Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a three year old can’t do this?

232 replies

shakemyheadatyou · 27/09/2024 16:40

Ds finishes preschool at 3. I don’t get home until 4.

DH thinks ds can just watch tv and entertain himself (dh wfh Fridays) I think he’s too young, what do others think?

OP posts:
doodleschnoodle · 27/09/2024 18:19

We are in the same room, I wouldn't expect her to be in a different room for an hour though. But it's totally fine for an hour and a half or so a week, she just watches some TV, plays with her toys, eats a snack, etc. Neither of mine have been an issue, now my DD1 is 5 she will happily stay in another room if I'm doing a work call or something too.

Mnetcurious · 27/09/2024 18:19

birdglasspen2 · 27/09/2024 16:45

My kids get an hour of tv a day and that’s it. So when it’s on they are engrossed. I think kids with a lot of tv on in background or screens won’t pay as much attention and may want parent at some point. If it’s one hour each day and DH can respond to any needs…toilet, drink…I don’t see a problem. You’ll have someone say if you leave him
With a snack he will choke. I can’t say I’m there 24/7 when kids have food in the same room. Give him a safe as possible snack!

I agree, we never had the tv on in the background when ours were little and tv time was relatively limited. Like yours, at the times they were watching, they were therefore totally engrossed.

I noticed a big difference even towards the end of the primary school years between my kids watching a film or tv programme, giving it 100% attention compared to other kids who did not focus at anything like the same level and seemed to get bored. I know at least some of these kids grew up in houses where the tv was always on.

Isntshelovely2024 · 27/09/2024 18:22

Minimum age for this would be 5/6. Expecting that from a 3 year old is insane

Nosleepforthismum · 27/09/2024 18:23

Mine would give his right arm for an hour of rubbish on tv especially if provided with snacks as well. A bit like others, screen time is limited at home so this would be seen as a big treat.

Every day though, the novelty may wear off.

Namechangedforspooky · 27/09/2024 18:26

If this is only once a week for an hour my 2 would have been fine at that age if I gave them an iPad or Netflix.
Only you know your child though

elb1504 · 27/09/2024 18:43

I've done this quite often, DS is 4 and now at school but every Friday when he was at nursery and 3 he'd finish at 1pm and I'd have to work in the afternoon. He'd watch TV, do some crafts, play games and I would do admin on my laptop in same room as him.

Definitely gets annoying at times but manageable. I have to work now when I pick DS up after school for an hour much easier now he's 4 but essentially depends on the job.

Rehoming123 · 27/09/2024 18:43

I think it is so child and job dependent. My oldest definitely couldn’t have been left to play by herself at that age but my middle child could be quite happily. My husband however has a busy job and could have an important call he has to lead that can’t be disturbed so it wouldn’t work for him to be listening out for a 3yo reliably

3WildOnes · 27/09/2024 18:53

All of mine would have been absolutely fine with this. My 4 year old does this every Friday for a couple of hours. If she needs me she knocks on the office door and knows to wait until I am off calls to speak.

bumbledeedum · 27/09/2024 18:58

Depends on the 3 year old, my eldest wouldn't move for several hours given the chance, my youngest would have redecorated the house with yoghurt in approximately 0.3 seconds.

This is obviously assuming there's an adult within ear shot and not upstairs/garden office etc.

Bearbookagainandagain · 27/09/2024 19:01

I wouldn't do it because I don't want my son to spend an hour in front of the TV every week, but he's 2.8 and would happily stay on his own downstairs and watch TV for an hour (maybe 8 times out of 10).

That's actually why we decided to limit TV a lot!

mitogoshigg · 27/09/2024 19:02

An hour after a busy day at preschool? My dd would happily nap in front of the tv for an hour or so

Autumn1990 · 27/09/2024 19:03

My youngest has just turned 4 and for well over a year would sit and watch her iPad and eat a plate of tea happily for about an hour after school. Ideally she would eat and watch iPad in my bed.
Not sure my eldest would have at 3.

