Too much time in playpen for toddler?

[lexiss]

This morning DS 17 months woke up at 6am. I got up bf him and put him in the playpen. It is one of those extra large, hexagonal playpens.

Around 6.15 I gave him some water and changed his nappy. Then I went back to bed after making sure the playpen had only safe toys and the baby monitor was plugged in.

I fell asleep and woke up at 8.30. I went out to see DS and he was happily playing with this toys. He is very into small manipulative puzzles, shape boxes, stacking cups etc at the moment and he was busy playing with these.

He had been in the playpen for nearly 2.5 hours! Is this too long? Is there a problem that he plays happliy for this length of time by himself?

Most days I have a nap during the day for an hour or so and DS spends this time in the playpen but I have never left him for 2.5 hours before.

What do you think about this?

Sam
"If my child decided to get up at 6am I certainly would be playing with them."

Im assuming you have chosen not to have children. If you have, for the love of God why?

It's a very long time to be alone and awake. Not the same as being alone at night, clearly.

Why would you assume that there was 'just floor' when the OP says he was
happily playing with this toys.

abandoned yes thats the word for it

I abandon my dc a lot

Sam to sleep I assume?

That is no comparison and you know it. Otherwise, why shut your child in its room for 2 hours?

OHforDUCKS - I shouldn't have had children because I don't want to get up ridiculously early I'm just not the morning (or martyr) type I'm afraid. After 7am, ok - 8am, great. 6am - not a chance.

Just floor TO SLEEP on. Someone suggested he may have slept. Unless you mean its better to use a train as a pillow?

Sometimes he doesn't sleep in the afternoon. Is still in his room 12.30-2.30pm though.

Abandoned im away to call SS on myself!

So when they were babies if they woke you before 7am you left them to it?

Fair enough.

I actually cant be fucked to argue with that.

Sam let us know when you find better parents for your child, I'll give them mine too as 6am is NOT wake up time in my house either

So a lot of you leave your babies (below 18 months) to go to sleep upstairs? Thats 'normal' is it? Ive never known any parent in RL to do that.

Whatever floats your boats.

What if they woke at 4am? or 3am? or what if they don't wake up til 8am? sometimes my ds didn't wake up till 10. Did i miss the chapter in babyrearing that said you have to be up at 7am for dc's?

I always treated before 7am as night time. Before 12 months that meant coming into bed with me to breastfeed/doze in the dark. After 12 months that meant staying in his cot with some books/toys while I went back to bed. By 18 months he was in a bed so could potter about playing in his room until a reasonable hour.

Most of us have said at that time we doze on the sofa or bring toddler back into our bed with a dvd on. Thats completely the same as abandoning a child to go on holiday for a week with the tap running for water

I personally wouldn't leave a baby/toddler downstairs in a playpen and sleep upstairs, and I don't think the OP should either. However I have left a toddler playing in his bedroom while I am in bed, and I have slept on the sofa while a baby/toddler plays around me.

I didn't have a playpen, they are just cages for small children. I made the house safe. Why do people need them?

I would never have left mine alone to sleep. Even when horribly sleep deprived i wouldn't have done that. At 17m mine could climb out of cots, they would pile up the toys if they couldn't reach. My daughter could open doors wih keys at that age.

Sorry but it's wrong chldren deserve interaction in a two and a half hour window, call family for help.

Op could you sit and read or something to relax a bit rather than napping? At least then you can hear him if your concerned.

Ds is just 3 and if he wakes before 7 he plays in his room. It's probably about the last 6 months I have felt happy doing that.

He wasn't abandoned. This wasn't neglect. It's no different from loads of parents who leave their children in the cot until they decide to get up and go into them.
Besides, it was an accident and OP is asking for advice and has said she will take it.

Id much prefer to use a cage and have a shower/shit by myself then be a martyr.

My DD loved nothing more than playing with a (clean) pair of knickers out my drawer when she was quite small, in bed next to me while I dozed at 6am! Oh, the shame of bad parenting. never could get the other two interested though