DS coming downstairs on his own?

[chihuahualady]

Not really an aibu but interested in what other parents think.

DS 3 has been coming downstairs on his for the past two weeks and putting the tele on usually helps him self to a piece of fruit as well.He comes down about 6:30 me and OH and DD usually wake up around 8-:8:30.

I'm fine with it but just wondering what other parents do, would you wake up with him and go down? I'm just no good when I'm tired so that extra 2 hours is needed.

We definitely do not laze it up in bed! I don't expect OH to get up after having 3 hours sleep.Absolutely ridiculous I've been a mum for 4 years 2 kids you think I'm not used to not sleeping. DS sleeping pattern has changed he has started getting up earlier and we don't hear him going down and as I said he doesn't come into our room and get into bed anymore

This essentially excuses the first time it happened. Why the fuck it happened more than once, I don’t know! Surely you would have noticed and stopped it. Many ways to do that, many suggested here.

As @Britnay said, true choking is silent.

My 3 yo would not be able to switch on the telly and nagivage to an appropriate channel. Mine defaults to BBC1 and the news coverage in the morning can sometimes be a little rough.

Same with the fridge. She could possibly open it using a stool and two hands but I'd be super impressed if she ONLY took a drink.

As others have said. Please encourage your child to come to you first. Then, as you're in a 2 adult house hold, you can take turns in hauling yourselves downstairs and crashing out on the sofa for the 2 hours he can seemingly watch telly for.

Hmm. I think the replies here have been quite harsh.

It's easy to sit and say "just get up" but when you're on 4 hours sleep and you're absolutely exhausted it's hard to just get out of bed and get going.

My DD is 6 and she gets up herself and watches TV downstairs while we sleep, sometimes she sleeps longer than us it just depends.

Can you leave the tablet in the 3yo's room and for the next couple of mornings just tell him (her? can't remember, sorry) he can't go downstairs and has to stay in bed. Means you get an extra couple hours in bed and if he's awake and bored he can be on his tablet in bed for a bit?

I would just make sure he doesnt eat to be honest to remove the choking risk.

Teach him to come into your room when he wakes up, NOT go wandering off on his own in the house.

My 3 year old can roam around the house at will when an adult is awake and alert. It matters because I can verbally check he's ok regularly and would be in a position to promptly call 999 in case of an emergency. If asleep 2 hours is a long time for a 3 or 4 year old not to be attended to by an adult.

I know - i said 3 was too young. I wouldn't let my own 3 year olds do it and they don't help themselves to food. But i wouldn't pay the slightest bit of attention to what the parent of the 7 and 8 year olds who aren't allowed downstairs are saying. Because that's equally, if not more shocking to me.

Bahah no wonder people saying children growing up today cant handle real life in jobs they are so molly coddled its unbelievable.

I remember when Dd was about 4yo been woken up about 6am by a noise downstairs. I went downstairs to find she’d dragged a dining room chair into the kitchen got a massive knife out the knife block and was about to cut herself a slice of chocolate cake!

So no, please don’t let a 3yo be by themselves. You’ve no idea what they might get into their heads to do.

And no, i didn’t normally let her get up by herself. That was the only time she ever did it.

It's easy to sit and say "just get up" but when you're on 4 hours sleep and you're absolutely exhausted it's hard to just get out of bed and get going.

So if you had a newborn it would be ok to miss a feed because it’s hard to ‘get going’? It doesn’t matter if you had 8 or 4 or 2 hours sleep. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been up all night - you can’t just take a break from parenting and leave a child that young to their own devices. Can’t believe people are excusing this behaviour.

Is it just me with a three year old like the Tasmanian devil then? I can’t even leave her alone to have a shower. She’s lovely but she still lacks common sense to keep herself safe. Enjoys jumping off things.

Bahah no wonder people saying children growing up today cant handle real life in jobs they are so molly coddled its unbelievable.

Oh I know. All these 3 year olds being supervised. Absolutely setting them up to fail

Bahah no wonder people saying children growing up today cant handle real life in jobs they are so molly coddled its unbelievable The DC is 3 y.o it is perfectly responsible to supervise a 3 y.o.
DD use to sleep walk we put a bell on her door handle and chimes above so they'd ping as she passed.
Like a pp she once got a chair to the counter to pushed the button to put the kettle on, I was in the hallway it was day time I heard the boil, if I'd been asleep she'd have tried to make me a cuppa.

Mine did with older siblings but not completely alone.
I think the oldest was about 7 when they started to do this. My 5 year old now comes downstairs before siblings, gets herself cereal and puts the tv on. But 3 is really little.

When our DS was old enough to get up and out of bed on his own, he would always come into our bedroom and wake us up!
I moved the the safety gate from the top of the stairs to outside his bedroom door. He would open his door and was happy to play in his bedroom. We heard he was awake but we managed to doze for a bit longer! We didn't leave any food or drink for him though.

My 8 and 6 year old do at weekends occasionally but they normally prefer to stop in each others room until we get up. I don't think I'd have let them at 3!

@MrsCocoaJones8 I know how will our children ever survive being supervised at the age of 3!!! They will never have the experience of choking on their own, slicing themselves open with a massive knife, putting their hand in the toaster, falling banging their head with no parent around for hours!! What bad parents we are

Christ on a bike OP, no not a 3.

We live in a small flat and I wouldn't let my 4.5 year old spend 2.5 hours in the living room by themselves whilst I slept, which is next to my bedroom, never mind downstairs.

I was referring to those who are talking about their 7 or 8yr old, idiots

@cyclingmad

I was referring to those who are talking about their 7 or 8yr old, idiots

Why not make that clear then?

I was referring to those who are talking about their 7 or 8yr old, idiots

I'm not the idiot here.

I was referring to those who are talking about their 7 or 8yr old, idiots
Your post wasn't very clear then. Why resort to name calling? It makes you sound like an eejit.

OP you are so defensive. You've asked what people on mumsnet think and they've told you. No one I know (myself included) would be comfortable with a 3 year old going downstairs by themselves every mornings, it's risky.

Three is too young to be self-contained, he’s learnt to take care of his own needs for a reason. You’re relying on the fact that he has a pattern of behaviour at the moment but that’s not safe, he might vary it and put himself and the rest of you at risk. It also sounds quite lonely for him.

At the very least go down with him and cuddle up together and you can snooze.

Now while I think the OP is wrong to leave her wee one for hours downstairs this is ridiculous

I’ve got an almost 8 and 12 year old and I’d not leave them downstairs whilst I was in bed.

If I’m feeling really tired I might give my youngest the iPad whilst they are in their room with door wide open and I’ll doze off in mine fir half an hour.

8 and 12? Barring SN kids need to be left alone to enable them to learn how to do things. A couple of hours in the morning is fine for kids of 8 and 12.