What age could you leave your child unsupervised in a different room for 15 minutes?

[Toffeefee23]

What age could you leave your child unsupervised in another room of the house for 15 minutes, for example while you get ready?

Not talking while they are locked in a playpen or cot or anything, am talking while they are loose

Depends on the child really, I felt like I could leave my dd unsupervised earlier than my d’s because she didn’t really get up to mischief - didn’t climb on stuff, put things in her mouth etc. I can’t remember an exact age but probably coming up to age 3. My ds I think was a bit older but he got up to more mischief!

Certainly by 2, but within ear shot.

Yeah about 2, but you must be able to hear them.

Yes mine was coming up for 2, but as others have said, they were within ear shot.

Depending on the child. My eldest about 7 but my youngest was 3 😂

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DD was fine in her room on her own at 12 months for 10-15 mins if I was getting dressed in my room nearby / cleaning my teeth / having a wee. I wouldn't have left her at that age to have a shower or go downstairs though. It was all quite safe (nothing to climb on or tip), we had a stairgate so she couldn't get fall down the stairs. She would quite happily sit on the floor 'reading' her books or playing with toys.
For unsupervised play when I was a bit further away or having a quick shower, probably age 2. Again there was nothing she could hurt herself on and she'd been sleeping in a bed rather than a cot since 18 months so technically was unsupervised from whenever she woke up anyway.
I actually locked myself out the house with her inside (alone ) when she was just under two. I nipped out to take a nappy to the bin and the door shut behind me. By the time my neighbour had helped me break in, she'd been alone for almost an hour. She was absolutely fine and still sat on the floor in her bedroom with her books. I don't think she'd even noticed I wasn't there .

Coming up for 3 - because DD needed to be put down for naps so I had no choice. But always in earshot and DS is a sensible child.

DC3 is 2 and a half, and no way I’d leave him for 15 mins without checking on him! I’m certain I was leaving DS1 much younger than this though, so think it’s very child specific.

Omg from birth. I'm one of those terrible parents that left the baby who was to young to roll, to roll off the bed.

Not being content with that, I did it again with their siblings. Whoops!

DS1 probably about 8 (ASD, ADHD).

DS2 & DD - maybe around 2 or 3.

Just Before 2. Neither ds's ever did anything wrong. Just sat and played, or watched tv. Were fine. Not put fingers in electricity/climbed in oven/swung from ceiling lights. Nothing.

Correction. Like pp I too did it from birth. Left them on playmat, in chair, bouncer, all sorts. Never had a problem.

Depends on the child. I didn't do it obviously, but I could have left DD1 at a year old in a room with knives, fire, a tiger etc and she would have ignored all of it and played with her toys. Her younger sister you barely needed to blink and she was away creating mischief. I lost her in our own house for 30mins when she was two.

Saying that though... It was DD1 who 'escaped' once and turned up at DHs work. Half a mile away, across the golf course. She was 22months. I thought she was with her grandmother, who thought she was with me, which was why she managed to get out.

@LegoAndLolDolls ha ha! Me too with the bed rolling!

@Countdowntonothing when mine were babies and little toddlers I’d bring them into the bathroom with me if I needed a shower and their dad wasn’t at home. But usually had a shower once they were in bed. Surely that’s not unusual like others have said you ideally need to be able to hear them if you can’t see them when they’re small and I couldn’t hear them if I was in the shower and they were in another room.

Wow... I've been worrying about this as my nearly two year old is probably going to climb out of the cot soon, and I don't know what to do with him while I shower when that happens. He's nowhere near being left on his own! If I left him in his room he'd climb the chair to get to the window or go through all the drawers and take everything out. And he can almost reach the handle, so in a few weeks he'd be out there door too

I figured I'd just have to shower at night until he's 4ish?

My DD is almost 3 and I've just this week started to leave her, while I shower, in the next room (with her big sister who is 6yrs old for company). Did the same with dd1 she was 3yrs before I left her in room alone to shower.

2 weeks old (when DH returned after paternity leave)

I have 4 children. Life is not as simple as "I’d bring them into the bathroom with me" when you're past your first child.

Kitchen bins need emptying
Toddler bums need wiping
Toddler naptime
Sibling bedtimes
Older siblings need attention elsewhere
Getting dressed needs to happen...

I can think of a million reasons which could be summarised as life with a family

@whatswithtodaytoday I put both my dds in a single bed when they were just turned 2 and just made sure had monitor on really loud so could hear of they got up. Also stair gate on stairs or bedroom. But they never once got out of bed!

You need a childproofed house tho.

Did you all not shower until your children were 3+?????
I used to bring my children into the bathroom when I showered, and often I used to take a bath with them too.

Now my DD is 3 I’ll shower while she’s in her room or the lounge then put my head in to check what she’s doing then go and continue getting ready within ear shot
@Countdowntonothing before she was 3 I’d have her in her cot, a bouncy chair or in the bathroom with me. You wouldn’t leave a crawling baby or just walking 1 year old alone where you couldn’t see or hear them.

Since birth. Once dd started moving then it was harder, but then once she was about 2yo, it got easiee again. she is often in another room, watching tv while i cook etc.