I overseeded my lawn about 2 weeks ago later than usual. This week it finally sprouted and is mabye 5 inches tall. Now my problem is leaves are covering the lawn and the grass isn't getting light. I blew many leaves away but more keep falling and I'm afraid a rake will tear the grass up! When can I mow the lawn without hurting the grass?

You're right about not using the rake. The roots haven't really taken firm hold in the soil yet. At 5", it should be mowed. I would go ahead and mow but bag the clipping and the leaves at the same time. You can use the bagged clippings/shredded leaves in the spring for mulch or compost them down. Yeah, some of the new grass might be slightly damaged by the wheels of the lawnmower but just take those turns easy to minimize damage.

Plus set the mower height at the highest setting so you're really only cutting the tops off the new grass, but you'll vaccuum up all the leaves.

For any new leaves that fall, I'd use a leaf blower every day (whenever it's dry enough) to keep them off the new grass. That way you're not walking on it, or rolling the mower over it as well.

Thanks for the advice!