To leave my DC doors open at night?

[Mn2848589292]

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?

I have never thought of this either - we have been leaving it to personal choice.

@Anydreamwilldo12

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!

This made me laugh - I think the same thing when I close the door!

We sleep with doors closed, we have 4 smoke alarms and 2 CO monitors. We have also trained the dog to go berserk if he smells smoke or if the fire alarms go off.
I'm a bit paranoid of house fires since we nearly lost our home to one when I was 13.

Doors open here, as we're a floor up from them and worried about not hearing them cry etc when younger.

Never considered the fire issue and I'm generally twitchy about fire having experienced two. They're getting to the age of wanting more privacy now anyway.

The doors wouldn't be any use against smoke they're plywood and poorly fitting. I did explain to mine what to do if there was a fire and their main escape would be the landing window onto a flat roof and to scream the place down for us. Their only other option would be their bedroom windows but they're huge and I doubt the youngest would get them open.

This thread has reminded me to check they still remember the drill!!

I'd never thought about the fire risk. Teens are open through choice and ours is ajar so I can hear the burglars (they would get to kids rooms first).
Coincidentally DH made the teens doors fit properly (old house) the other day so might start shutting them. Kids still complain if doors aren't open as they can see monsters in their jackets on the back of doors other wise.
When we got new windows though we made sure we got bedroom windows that we all could climb out of if needed.

I saw photos from a fire damaged house once and the difference between the rooms with doors open and those that were closed. That was enough for me to ensure that my DCs door are always closed at night. I would never leave them open.

All the people saying fire safety - but what if the fire started in the child’s room?! Your child would die before the smoke got out to the fire alarm on the landing...
we keep open. It’s safer as I can hear them and we have good fire alarms.

Both our doors are open. Dds one because she's scared if it's shut and it also makes tons of noise scraping on the carpet so it's not easy to check on her. She's also 6 and has had night terrors since she was really small. Mine is open because I would knock myself the fuck out in the middle of the night if it was shut ..

Both our bedroom doors are kept open.
No central heating, storage heater is on the landing, we have to keep doors open so we dont freeze.

Yes theirs are closed. That extra time will make a difference.

Closed here for all of us. Same when I was a child. Fire safety, dark to encourage longer sleeping, not being disturbed by tv noises/older siblings - all good reasons.

I remember feeling really weird staying at a boyfriend's house when I was about 18 and they all slept with their doors open. He thought it was odd I made him shut it when I was there. Where's the privacy?! Those who still sleep with doors open with teens or older kids, don't you worry about them hearing you if you have sex?

God closed always. Otherwise the monsters creep in don't they?

We have fire doors but I sometimes don't close theirs (generally do) but never close mine. Alarm right outside the bedrooms though.

Also we would never have sex again as our rooms are so close!

Do shut all other doors though.

3 smoke alarms here 1 in room from kitchen 1 at bottom of stairs 1 on landing I keep our doors open think it's my anxiety I just like them open incase 1 of the dc wake.

I’m single, I don’t need to worry about anyone hearing me have sex because I don’t 😂

Always open/ajar. For a start, smoke alarms (insanely sensitive) are in hallways so if there's a fire, they won't go off quick enough if they're in a room with the door closed. DC need to be able to open the doors even when sleepy/scared and couldn't do that when smaller. I like to be able to hear them if they call out. They like to hear us moving around and know that we can hear them if they call. The animals wander around at night. They like a nightlight in the form of a bathroom light left on.

I understand the fire fear but I don't think that risk is high enough to justify the emotional stress for my children of being closed off.

@Sadieeloise5687

All the people saying fire safety - but what if the fire started in the child’s room?! Your child would die before the smoke got out to the fire alarm on the landing... we keep open. It’s safer as I can hear them and we have good fire alarms.

As far as I can remember from my training, it's about reducing the risk from flashover rather than smoke.

You could always put a fire alarm in the bedroom if you were worried about a fire starting there.

DD is 7. Her bedroom door is closed at night but that's because the rescue puppy we got last October goes in in the night and chews her toys otherwise.

All open. Need to hear ds1 insulin pump alarms overnight and it led to all doors being open.

I close them when I go to bed for fire safety. We also have many alarms both wired in and battery operated!

Ours are closed over but still slightly open, we have a newborn in with us and a young toddler who can walk, but can't escape his cot bed and would need us to get him out if there was a fire as he can't get himself down stairs yet. He does have a monitor but doors being open mean we can hear him better as well, plus it's quieter if I need to check on him for any reason, so I won't waken him.

I know closed doors are good for fire safety, but then there’s also that child who overheated and died in a room with a closed door. The heating came on during the night and basically cooked the child, he died in his sleep. Parents were in a cooler room and didn’t know the child’s room was red hot. DS’s room is way hotter than ours because it’s smaller and has a better radiator, so I’m reluctant to close the door.

Ours were all open until they started closing them themselves as teens.