Balkanbabies · 27/09/2024 19:04

I do this once a week for my 2 and 4 year old when I have an online class. For many many weeks I have done it and only once my 2 year old came in to ask for a piece of bread.

My children only see a screen twice a week so i agree with other posters that this might be a factor. But in the end I think it must be different for every child and only you and your DH will know if your child can do this

Original poster
shakemyheadatyou · 27/09/2024 19:04

mitogoshigg · 27/09/2024 19:02

An hour after a busy day at preschool? My dd would happily nap in front of the tv for an hour or so

Ds doesn’t, he really is a Duracell child. The more he does the more energy he has. He sleeps fine at night so I don’t mind.

I was just very grumpy this afternoon. It’s really stressful for me on Fridays.

OP posts:
LittleBitAlexisLaLaLaLaLa · 27/09/2024 19:08

My eldest- 50/50 success rate with the right Disney princess movie on. But if she got a whiff of whoever was home on the phone/video call to someone the show off in her would have emerged and she’d have wanted to be involved straight away.

My youngest would have quietly skulked off and set fire to the house or flooded it or something.

So either way I wouldn’t attempt it, not at 3 years old.

FlingThatCarrot · 27/09/2024 19:10

My firstborn would absolutely not move from the TV. We don't have much screen time so when we do he's absolutely enthralled. My 2nd born would get bored after 20mins and be emptying cupboards.

Also huge difference between just turned 3 and a nearly 4yo.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 27/09/2024 19:11

Curtainpots · 27/09/2024 16:58

Mine would have been fine with this tbh and they weren’t particularly easy kids.

Mine too.

scotstars · 27/09/2024 19:13

Depends on the child and your partners job- if he has meetings etc then not likely to be able to work undisturbed but I've had wfh roles previously where was mainly answering emails, completing paperwork etc that type of role would probably be manageable for an hour

kaos2 · 27/09/2024 19:19

Who will collect him? My 3 year old dd was very calm and would have but it would depend on the child

Ohthatsabitshit · 27/09/2024 19:19

Mine would have been fine pottering. Teach the three year old to plonk the toys in a toy box, teach dh to put the breakfast things away if you can’t after you’ve used them, have a plonk in the oven meal on Fridays or takeaway, sit on sofa with cup of tea and teeny and put your feet up.

BertieBotts · 27/09/2024 19:25

For one hour directly after preschool on a Friday (so, tired) with an adult there for emergencies?

100% my 3yo would do this. Make sure he has a wee when he gets in, provide him a snack and let him have the remote and he probably wouldn't move for an hour (which is why you get him to do a wee first!)

The main barrier that I have seen with one of my neighbours who for the last year has clearly been trying to do this is that there is a park directly outside the nursery, and his daughter was always wanting to stay and play at the park with the other kids while he tried to drag her home to work and clearly felt terrible about it. If I was staying with my kids, then I used to watch her and take her back (we were in the same block of flats) but he never returned the favour!

BertieBotts · 27/09/2024 19:28

I will add that I am picturing our setup which has DH working in the same room - I am not sure I would be so happy about the supervising adult being in a separate room and potentially with headphones on or feeling they could not pop in and out because of being on a call.

Original poster
shakemyheadatyou · 27/09/2024 19:28

Does no one else have a child who gets more energetic the more they do? Just wondering as it seems most children are so exhausted they’ve no energy at all after preschool but mines most hyper then!

OP posts:
Badbadbunny · 27/09/2024 19:29

Depends on the child, surely?

Kids don't need constant "entertainment", so a bit of "me" time for them isn't a bad thing if they can entertain themselves in some way, i.e. with toys, or looking at a picture book, etc.

Oqqq · 27/09/2024 19:35

My 3 year will EASILY watch TV for an hour unsupervised - this wouldn't phase him at all. Never once has he tried to climb out of the window or set fire to anything. If he needs a wee he'll come find me but otherwise I think he'd be a champion at this.

I'm worried now that I let him watch too much TV...

Swipe left for the next trending thread