To leave a 2 year old for 10 mins

[BlueSuedeStiletto]

2 year old asleep in a cot they can't get out of. Needed to pop to the shops. 10 minutes away if that, child asleep the whole time, doors locked etc. Friend is horrified. WIBU?

Back to insanely unlikely events again!
What’s the chance a house catches fire in 10 minutes and burns to the ground?

Completely agree with you, @YemenRoadYemen. The OP was not written hypothetically at all. And yes, I’ve read the whole thread. I’m still skeptical that this didn’t happen.

Mrs penfold, I find very hard to believe that someone with your attitude has ever worked in child protection. I have known child protection officers and not one of them would ever advocate it’s ok to leave a young child on their own. I think it’s very irresponsible of you, if you have worked in cp, that you carry on as you are doing. Some people break the rules and push boundaries whatever the rules or norms are so it’s always better to have zero tolerance on issues such as this because people will push the boundaries anyway. I’m not sure what you’re trying to achieve by insisting leaving children at home is simply a matter of doing a risk assessment ( still not read your article but that’s my comprehension, poor or otherwise). That’s very bad advice. In most cases a child would be fine being left alone but if they are left alone for 10 mins once a day, a week etc the chances increase. We all wear seatbelts. We come back safe but we wear them. We buy insurance. We don’t use it but it’s just in case. We take our two year old with us to the shop. They probably would be ok on their own asleep but who knows? Could anyone live with themselves if their child died in a house fire and they were at the shops. How does that feel as front page news? I’m sure if this happened not only would the parent lose a beloved child but they would go to prison for child neglect. You may feel this over the top. I think it’s reality. But of course, you know best Mrs penfold. Do what you like. It’s your life.

30000 house fires a year - housing stock of 24 million. Sources gov.co.uk.
So, 1 in 800 houses have a fire per year.
Number of ten minute periods in a year: 365X24x6 ~52000.
So you are worried about a 1 in 42million event.
Yet you routinely don’t concern yourself about things which are much more likely.

I can see why you no longer work in child protection. The law states that a child can be left alone if the parent feels the child is not at any risk. How can a two year old not be at risk if left on their own? If a two year old wakes up they can try to climb out of their cot, like my brother did and cracked his head open (parents were in house). If the safety gates not on they could fall down the stairs. If something were to happen, would they know what to do, like a 12 year old would? Could you give them instructions to carry out like you could a 12 year old? Would they have a key to unlock the font door? Or would they be trapped in their cot and in the house. A two year old wouldn’t even know they were at risk because they are cluesless babies. I think you are advocating totally irresponsible nonsense Mrs penfold. I’m glad you no longer advise families on what’s safe for their children.

I've got a 14 year old functioning around 2 year old level. If I left him alone in the house for 10 minutes, however safely the house was locked down and his social worker found out about it, there would be emergency meetings about safeguarding. Social services absolutely would be interested.

What am I advocating that is irresponsible nonsense? It frustrates me that people use incredibly unlikely scenarios such as (what if the house burns down?) as the reason to justify not leaving children alone. There are much more sensible reasons not to do so. I also believe that if a parent left a child for a few minutes on a one off occasion “zero tolerance” and charging that parent with neglect and involving social services would be ridiculously over the top. I haven’t claimed, nor do I believe, that it is a good idea to leave toddlers alone, which is what you keep implying, while not even bothering to read the interesting article I posted on how poorly people assess risk to children in the modern world.

So you are worried about a 1 in 42million event.

The odds on winning the lottery are longer than that. And yet people do.

The house doesn't need to burn to the ground for people to die. It's smoke inhalation that kills them. That's why the fire service tell you to leave immediately in the event of a fire.

You are incredible. I don’t think you understand what you are implying. By virtue of what you are saying you are suggesting it’s ok to leave young children at home. Anyway, I have a job to do. Need to go. But why would a parent want to leave their child at home?? Why?? Why would someone who has allegedly worked for child protection say such stuff? Makes no sense at all. You are the on that’s frustrating Mrs penfold. Adults need to protect children. I’ve never heard such utter nonsense in my life I regards to this subject. Are you feeling ok as you’re not talking any sense.

There probably would, Sockwomble. I don’t know about your specific case, obviously, but have you looked into some of the modern technology aids that can give you respite from having to be present 100% of the time? Sensors, cameras, remote monitoring, soft furnishings?

A few years ago I came home to the block of flats I lived in and found a neighbour trying frantically to force the communal front door open. She had left her young child in her bedroom while she popped out to take some rubbish to the bin store outside the front door. The door system had malfunctioned and she was now stuck outside. She was absolutely frantic with worry and had called the fire brigade to break open the door. The child who she thought she was leaving for about 2 minutes ended up alone for much longer because of an event that couldn’t be predicted. That’s why you don’t leave young children unattended, because you can’t rule out any number of issues that might lead to them being alone for far longer than you had decided was safe.

Yes, and people drive. For what it’s worth, deaths per mile are about 11 per billion in the UK. So the chance of a fire during the ten minutes you are away are about the same as being involved in a fatal accident on a two mile drive. Yet, like I say, one risk is blown out of all proportion and the other is ignored.

They aren’t by the way, they are about 14million to 1.

Haven't RTFT but no way, 2 years old is far too young and 10 minutes isn't that short of a time either

I think your continued bad attitude on here is irresponsible. I throw back at you - are you a troll??

Odds of winning the jackpot on the national lottery that is.

Troll aimed at Mrs penfold

But you refuse to read what I post and you continually put words in my mouth that I haven’t said and don’t believe. You don’t address any of my points and you keep changing your argument - have you considered a career in Parliament?

winning the national lottery lotto jackpot odds

45 million to one.

Because you keeping posting stuff to try to justify it being ok to leave young children at home and it’s not right. To keep banging on about risk factors when it’s a clear cut fact that young children should not be left alone. Then you claim to have been in social services? Doesn't make them look very good does it?? No article can justify leaving young children home alone and it angers me that you continue to justify it with you stats.

I’m not putting words in your mouth, I don’t think you understand the implications of what you have written.

Ok I give up. I’ll have to accept that you aren’t going to read and comprehend what I actually say.

Which bit of what I’ve written?

Statistically mrspenfold is right. The moral outrage on this thread is somewhat ott

My goodness, I think you need to read your posts Mrs penfold if you aren’t comprehending me very well. Why would I want to read an article about risk assessing whether it’s ok to leave a young child home? My children are 10 and 12. I never left them home alone as young children. So that’s that. Now they are older I leave them for a bit. They have instructions and they have phones and they are intelligent people. That’s that. As they get older I will give them more freedom as and when I feel they are old enough.. That’s that. Think I’m ok in judging what best for my kids without your article. But thank you.