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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to leave my 6 yr old 'in charge' of my 17 month old?

39 replies

FigRolls · 10/11/2013 23:03

I have an en suite bathroom. I close the bedroom door, leave the bathroom door open and have a large mirrored wardrobe so I can see into the bedroom. Aibu to leave 6 yr old playing with 16 month old when I shower?

OP posts:
perfectstorm · 11/11/2013 04:08

She'd have been more appalled by me - I plinked DS before CBeebies in a childproofed flat, so he couldn't paddle in the loo as I showered! No handy 6 year old to entertain him. DH worked crazy hours at the time and DS wasn't sleeping through. Worked fine!

Pearlsaplenty · 11/11/2013 07:59

Yanbu

You are still 'supervising' if something bad happened you would know about it and could sort it out.

Your friend is ridiculous Hmm

Taz1212 · 11/11/2013 08:04

Good grief it's fine! I thought you were going to say, "while I popped out to the shops" or some other such nonsense! Grin

Beastofburden · 11/11/2013 08:08

I had three aged barely four and under. I would have smelt like a tramp if I had waited for mothers and MILs, who both live hundreds of miles away. Your friend sounds over-anxious, I hope she lightens up a bit when her DC get older.

Thumbwitch · 11/11/2013 08:09

Depends on the toddler, I'd say.

And I say that because I now have a 13mo toddler who is already quite demonic and will get much more so as he becomes steady on his feet and running. DS1 will turn 6 in a couple of weeks, and while he's able to tell me what DS2 is up to, he's too daydreamy himself to leave him in charge as you are doing for any length of time, AND he's not physically able to restrain DS2 from doing any badness.

But if your 6yo is more on the ball than mine, and your 17mo is not a demon-in-waiting, then I can't see the problem! Grin

Gileswithachainsaw · 11/11/2013 08:10

This is just what you do with kids. Life goes on you have to wee and shower. Your friend is bonkers. Course it's fine.

Thumbwitch · 11/11/2013 08:10

Sorry, pressed post too soon...

However, I do actually have time to do stuff because I have a large playpen in which DS2 is bunged whenever he needs to be kept safe. Solves a lot of problems for now - but I can see it won't be long before he works out how to climb out of it...

honeybeeridiculous · 11/11/2013 08:16

Mine were 14 months apart and can't honestly remember what I did Hmm prob use of stair gates, playpen etc but they survived! Your friend has a lot to learn!

SilverApples · 11/11/2013 08:21

4 years between mine, I often left them together when I was in the house and they weren't in sight. I wouldn't have closed the bedroom door.
It is about personalities though, yours and the children's. DD was very sensible, somewhat smug and had a very loud voice to summon me if her brother was in trouble.

mumaa · 11/11/2013 08:22

YANBU

sounds like a fine set up to me, wonder how your friend thinks it should be done? Lock little one in bathroom with you so you can't see what elder DD is doing? Or are you expected to have an audience of 2 trapped in the bathroom with you while you shower?

Lavenderhoney · 11/11/2013 08:31

Sounds fine to me, as long as the stairgate if you need one is shut and hard to open for a child. A shower is quick isn't it? Its not as though you are lounging in a bath or popping out in the car!

If one child is very jealous and looking for a chance to hurt the other, I can see the worry, but if you had both in the bathroom and they were playing and went into the bedroom whilst you were cleaning the bath or something- would you race to supervise? I wouldn't. Unless there was a lot of banging and screaming:)

You can't leave everything til they are asleep! What about putting the bins out in the rain, putting things back upstairs.. All normal daily tasks?

Mine played in the lounge and or watched telly whilst I cooked in the kitchen. I didn't have eyes on them all the time.

hopskipandthump · 11/11/2013 08:40

Perfectly fine, depending on the children involved. I left my then almost-4yo with my newborn while I had showers. They both lay on the bed and he chatted to her. I wouldn't have left the 2yo and the newborn because the 2yo wasn't sensible enough.

They are now 6, 4 and 2 and I often leave them all playing together while I'm cooking / doing laundry / showering etc.

Aquariusgirl86 · 11/11/2013 08:45

Mine are 15 months apart and only just started leaving them together while I shower they are now 2.5 and 15 months. Until last month I would generally shower when dh was home in the evening or if unavoidable (he works long hours) I'd put the older in her bedroom (child safe with a stair gate) and the younger in the living room, only cause I was scared of older child hugging too tight or accidentally hurting him. But with the age gap you are talking about I'd definitely do what you are doing ; assuming your 6yo doesn't present any worrying behaviours around the toddler. You know your kids and you know what's safe.

Beastofburden · 11/11/2013 10:29

must be said that if I had serious concerns about what they would get up to, I would leave the baby in the sitting room in a playpen or similar (assuming s/he was unable to break out of it) and keep the six year old in the bathroom with me. Back in the day, it would be the 2 year old I would isolate, as it were, leaving the baby and the four year old, if I really had to.

The baby is often not the problem!

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