To stand DD on a chair next to me when I wash the dishes

[Helgathehairy]

We don't have a dishwasher. DD is 18 months. In the morning when I start washing up she used to start screaming and trying to push me away from the sink and scream some more so I stood her on a chair next to me. She dead happy, babbles away and I've given her a sponge to play with.

DH is horrified and thinks she's going to fall and I'm not going to catch her.

Am I being stupid and she's too young or is he worrying a bit much?

I promise to abide by MN Jury rules.

The hospitals are filled with children who have fallen off chairs. Chairs right? Not ladders or scaffold or top bunks?

Blimey if I hadn't done this with my ds I would never of got anything done, and he's still alive to tell the tale I got so fed up with my trousers ending up around my ankles where he was pulling at them, trying to get attention.

My boy stands on a stool when I wash up and when I cook. When I cook I give him a piece of bread, butter and butter knife and let him get on with it. He loves it and can now make a sandwich all on his own, which he always looks very smug about when he's finished.

DS has more injuries from riding his bike, falling out of bed, jumping off the sofa, running into walls, jumping down the stairs you get the picture then he ever has from standing on a stool 'helping' me (none, never happened)

The hospitals are not filled with children who have fallen off chairs. Really, they are not.

Yes they are. They are on the wards next to the children who eat baked beans that were not home made or have been allowed to look at a screen. Dreadful business.

Oh yes, those children, I stand corrected. My deepest apologies

So today DD decided to see what the fairy liquid foam tasted like! She still hasn't fallen off the chair though!

Put her in front of you with your arms around her.
I bet you anything when she is tall enough to do it by herself she won't!

I'll be honest and say you know your own child. Mine would be climbing all over it with disastrous waiting room consequences but many would be so involved in the task they'd be fine. Also, if you don't supervise dangerous activists like standing on a chair, the kids are going to do it anyway, they just won't have learnt to do it safely. Our Dd climbs up onto the dining table bench all by herself. First few times she toppled the bench and I caught it but she's learnt to do it and now gets up happily and does colouring (2 years old now). So if your child wants to do something sometimes the best thing is to teach them to do it safely IMHO.