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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to let my almost 1 year old play out of sight in another room?

34 replies

RitaMorgan · 25/07/2011 17:18

Small flat, kitchen door closed, toilet lid down etc - I allow ds pretty much the run of the flat even if I am doing something in another room. I can hear him from wherever he is, and if he goes quiet I go and check on him.

AIBU? My mum thinks I am, my DP thinks it's fine.

I'm in the living room at the moment and can hear him in the hallway banging on the front door...

OP posts:

bringmesunshine2009 · 25/07/2011 17:20

YANBU IMO. We live in small flat. Can hear DS and exactly what he doing at all times. Toddler proof hazards (cupboards etc) and voila.

alowVera · 25/07/2011 17:21

Is front door locked, and all medicines/cleaning products/knives out of reach?

natandjacob · 25/07/2011 17:22

yanbu..i do the same with my one year old. as long as everything is baby proof and your keeping an ear out and checking every so often i cant see the harm in it. it must be pretty boring for a toddler to be kept in one room with you all the time so why not :)

LynetteScavo · 25/07/2011 17:25

As long as you've baby proofed, then it's fine.

starfishmummy · 25/07/2011 17:26

YANBU.

Woodlands · 25/07/2011 17:27

I do the same with my one year old. We shut the living room door unless we're in here as it isn't very baby-proofed, we have a stair gate on the stairs (1st floor flat with own stairs) and on the kitchen doorway, and the lid of the loo is down (to stop him throwing stuff down). He can go where he likes - I go and investigate if he goes suspiciously quiet, but in general it seems silly for me to follow him up and down the length of the flat (long landing, perfect for crawling) all day long, and it seems mean to shut the door so he can't go and explore.

griphook · 25/07/2011 17:29

have been doing this with mime from about that age, as you say always go and check on him if it's too quite, but so far it's been fine. When he got to about 13 months and was climbing on the sofa and couldn't get back down I had to stay in the room until he learnt how to get down iyswim but yanbu
.

Original poster

RitaMorgan · 25/07/2011 17:30

I was ready to be told I was definitely neglectful and you should never let a baby out of your sight!

Kitchen shut, medicines out of reach, no stairs to fall down, can't open front door.

OP posts:

Insomnia11 · 25/07/2011 17:31

Fine. Or you'd never get anything done.

Though I usually come in to find my two year old has been applying purple glitter to the cat, or something else which involves making a mess. Watch them if they go quiet.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 25/07/2011 17:32

YANBU... only someone suffering from paranoia would say you were doing anything wrong. If you've taken reasonable precautions that they can't hurt themselves, they're really not going to come to any harm.

Esta3GG · 25/07/2011 17:34

I think it is fine as long as you have taken all the sensible precautions - put the chain saw away etc.
They love to explore their world. My son could spend hours just banging the letterbox flap.

gillybean2 · 25/07/2011 17:34

Do you have socket covers on all sockets? That would be my biggest concern. He won't necessarily go quiet as he's putting things into the socket.
Also my DN was singing happily to himself as he drew all over his grandma's walls, duvet and brand new lampshade with felt tip pen in the other room. Just in case you're thinking michief only happens when it goes quiet!

alowVera · 25/07/2011 17:35

In that case YANBU.
You and DP agree, DS is your DS not your mums'. Your mum is BU.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 25/07/2011 17:37

Btw... don't tell your mother but it's also OK to... ... pop outside and put some washing on the line whilst they are still inside....!!!!!

DontCallMePeanut · 25/07/2011 17:45

My DS was very noisy as he drew "fireworks" over the wall, aged 2, with my mascara...

And oh my, you mean it's ok to do that, Cogito? I got 's off my mother when she found out I'd take the wheelie bin out while DS was asleep... (Our house is secluded) her reaction?... "what if someone gets into the house while you take it out... (People would have to walk past me to get to the house, but still...)

GP's worry, OP.As long as your house is safe, you're fine!

Original poster

RitaMorgan · 25/07/2011 19:07

I would be too nervous to leave ds inside to go outside - a friend of mine who went out for a smoke while her baby slept managed to lock herself out

OP posts:

pozzled · 25/07/2011 19:12

YANBU. I did the same with DD1 when she was that age, having made sure all the areas she could get to were very safe.

VeronicaCake · 25/07/2011 19:12

DH (an electronic engineer) is very anti-socket covers. British sockets are very safe and in some cases socket covers make them very dangerous see here.

And yadnbu, so long as you have sensibly baby-proofed this is fine.

newmum001 · 25/07/2011 19:16

YANBU I do the same with my nearly 1 year old, if I'm washing up etc. The alternative is to have her trying to climb up my legs or get in the freezer or climb into the washing machine etc, so much easier to let her play in the living room while I get on with other things.

newmum001 · 25/07/2011 19:16

HeyYouJimmy · 25/07/2011 19:19

Aparently socket covers are not as good as reported gillybean. Experts reckon that socket covers are just a ploy to frighten parents into buying them so their precious LO's don't electrocute themselves.

Modern sockets are manufactured with the top pin hole needing something stiff and inflexible to release the safety guard, hence the reason that the top pins on plugs and socket covers are longer than the 2 lower pins. Because little fingers are flexible and soft they can't release the pin guards as well, so no need for socket covers as the lower 2 safety guards won't be adequately released to allow little fingers into them.

Experts have found that toddlers can take a socket cover out, turn the socket cover upside down, use the longer pin (pushed into the top hole) to release the lower 2 safety guards and put their wee fingers into the lower 2 holes. The lower 2 pin holes are the dangerous ones IIRC.

I also learnt this from my DB who's a qualified and experienced spark. BTW, in the report I read, the experts reckoned that socket covers should be thrown away and other stiff things, which could be small enough to put in the holes in the socket (screwdrivers/Mecchano/small hard plastic things etc), should be kept away from kids for that reason.

MamaChocoholic · 25/07/2011 19:21

I remember a neighbour popped downstairs to take the rubbish out (she was on the 3rd floor of a converted house), and the wind slammed the downstairs door behind her. she had no keys and hadn't shut the door to the flat. she was frantic about her crawling baby going headfirst down three flights of stairs till the fire brigade arrived to break in. I too hate being outside when babies are in just in case! but I regularly let them play out of sight/within hearing. but I do keep all doors shut to avoid trapped fingers so wouldn't be comfortable with them being in hall when I was in another room.

Sirzy · 25/07/2011 19:21

It is impossible to watch them all the time. As long as you know they are as safe as they can be at that age then its fine!

HeyYouJimmy · 25/07/2011 19:37

I see that Veronica has found a similar link to what I was looking for .

Original poster

RitaMorgan · 25/07/2011 19:41

Luckily plug sockets are all out of reach so not an issue here!

OP posts:

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