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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To leave my DC doors open at night?

105 replies

Mn2848589292 · 17/05/2021 20:16

This is prompted by a thread I’ve just read where it talks about closing children’s bedrooms doors at night for fire safety; I get the reasons why it’s safer but does everyone do that and I’ve somehow missed that you’re supposed to?

OP posts:
KurtWilde · 17/05/2021 20:41

We sleep with the doors open.

kowari · 17/05/2021 20:43

First I've heard of it. We lived in a hot country where you'd have the front window and back door open (screen door locked) for air flow on summer nights. Also, the cat would be whinging. We only close doors when needed for privacy.

gah2teenagers · 17/05/2021 20:43

Never have closed doors as the cats would scratch at them but have 4 fire alarms.

kowari · 17/05/2021 20:43

Cat whinging if you dared shut a door on her that is!

FeatheredHope · 17/05/2021 20:45

Closed. The extra time you save in a fire is the difference between your child surviving or not

This

LunchBoxPolice · 17/05/2021 20:45

We have fire alarms everywhere. That would wake us up if there was a fire

I wouldn’t bet on it, the smoke might kill you first.

GingerbreadPlease · 17/05/2021 20:45

Always open, I need to hear if someone breaks in during the night. Not being able to hear would freak me out.

ElspethFlashman · 17/05/2021 20:47

Closed.

I wasn't allowed to have my bedroom door closed at night as a kid and then when I wanted to close it as a tween my parents were all huffy about it. I hated that. I just wanted some privacy.

So I always closed my kids doors. I do use monitors until they're about 6 though. After that age they can roar loud enough if they want me. The house isn't that big!

They do have Gro Clocks which act as nightlights so it's not pitch black by any means.

Flev · 17/05/2021 20:50

We shut our toddler daughter's - but this is mostly to keep the cat out of her room!

Cherrysoup · 17/05/2021 20:53

For visiting youngsters, I leave the door open after the now infamous ‘shit on the floor at 3am’ incident because little one couldn’t find the right door. There is a wardrobe next to the door, fatal! 😂

Whywonttheyhelpme · 17/05/2021 20:53

All doors open here too. We have 3 alarms over ground & 1st floor and a dog that wakes us over the slightest thing out of the ordinary.

Hardbackwriter · 17/05/2021 20:54

We close the door of DS's room, and have ever since he went into it as a six month old, but tbh I'd never thought about the fire risk - we close it so that the cats don't go in his room and so the TV doesn't wake him up.

haveaday · 17/05/2021 20:56

I hate having the door shut when I sleep. Kids have started shutting their doors now they are older but they were always open when little.

Clymene · 17/05/2021 20:59

Ours are all open but we have smoke alarms right outside on the tiny landing and another one in the hall downstairs. Plus the doors are ill fitting Victorian pine so they'd be no help at all.

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 17/05/2021 20:59

Closed! Never thought to do anything different tbh Confused

Clymene · 17/05/2021 20:59

Oh and we have a dog and a cat that like to roam. The cat in particular views a shut door as a personal affront

Youdoyoutoday · 17/05/2021 21:02

Shut my DS's bedroom door but keep mine ajar so I can hear him just in case

YesIReallyDoLikeRootBeer · 17/05/2021 21:10

Growing up we all shut our bedroom doors. My cousins did not and I always that it was very strange to keep them open. Now as an adult we have always kept our door and our kids doors closed. I really dont think I could sleep with the door open.

SingingSands · 17/05/2021 21:10

One teenager has her door firmly closed, one has it ajar and mine is open. I have a weird bedtime claustrophobia and cannot sleep if my bedroom door or window are shut Confused

MintyMabel · 17/05/2021 21:12

A regular door will keep out fire (not smoke) for 30 minutes, which could be life or death

Regular hollow core non fire rated doors will give you extra time but it is wrong to say they will give you 30 minutes. That really does depend on a lot of different factors.

Summerfun54321 · 17/05/2021 21:25

If you want to protect your children from a fire, best thing you can do is get some good quality interlinked smoke alarms so if there’s a fire in one part of the house, all the alarms go off at once. They can be hard wired or wireless battery operated. Unless a door is a fire rated door, chances are it’ll do fuck all to keep out smoke which is the killer. I know a lot about this and keep my kids bedroom doors open as I have good alarms, they’re not fire doors, and hearing the kids and making sure their bedrooms are well ventilated and have healthy fresh air at night time is more important.

Twinkie01 · 17/05/2021 21:26

Ours are all closed and the kids know to check if their doors are hot if the smoke alarm goes off, if they are hot they are to go into their bathrooms, wet a towel and poke it under the door. I was rescued from a house fire as a 5 year old and have always been extra cautious.

You should have a fire drill with your children, my uncle, a fireman, has told me about the children who are scared and hide in the bottom of wardrobes or in corners of rooms and succumb to smoke inhalation, they are often missed by fireman.

Summerfun54321 · 17/05/2021 21:28

Bedroom doors open, but all other doors closed at night. Kitchen door should be a fire door and have a good heat detector alarm.

JackieTheFart · 17/05/2021 21:30

Honestly I’d never considered the fire factor. Ours is closed but the kids doors are open, as are the downstairs doors as they’re ancient and falling off the hinges.

It’s just habit for us. All kids are old enough to come and get us if they need us.