AIBU to trap my son in the living room?

[justbatteringon]

I have a 20 month old who keeps opening the doors in the living room making the absolutely freezing he also goes into the cupboard under the stairs and pulls stuff out so I started barricading the door with his toy box. (There's 2 doors in the room one to hall one to kitchen, kitchen one has a stair gate)

I see nothing wrong with this arrangement but DP thinks I'm not giving him any freedom. I let him into the kitchen when I'm in there and all his toys are in the living room.
I've always wanted a stairgate for the living room door but DP has never let me.
Do you think I'm being unreasonable and should just let my son have free reign?

I can only think that the people who think a baby gate stifles brain development are imagining a scenario where the child is constantly confined within a teeny tiny room the size of a postage stamp unless the child is at nursery.

This is highly unlikely to be the case for most children "restricted" by baby gates.

To be honest I can't get my head around how these supposedly adventurous 3 year olds (not the under 2, they're obviously at a different stage) are allowing themselves to be confined by stair Gates Certainly when we put them up for DS2 (when he was about 7 months) DH and I discussed whether to show DD (then 2.5) how to open them as she'd always had the run of the house, and before we'd made up our minds (because we were pretty sure she'd forget to shut them) she'd worked out how to open them by herself. DS2 started climbing over them at 2. Shutting any child into a room would result in enormous tantrums and upset too, toddlers naturally tend to follow their adults about not be left in one room while the caregiver comes and goes.

Absolutely get where the OP with her 20 month old is coming from, but really cannot fathom how these dynamics are working with 3 year olds accepting being kept in one room pottering with approved toys while caregiver goes about their business, unless this is actually only done for 5 mins or so a couple of times a day. Apart from anything, how do the older preschoolers get to the toilet when they need it? Or do they have to yell to be let out?

Agree some of the garden trampolines are lethal when not used properly (and a lot aren't - too many children on at once, no safety net or net not closed, etc.) btw - whole different ball game to an ordinary house containing a parent. ..

We have a hook and eye lock. I'm always close so if she asks for the loo she can go. Or use the potty chair in the lounge. No big drama.

I said that DS2 had started climbing over the gates at 2 MrTumblesBavarianFanbase we bought a taller gate. We had too as we had a crawling baby. I think after a while they just get used to the gates, the same way they mostly get used to being strapped in the car. It's not as if they can never go upstairs, they can but they can't play in DD and DS1's bedrooms during the day when they are at school.
Sometimes they do have tantrums. I go upstairs to change the bedding or clean the bathroom and they want to come so I let them up to play in their room.
Sometimes I want to get dressed in peace so I just say no. It's ok to say no sometimes.

Disappointed I hear you about the very important things as soon as you sit on the loo, word to the wise though - It Doesn't Stop
My eldest is 14 and still needs an urgent conversation as soon as he hears me approach the bathroom...

Also what on earth is wrong with playing with approved toys? Again that's good enough at Nursery so why not at home?