Toddler left alone - is this acceptable?

[NamechangeApril2025]

A newly walking 14 month old left alone in a room while sole adult went out (for maybe a few minutes) to the garden on the other side of the house.

Room has a baby gate but is not a babyproofed room.

So people cannot put the bins out , go to the toilet or go in the garden to put the washing out ? Seems a bit dramatic . Unless that house is seriously dangerous like stairs with no gates etc I don’t think a few minutes is anything unusual . People with multiple kids like myself have to do this all the time when we attend to another child

When mine were little (many years ago now) they were in the bath. Maybe 14 months and 4 years old. Pretty chilled kids who were happily playing with bath toys.

First time I ever left the bathroom with them in the bath unsupervised (popped into bedroom next door to get towels) I heard horrendous screaming, like the worst most hysterical screaming. Dropped the towels and raced back in.

Little one had produced a stealthy floating poo. Big one went absolutely nuclear trying to climb out of the bath screaming, little one didn’t know what the issue was but saw his brother screaming and terrified so joined in. I was out of the room for about 40 seconds.

Littleist didn’t have a bath for 3 years after that. Used to have to wash him in a big garden tub in the sitting room 🤦‍♀️

Bit off topic, (and no, never ever leave your child unsupervised in the tub- I mean this genuinely, the poo floater was the least awful thing that could have happened), but goes to show what can happen when you turn your back for a minute!

I had 3 children under 4. They are teenagers now so my memory is a bit hazy but i know i definitely did not haul all 3 of them around from room to room everytime i had tp go get the baby from the cot or change a nappy or cook the tea or had a shower.

they have all managed to make it to teenage with out any major incidents so I can’t have been that neglectful!

Not ideal but not a hanging offence.

Please don’t say you are a social worker and are canvassing opinion on MN before completing a safeguarding report.

Are you the grandmother?

At 14 months mine would have managed to climb out!