Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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:
Mylittlesandwich · 17/05/2021 21:33

I close the downstairs doors at night but I don't like closed doors so ours is open. DS's is also open. It gets quite stuffy at night with doors closed and the cats go bonkers if they're closed too.

shouldistop · 17/05/2021 21:34

All doors closed at night

Maray1967 · 17/05/2021 21:36

dC now closes his door (13), but only recently. We too have fire alarms on all 3 floors. Downstairs doors are closed as house is alarmed. We removed fire door closers that loft conversion builder put on all our internal doors without telling us first. Far greater risk of serious injury to tiny fingers than fire as I never run dryer etc at night, hardly ever use candles, nothing is left on the job, no one smokes and I would not buy plastic backed fridges etc.

Iamaperwinkle · 17/05/2021 21:37

All doors open - smoke alarms everywhere CO alarms everywhere -where is the problem?

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 17/05/2021 21:38

I used to love sleeping with my door closed as a teenager. My mum used to drive me mad opening it - she thought I'd run out of oxygen with it closed Hmm

My kids like theirs open, but we have irritatingly sensitive fire alarms and we're in a bungalow, so the kids know to chuck themselves out the windows they may be allowed to do a practice window exit every year on their birthdays.

NYNYNYNYNYNYNYNYNYNYNYNYN · 17/05/2021 21:43

@Iamaperwinkle

All doors open - smoke alarms everywhere CO alarms everywhere -where is the problem?
Same in my house too
SunbathingDragon · 17/05/2021 21:44

@Iamaperwinkle

All doors open - smoke alarms everywhere CO alarms everywhere -where is the problem?
Largely it’s to do with the oxygen flow that closed doors don’t allow a fire to have much of. Open doors means the fire spreads much quicker and by the time your alarm goes off, you might find it’s too late to get out or to get everyone out. It’s not just the flames but the smoke and heat.
user1471523870 · 17/05/2021 21:46

Oh dear it never crossed my mind that doors should be closed for fire safety.
We keep all our doors open and would feel very uncomfortable knowing my toddler is sleeping in another room with the doors closed between me and him. If he wakes up during the night by the time I'd realize he was awake he would be doing god knows what that is super unsafe!

But ....with all doors closed I don't think I would realize there is a fire in time to run outside, would I?

irresistibleoverwhelm · 17/05/2021 21:47

Growing up we always had our doors ajar and the upstairs landing light on a dimmer. Until one day about 12 I couldn’t sleep for ages, got up and closed the door, and never slept with the door open again. I need it totally dark!

DD co-slept with me for several years as I couldn’t cope with the lack of sleep otherwise (she was EBF, we co-slept according to all the advice to make it safe as possible). So she got used to sleeping in the dark. We always close doors as a result - and turn landing light off - though when DD gets up and goes for a wee or - too often - comes in to my bed, she seems to have no problem getting around in the dark!

I never thought about fire safety, it was just how it turned out because of my own personal preference.

FeatheredHope · 17/05/2021 21:53

This is why the doors should be shut
news.sky.com/story/fireman-reveals-why-children-should-always-sleep-with-bedroom-door-closed-11631714

Yes your fire alarms will help alert you at some point, but every second counts with fire.

BrilliantBetty · 17/05/2021 21:55

Never really considered the fire risk. Ours are often open.
Will try to close from now.

Also, I sometimes thing we should have some sort of way to escape from upstairs. Do you have an emergency way out from upstairs?

TeddingtonTrashbag · 17/05/2021 21:56

Their choice

tv86 · 17/05/2021 21:57

closed. one has it open until he falls asleep.
I do keep mine open though so I can hear them and so the dog can run down if someone broke in.
my fire alarm goes off if we leave the door open when we have a shower so I'm hoping it would be sensitive enough to go off at the first sign of smoke.

Happycat1212 · 17/05/2021 21:59

No I don’t do this, mine would hate it

Mn2848589292 · 17/05/2021 21:59

@BrilliantBetty I worked out once how we’d get out the house in the event of a fire if we couldn’t go down the stairs and I even agreed with DH once who would go to which child. I’ve also told little DD what to do if she hears the smoke alarm in the night.
Just never thought of or really knew about the doors thing

OP posts:
JeanClaudeVanDammit · 17/05/2021 22:00

Closed. She has a night light and I still use a video monitor (3 yo). Fire safety is one of the things I’m really conscious of but it was also about keeping the cat out. She’s always had the door closed so has never yet wanted it open.

Angel2702 · 17/05/2021 22:00

Ours are left ajar otherwise the cat scratches at the doors all night long.

motogogo · 17/05/2021 22:01

I don't close doors, even mine is ajar.

AlwaysLatte · 17/05/2021 22:05

Ours like their doors open but in a fire they'd be unlikely to stop smoke as they're 200 years old at least with lots of gaps around them. But we do have excellent fire alarms and the house was recently totally rewired.

RolloTomassi · 17/05/2021 22:07

We always close the kids' doors at night, for the fire safety aspect. They have night lights to see inside.

Ours are only young though, perhaps as they get older they'll want to choose how to have the door.

NewlyGranny · 17/05/2021 22:15

Always kept them closed since firefighters visited my classroom many years ago and one told me quietly afterwards that if I'd seen what he'd seen, I'd close the children's bedroom doors every night.

That was enough for me. That and smoke alarms.

Anydreamwilldo12 · 17/05/2021 22:16

Always closed, every bedroom. I couldn't sleep with the door open. It makes it easier for murderers to creep in. Also sleep on the side of the bed furthest away from the door so they get husband first!
Murderers that is!

MadeForThis · 17/05/2021 22:23

Always closed. Kids don't know any different. Every second counts of there is a fire. Smoke kills.

RolloTomassi · 17/05/2021 22:24

@Anydreamwilldo12 LOL me too! Even on hols, the safe side of the bed is mine! Soz DH Grin

hopingforabrighterfuture2021 · 17/05/2021 22:29

We have always slept with both ours and DCs open, but we live in a flat where our front door is literally three steps away from the bedrooms, if that.

Swipe left for the next trending thread