What age do you allow the first sleepover? (Inspired by Dream)

[MosMom]

My daughter who is 5 has been asking me if she can have a friend sleepover. What age is a good age to start? Our next door neighbor's daughter and our daughter are good friends and I think that might be the perfect way to start...if one of them gets scared we only have to walk next door to return the scared child. I remember many a sleepovers where I went home at midnight.

My parents were divorced when I was 7 and I remember sleepovers in my old neighborhood pre-divorce soooo I guess she is getting around the age I was.

 

[A kid at heart]

My DD had her first on at the age of 2. She's had a lot of them.

 

[supercarrie]

My first sleepover was when I was 5.

 

[tiggerlover]

My son is 6 and has not had a sleepover (except at grandma's).

 

[bsnyder]

My DD loves sleepovers. She started with spending the night at cousins and grandparents, or having the cousins over here. The first "friend" sleepovers were with the daughter of one of my best friends, when they were about 3.

She averages about 5 a month, either going to someone's house, or having someone over here. I've never had to go get her in the middle of the night, but on a couple of occasions, I've had to take the friend home.

 

[MerryPoppins]

Mine was 6, I think.

 

[shortbun]

We had a friend of ds's sleepover at age 4-but his
parents were divorced and his mom works nights
so he was used to it. DS didn't go to one until he
was 6 and he's only done it twice, now he's 7.
I'm finally starting to feel ok about it so we'll allow
limited sleepovers from now on. I think they get
to bed way too late-except at my house, we put
them to bed and make sure they sleep early cause
they're always up at the crack of dawn! he he
DH says we should allow it because it's a free
babysitter and we can go out without adding $30
to our night.

mimi

 

[gina2000]

My son went to his first one last night. He is eight.

 

[jldriscoll]

We told our daughter she would have to be nine before she could go to a sleep over(with friends I assume you didn't mean at grandma's house stuff). But when we moved to our new house and met a wonderful nieghbor family we let her start just before she was 7. The mom was great and didn't mind bringing her home at 11:30

DD has bailed out on a number of sleep overs since then....guess mom was right....should'a waited until she was 9

 

[amid chaos]

We do alot of slumberless sleep overs. You do everything like you were goign to sleep over including jammies and sleeping bag but you go home at 10-11-12 depending on the age of the child.

 

[snoopy]

We had one for DS on his 7th birthday. 9 little boys in my house from Saturday noon to Sunday noon. It was fun though, gave me a renewed respect for my mother and her 9 kids.

 

[wvjules]

My DD's first sleepover was when she was 5 in kindergarten.

 

[WDWfanatic288]

i went to my first sleepover when i was 5 or 6...i was in kindergarden though

 

[Dream]

HEY! How about that! I inspired a thread!!! That's a first for me!
I think 7 or 8 is a good age to start the sleepover thing but it depends on the child. Some may be ready to leave the comfort an d security of home sooner, some later.

 

[beccab]

I think when both children want a sleepover it is probably the right time to try one out.