easily homesick. He loves sleep away camp and is even flying to London this summer for a camp which will have him staying with a host family (he is 12). I think he was 4 at his first sleepover.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

Our DD just had her first sleepover with a neighborhood friend this year just after turning 7. She had been invited to a sleepover birthday party that we decided not to let her attend because they birthday girl can be a bit of a trouble maker. We decided with our neighbors that we should get the girls some easy sleepover experience (one close friend, just down the street) before the next slumber party came along.

And I wouldn't let a kid go to a pool party where I would not be present for a few years. About 2 weeks ago the Washington Post had a story about a family party where a child was discovered dead at the bottom of the pool when everyone else was getting out. There was enough commotion that no one had noticed the child drowning. That sort of thing scares me to death, so I would want to be there to be sure that someone was prioritizing my child's safety at all times.

 

[aprilgail2]

Kindergarten was when they started around here! Plus my daughter was in Girl Scouts then and they did a sleepover with the troop to a local aquarium and another one at the troop leaders house(which was also a pool party). In 1st grade (age 5/6) they did a overnight outdoor camping trip at a campground. Most of the kids were fine with it all- one or two didn't come and one needed her mom to come with her but it was fine. By the time they are 11ish or so the sleepovers get further and further in between because they are all so busy.

 

[JennyKS]

Well my daughter had a neighboorhood friend spend the night right before her 6th birthday, and just last week she was invited to another neighboorhood girls birthday party which is a sleep over. This will be her first sleepover (not at my house). I don't worry about things like this, maybe because her father and I are not together so she gets bounced back and forth? I don't know. She wants to go, I know she will be fine.

As for a pool party, I guess I'm a little surprised at the responses. Maybe you mean a house pool party, and not a party at the say city pool? One of the field trips my daughter does at daycare is to go to the pool. She did go to a pool party at the city pool when she was still just 5. The birthday girls mom took one of her friends and 6 little girls. So two adults, 6 kids, I wasn't worried.

Maybe I'm not just overly protective enough.

Maybe I'll add city pool would be different because of life guards? Also, I remember how much fun I had at sleepovers, and those friendships are still there. I want her to enjoy that.

 

[indimom]

It depends on the child.

Mine started early (Pre-K) with friends we knew very well.

The first overnight for a friend, whose parents we did not know personally, was around second or third grade (and, yes, I was nervous about it).

My daughter (14) still has one friend who comes to her sleep-over parties, but always leaves around 11 p.m. The possible reasons are endless and I have chosen not to speculate.

Do what makes you and your daughter comfortable.

 

[kt_mom]

My DD has a sleepover party for 8th birthday. She invited about 8 or 9 little girls and all but 1 spent the night. The one that didn't spend the night had been sick some that week and the mom compromised with her and let her come for a little while.

DD had her first non family sleep over at about 5 I think. It was a close family friend. Then in 1st grade she had a few sleepover with school friends.

 

[pigletgirl]

I was about 6 I think. Granted it was my very best friend and it was just us. Our mothers were really close too.

I think my first sleepover bday party was when I was about 8 I think. I do remember though, alot of little girls crying for their mom. I think its just different for each kid and what they can handle.

 

[Baileymouse]

DD (8) had a friend sleep over this weekend, and this was her first sleepover. The young lady was visiting with her Dad, and since it got late, we put him on the couch and the young lady stayed with DD. I guess this doesn't count as an official sleepover since the her parent was with her, lol.

DD sometimes goes over to DS's apartment for a night when he babysits. He's 26. She adores that, since he lets her play video games.

 

[tmarquez]

DD was 6, and she slept over at her 5 yo friends house.

She is 8 now and sleep overs are very common among her friends and classmates.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I think I was 5 when I had my first sleepover with a friend. Before that I had slept over at my cousins house, but I'm not sure if that counts. They lived in a different state, and when we visited, my parents and I stayed at my grandpas house, so a few nights during every trip I'd go sleep at my cousins house (she was 4 years older than me).

I had a sleepover party for my 7th birthday. I think I invited 6 or 7 girls, and all of them slept over with no issues.

I attended a birthday party for a girl when I was 8, and there were at least 10 girls at the party. At least 3 girls ended up going home in the middle of the night because they were scared.

 

[minkydog]

For those of you with girls, how old were they when hey first spent the night at a friend's house or if she hasn't yet, when do you think she'll be old enough to?

The reason I ask...we just got an invite for a Tangled sleepover party from a girl in my daughter's class. We won't be in town, so it's not really an issue for us, but honestly, at 6 years old, I don't think I would let her go and she has no interest in spending the night away from home anyway.

I'm all worried parents won't feel comfortable dropping their kids off for DD's movie party at the theater, so I was a little surprised to see a sleepover (an pool) party for a 6 year old. But then again, I am a little overprotective!

IMO, 6 years old is pretty young for a child to sleepover at a not-very-close friend's house. Grandma, aunt, BFF-whose-parents-you-know-very-well, okay. But no way would I be dropping off my 6yo child to stay 12+ hrs with people i don't know. And you could forget a pool party! My kids weren't excellent swimmers until around 8-9. There is NO WAY I would just drop them off for someone else to watch in a pool full of children. That's just an accident waiting to happen.

Now, a movie theater party I would be fine with as long as there were plenty of chaperones. No kids going into the restrooms alone--all kids must be escorted by adults, at that age.