Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder if you'd leave your 3/4 year old alone at a party?

78 replies

partridgeappletree · 27/05/2016 23:07

Having sudden last minute doubts about this weekend's party plans. Would you leave your 3/4 year old alone at the party of someone whose mum you've chatted to at nursery pick up once or twice?

OP posts:
CalleighDoodle · 27/05/2016 23:10

No: not at all. I had a child left ar my ds party this year. He was either two or a young 3. Child asked me to take him to the toilet. He was toilet trained but too young to manage on his own. Totally inappropriate i thought.

readytorage · 27/05/2016 23:10

Depends where the party is. Their house...yes. A soft play where they could be running anywhere and everywhere...no.

ceeveebee · 27/05/2016 23:11

No I'd stay and all the parents at the parties I've been to would stay too (my DTs are 4.5)

ExitPursuedByADonkey · 27/05/2016 23:11

No way.

ChablisTyrant · 27/05/2016 23:12

No. But some did for my DD's 4th bday, which surprised me.

PeppasNanna · 27/05/2016 23:13

NO! Just No...Confused

cees · 27/05/2016 23:14

Nope, close friend or family member maybe but not the sort of casual acquaintance you have described, no way.

TheCrumpettyTree · 27/05/2016 23:14

No. If it was soft play definitely not. Someone did that at one of my dc's party, I didn't know the mum or the child and the child was really upset, it was awful.

Only1scoop · 27/05/2016 23:15

No

There was someone at dd last school who did this at Nursery age.

We were all Shock

Thunderblunder · 27/05/2016 23:16

Yes but then I have 5 children and a DH who used to work weekends. It was the only way any of mine were able to go to parties.

StopShoutingAtYourBrother · 27/05/2016 23:17

No

DailyFaily · 27/05/2016 23:19

No, leaving them seems to happen around age 6/7 at parties here.

Hockeynut · 27/05/2016 23:19

No, not a chance

Original poster
partridgeappletree · 27/05/2016 23:22

It's in a village hall and I haven't even met half of the parents but some of the RSVPs make it sound like they aren't planning on staying Confused

OP posts:
janey77 · 27/05/2016 23:23

Nope, but my daughter has been to a party where this happened. The child's parents didn't leave a contact number either and sent a random family member to pick her up - they could have been anyone, but because there was no number for the kid's folks they had to send her off. Everyone there was a bit Shock

MadameJosephine · 27/05/2016 23:24

No way

Storminateapot · 27/05/2016 23:24

No. Not at that age.

BotanicalPJs · 27/05/2016 23:25

No I wouldn't.

Can I ask people, what age would you leave them?

Cupoftchaiagain · 27/05/2016 23:25

I was offered the chance to leave by hosting parents at a 5th birthday recently, dd was still 3 so I stayed as did most, but not all. We are having dd's 4th birthday soon and i hope all the parents will stay, for crowd/behaviour control. A few wee siblings are coming too because of this. I am sure in the next year it'll become drop and go most of the time

SpringerS · 27/05/2016 23:25

No I wouldn't it's an awful presumption to make that the host will babysit your toddler while also trying to organise the party.

Thunderblunder · 27/05/2016 23:28

I have left contact details when I've left my then 3/4 yr old at parties. I didn't think twice about leaving them at that age but then I was one of those parents who was quite happy to leave my DC with other people since the moment they were born

manicinsomniac · 27/05/2016 23:28

Yes, if I could get away with it. Generally not an acceptable option round here though.

I teach in my kids' school so parties could be torture. Like extra parents' evenings!

FoxSticks · 27/05/2016 23:30

At the nursery my dd goes to its the norm. You take them to the party and the hosting mum tells you to come back at pick up time. I'm fine with it but a lot of my friends with kidd at other nursery's are shocked by it do its obviously not the norm.

idontlikealdi · 27/05/2016 23:31

No absolutely no way.

BackforGood · 27/05/2016 23:32

Well, did you ask them on the invitation if both the child plus an adult could come?
If you are inviting children to something it's your responsibility to ensure there are enough adults to look after them. If you need that to be their parents, then you need to ask them, not assume anything.