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AIBU?

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...

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ajaybaines · 25/07/2011 19:49

It's fine. I let me 13 month old and 3 year old play together in another room while I can hear them.

Occasionally I do hear a bump, a wail and "I didn't push her!" but generally it's fine.

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Albrecht · 25/07/2011 19:53

YANBU. I have started doing this with 1 year old ds in a largish house (sorry not boasting, I just mean possibly more slack parenting than you as there are more places to get lost!) Keep dangerous stuff out of his height range and its fine I reckon.

It is quite fun to sneak up on them and jump out shouting "HELLO THERE!" while they have toddled off and are intently investigating some piece of fluff behind the door...

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spiderpig8 · 25/07/2011 19:54

I would worry about him finding a penny or a screw or something and choking on it.

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DoMeDon · 25/07/2011 19:58

YANBU. They need some freedom to explore and be independant - you're not sending him down the shop for 20 B&H!

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Woodlands · 25/07/2011 20:57

This is all very reassuring. If I am taking the rubbish or recycling out I always make sure my keys are in my pocket just in case the door slams behind me, though I'm stilll paranoid! I have to go downstairs at the back to hang washing out and it's a real pain to take DS with me (I have to take the washing down, come back up, take DS down etc) so I try to do that while he's napping or when DH is around, but if I do need to do it I put DS in his cot with some toys for a few minutes. I wouldn't be able to hear what he was up to in the house from outside, and even if I did suddenly hear a scream or a crash, it would be too long till I could get back upstairs. I've also taken to putting him in his cot when I have a shower, for similar reasons - if I bring him in the bathroom with me it's a bit boring for him.

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marriedinwhite · 25/07/2011 21:06

As long as everything's safe why every not. YANBU. From the mother who didn't realise how mobile her 7 month baby was and found him at the top of the stairs - he survived my incometence - 16 and a half and almost 6 foot now!! FWIW, we have a huge house (not meant as stealth bragging) and I used to run myself ragged when they were tiny and fantasise about having a two bedroom flat where I could see and hear everything and be in total control. We had to have custom made stair gates in the end because the ones you buy in the shops just didn't fit! I used to love going on holiday to cottages in Cornwall which took five minutes to tidy and where you could almost see and hear all.

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Maryz · 25/07/2011 21:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RitaMorgan · 25/07/2011 21:10

We are moving next month from our nice little flat to a big house with stairs - not sure it is a good idea now! Haven't really had to babyproof anything here but I guess I'll be buying some stairgates...

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Albrecht · 27/07/2011 11:20

Its actually easier to babyproof as you unpack in a new place as you take stuff out of the boxes and put it out of reach to begin with rather than having to move everything around as you realise its dangerous. And we have one room (the study, ha!) were we put all the bad big stuff and lock it til we cba to sort it out.

Empty house to begin with also ensures you know there aren't any pennies or screws lying around.