To think we shouldn’t leave kids unsupervised while in bed

[Namechange12908]

…early in the morning. At what age would you do this? DC are 7 and 4 and will happily watch TV/play after breakfast. Kids wake up quite early (6-7ish), and at a weekend DH an I take turns at lie in, the other gets up with the kids. If it’s DH's turn to get up he will usually happily come back to bed for an hour after making them breakfast. He says he will hear if they start fighting or they come find him if they need anything. I would love to do the same but I don’t feel comfortable leaving them unsupervised.IABU?

emptythelitterbox · Today 10:08
YANBU. You should wait until they're 18, just to be on the safe side.
😂

Where I'd potentially be annoyed is that if he hears them fighting or similar, that disturbs your lie in, whereas when it's his lie in you being downstairs means this

Would you be happy for a childminder to leave a 4 and 7 year old unsupervised, even though her home will be risk assessed to the nth degree?

Look after your kids' health and safety the same way you'd expect a paid professional to do.

If you cannot get up with your kids, then they need to stay in their room and read or play with toys until 8am or so, when you've had enough sleep. The only thing downstairs, which they cannot do upstairs is the telly. I've nothing against CBeebies, but I always noticed my two had a lot of fun and were far more creative with their play when forced to play upstairs with no screens.

@CinnamonJellyBeans

oh lighten up!

Life would be miserable if you parented like a professional on duty 24/7!

4 and 7 are absolutely fine. As long as they know to come and get you if theres any problems and there’s nothing dangerous (which there shouldn’t be anyway). Mine have always watched tv in the mornings on their own from that age at the weekends. Its the only day its not a total rush.

If you dont feel comfortable, open the bedroom door and just have a dose in bed to see how they get on. Do they normally sit ok to watch tv or a movie if you’re both busy around the house?

I would be less concerned about them doing something dangerous and choking on their breakfast which you wouldn't hear if they were mindlessly eating while focussing on the tv. More so the 4 year old

Neither!
You have to do what you feel comfortable with, even if it's not the same as most people. You take completely the opposite approach that I did when I had a small child, but if you don't feel right stepping back a bit yet, then don't.
You have to do what you feel is right for you and your own family.

It would be unreasonable of you to judge other families for not making the same choices as you.

Mine LOVE screens…

Also always played nicely.
Also love going to the park/walks/days out.
Also excelling at school.

Screens are not bad.

‘Watch a little bit of tv nicely whilst Mummy and Daddy have a little lie in and then we’ll have a fun Saturday’. Nothing wrong with that.

Our parents didnt raise us on duty 24/7 in the 80’s/90’s. In fact most 7 years old on our road in the 90’s were off out to play in the woods/fields by our house for most of the day…unsupervised/parents had no idea where we were (but trusted us to come back for lunch and tea). We watched plenty of tv too and we turned out relatively normal 😀

Relax…most kids who are 4 and 7 are capable of sitting on the sofa without a risk assessment! 🙈

Saturday mornings were me and my brother watching Tiswas with our cereal, fruit and a home made Victoria sponge all set out for us the night before. We even waited until Dick Turpin was on before starting on the cake

Why are you trying to compare siblings in their own home with their parents to children at a childminders?

It's not comparable in the slightest.

No, four is far too young to be mooching about the house unsupervised.
Get your lazy arse out of bed!

I think it depends on the kids. My eldest I could leave at 3 to chill on the sofa and watch TV. My youngest would have got up to all sorts! I think with her it was more like 5 that I could have left her while in bed.

@ReadersD1gest

nah! Life’s too short

It does depend on the child, my five year old is an early riser and once woke me up with a bowl of cereal in bed, I hadn’t even heard her sneak downstairs! She is very sensible and quiet and happy to just sit watching cartoons or drawing etc.

Her little sister is three and completely wild. I always wake up before her, thankfully, and have to wake her most days, it’s like all her craziness during waking hours just knocks her out for the count! We have a stair gate between the diner and the front door/hall area. The other morning I ran back upstairs to brush my teeth leaving the girls in front of the telly. DH had forgotten to lock the baby gate and I came back down and said to DD1 “where’s your sister?”

She had opened the front door and was ‘walking her dog,’ (a toy dog on a lead) on the driveway. My heart honestly stopped. Think the whole street must’ve heard my exclamation!

Just reminded me I can never turn my bloody back on DD2 for a second.

Absolutely fine.

Whilst, obviously, a 7 year old isn't going to/be able to parent a 4 year old, most 7 YOs would step in if a 4 year old was about to do something absolutely batshit. You know your kids best of course, but certainly mine were bumbling around the downstairs independently from about 3.5-4.

My just turned 5 yr old just walked in and said ‘I’m just gonna make myself a cheese sandwich mummy’.

Outside of the mealtimes I take responsibility for, I expect Children to do the things they can for themselves. Kids are treated like babies in many houses.

I wouldn't want the 4 year old eating unsupervised if I'm honest. I'd be worried about them choking but after breaky if they'd happily watch TV without getting in to stuff I'd leave them for a bit while I napped.

Ye gads! Absolutely way too young. You should wait until they are 14 and 17 at the earliest.

We tag team lie in because I get a better quality of lie in if I put earplugs in knowing my DH is with the kids and visa versa. The awake parent can then stop the kids from going in our bedroom. I’d be pretty annoyed if it was my turn for a lie in and I was being bothered by the kids.

my dd was making herself a bowl of cereal at 4 on the weekends. She was a very early riser and I needed another hour of sleep. So she would eat and watch cartoons until I got up.

I think that's fine but it shouldn't mean your lie in gets disturbed. We would take one morning each at this age but when you're up, you're up and you leave the other person in peace.

I'm impressed by the children who can make their own cereal! Mine both seem to have inherited my clumsiness with pouring stuff everywhere. Though they'll both have a good go at making nutella sandwiches (I supervise the 3 year old otherwise half the jar would go on!)

Mine are 6 and 4 and can get themselves breakfast and play/turn on telly etc. Tiny house though so can hear them everywhere.

My DC swatches TV and plays in the morning. Has done since 4. I just turn the TV on and roll off back to bed. I'm in a flat though so quite literally in the next room

Most children are able to manage this at 4+ as long as you're available if they call for you

Ours are 7 and 5. We usually wake them up on a weekend morning to get them to leave the house at 8:15/8:30 for sports lessons.

When there are no lessons, they know that it’s a lie in day. They’ll come in and ask if it’s playtime. If it’s after 7am we say yes and they will happily play together in their rooms. No TV at this time- we have a rule that you have to read before getting TV time.