Closing bedroom door at night

[ObviouslyItsTheOlympics]

Ever since DS moved into his own room we've shut his door at night. We have a monitor, and he doesn't mind the door being shut (he's 18 months now). We don't have any stairgates and I shut the door both so that he won't wander out and fall down the stairs and also because we currently live with my parents who have a tendency to stomp upstairs noisily.....

I never even considered that perhaps I shouldn't be shutting the door but I've read a few comments on other threads where people have expressed horror at a child's door being closed. So, what do you do?

We shut their door when we go up to bed. Means we can hear them if they shout down before then.

I know about the fire safety issue, however we have smoke alarms in all bedrooms (checked monthly) and bottom of the stairs, a no smoking, no open fire house so we consider the risk to be fairly low. The fireman who did our home safety check agreed.

I close 2 out of 3 DC's doors. It used to be 3 out of 3 but the eldest has started preferring to have it open. Hers is the room furthest from the rest of us which have the smoke alarm just outside so she has one in her room.

I leave all bedroom doors open - there is absolutely no way I could sleep in a closed room, I find it way too hot and stuffy and it gives me a headache (even with the window open, which it always is, in all seasons). I can never sleep well in hotel rooms for that reason

DD likes hers open too while she falls asleep - we are in a flat and her bedroom door looks straight across the hall to our kitchen, but it doesn't seem to disturb her having the door open.

I always close doors because of the fire safety thing

I have always closed DD's door because it didn't occur to me not to. Isn't that what doors are for?

I have always kept the doors closed for both DCs rooms, since they moved into their own rooms at about 4 months. Also don't have a baby monitor. Not a problem hearing them if they want/need to be heard. We have solid wood doors, but we are in a terrace so not a lot of distance between us all. My 2.5 year old can get out of his room perfectly well on his own as well now if he wants to.

I close DS's. He can open it himself if he needs me and he's only on the other side of the wall so I hear him if he cries too.

Is he still in a cot? My DS who is also 18 months can open doors so we leave his open but have a baby gate on his room. Mind you, he is on a futon... because he could climb out of the cot.

Thanks everyone, a nice mix of views :o
He's in a bed now; we have round door handles which he can't open - or reach yet!

I close my daughters door, I've also read firefighters are recommending closing kids doors as the door is like a barrier

DD2’s is closed. Shes 15 months & it helps stop any noise she makes reaching DD1.

DD1 refuses to have the door closed. She just gets back up & opens it.. it’s annoying, I wish she’d have it closed to keep it dark in the morning 🙄

Let him decide for himself if he wants it shut or not seeing as he must be coming upto about age 11 now

Always shut the door. But then I never had a problem hearing any of them. (Think that's an ingrained talent of parents with young children - Am much less sensitive now.)

I always shut my children’s doors (7, 5 and 2). Wouldn’t occur to me not to. Far safer from a fire safety perspective and makes the room darker and quieter.

My father was in the fire brigade all his working life. It was usual practice when I was born [ages ago in 1950s!!!] for us to keep our bedroom doors closed at night because a closed door could hold back a fire for 30 minutes.
My DS [29 tomorrow!!!] always had his bedroom door closed too, because of this. He associated his bedroom at night with darkness and sleeping!!! Brilliant.
I don't think there's any right or wrongs. Just do what you feel is best for your situation.

We close doors here. We have a loft conversion so fire doors were installed, so we close all the fire doors at night as they’re not going to work if they’re not open! We have monitors in the kids rooms still and our 3yr old can open the door himself.

Close doors for fire safety and to stop noise in the morning waking DC.

Now have cats - one of whom meows loudly if a door is shut she wants to go through. And being a good cat slave I get up and open it for her....

really depends on your setup, safety protocol, children's age and capability.

also once they are old enough they can decide if they want their doors open or closed.

do whatever is safest, suits best & and is feasible.
don't worry about what others think or say

Ergh ZOMBIE thread

Always had doors shut as DC1 cannot sleep with any light.

We had a baby monitor until primary age, at which point they were well able to come and find us if they need us in the night.

Oh gah sucked in by the zombie

@yomellamoHelly

Always shut the door. But then I never had a problem hearing any of them. (Think that's an ingrained talent of parents with young children - Am much less sensitive now.)

I don't know about the ingrained talent - I only used to wake up to noises while bf.

As soon as that was done I went back to asleep=as good as dead.
I find falling asleep much harder, but once I'm asleep that's it.

One night I slept through the fire alarm going off twice (it was about 4m away from end of bed, door open!) - our youngest three were 6, 4 & 14m at the time😳

DH is a light sleeper, he usually wakes up for small noises, or if anyone needs me they can shout & shake me awake....

Please keep bedroom doors closed. I’ve seen some awful sights where a child would have lived or else likely lived without permanent disfigurement if the doors had been closed. Fire kills. Doors closed can be the difference between life and death.

We close all bedroom doors for the fire reasons.