Straw Poll - At what age would you reasonably expect a child to be able to:

[Milliways]

1. Use the Toilet brush
2. Empty the Dishwasher
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals)
4. Do some ironing
5. Cook a family dinner

(This is to settle a debate at work with those kids who slave from walking age, to those who leave home with no skills at all)

Thanks

1. Ds likes to use it now at 3, but I'd rather he used it only when there is a "sticky poo" on the toilet bowl - rather than the clean the floor.
2. Keen to leave this as late as possible, due to tiled floor and dishdrawer.
3. Ds gets his own breakfast of cereal, and can make a sandwich but he is always supervised. I guess 5 for unsupervised.
4. What's ironing?
5. Cook family dinner - High School age to make it all from start to finish. Never to early to help out.

1. Use the Toilet brush ... 8
2. Empty the Dishwasher ... 7
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) ...6 DS does his own cereal now but not toast
4. Do some ironing ...12 ... but I distinctly remember being 'allowed' to do my dad's hankies before the age of 11
5. Cook a family dinner 12

QoQ, no, but I have very high cupboards

1. 9 2)about 8 3)6 4)teenager 5)teenager My 16 year old has ben able to iron properly fsince she was 14. The youngest is 14 and doesn't iron yet. Sheis dyspraxic so am reluctant to let her use the iron. She has helped me cook dinner though. My eldest is 18 and away from home and she cooked a curry for us and our guests at 14( she had done family dinners before then). They can all cook cakes and basic things.

1. Use the Toilet brush (dd1 can and she is 6 but I dont expect her to)
2. Empty the Dishwasher (8)
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast (8+) or cereals (both dds do this and they are 3 and 6))
4. Do some ironing (11+?)
5. Cook a family dinner (god never, thats my job )

1. Use the Toilet brush able, 10, willing 16
2. Empty the Dishwasher 10
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) 8
4. Do some ironing 14
5. Cook a family dinner 15

1. Never thought about it
2. 5
3. 6
4. 104 (only thing that ever gets ironed in this house is Hama beads!)
5. 12 ? (but haven't got there yet so that might change)

is anyone going to analyse these replies? It would be interesting to see a break down of the results!

This is fascinating.
I have a book called 'How to con your kids' which has a section on chores (it's American). (DD is only 9 months but I'm reading ahead. ) It gives the ages that 'according to research' (doesn't say which research) kids can do some of those things as:

1. scrub the toilet - 5
2. empty the dishwasher (except sharp utensils) 2-3
3. prepare cold cereal - 4

(It doesn't mention ironing - thank goodness as it would probably say 6 or something!)

Will be pretty astonished if my dd is helping empty the dishwasher at 2, but am quite surprised at people who say 9 or 10 for that - will be interesting to see.....

ds loves helping me empty the dishwasher & he's 20 months . I make sure all the sharp knives are out first then he opens the door, & hands me everything piece by piece, even putting some things away if they go in a low cupboard. He loves it & gets quite annoyed if it obviously needs emptying (ie is left open to air) & I don't want to at that precise moment!

1. Use the Toilet brush - horrendous things - wouldn't have one in the house, but if you mean clean the bathroom 13/14
2. Empty the Dishwasher 7/8
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) 8
4. Do some ironing 13/14
5. Cook a family dinner 15

Just remembered as well that he has been found with the toilet brush trying to clean the toilet on occasion - think he's seen us use it. We don't use chemical cleaners so I'm happy to encourage it tbh - its just another game to him like putting things in the bin, wiping a surface etc

they would certainly have other little jobs to do though like dusting and vacuuming. Thing is, when they are little they WANT to help as they get older they don't!

DS would happily have taken on all these tasks at 2 or 3, and has indeed attempted many of them. After he tried to make a ham omlette by himself, (up to the whisking stage) and I once found the cheesegrater circling in the microwave, I tend not to encourage him much.
Surely you wouldn't let a 2 year old empty a dishwasher unless you really love shopping for replacement plates?
Nor do I want a 4 year-old brandishing a toilet brush. Yuk.

I spent ages trying to discourage my 3 yr old from cleaning the toilet - too much brandishing of nasty chemicals, not to mention the toilet brush

1. Use the Toilet brush ... 7/8 (although DD who is 2.11 tries to and i stop her atm)
2. Empty the Dishwasher ... We dont have one but DD helps me wash up now
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) ...4/5 DD tries to do cereal herself now and i stop her
4. Do some ironing ...11/12 ... or whenever they start being fussy about what they wear
5. Cook a family dinner ..... 11/12 too but i do basics with dd already because she wants to help

I suspect my DS is NOT going to be as helpful or keen as my DD has been though

1. Use the Toilet brush - bleugh - don't have one
2. Empty the Dishwasher - ditto
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) - without causing huge annoying mess that negated the benefits - 5
4. Do some ironing - 9 or 10
5. Cook a family dinner - 9 or 10 - I mean something simple like pasta, not a roast with all the trimmings

Have now skimmed thread and am sort of surprised at people saying their children wouldn't be able to iron or cook a meal till a teenager. What age did you start doing these things yourself? I am sure I was doing them circa age 10 and my childhood was pretty sheltered IMO.

1. Use the Toilet brush - 8/9
2. Empty the Dishwasher - 7/8
3. Get their own breakfast (Toast or cereals) 7/8
4. Do some ironing - I have boys so I am going to say 12ish
5. Cook a family dinner 15

DS is 12 and can
Scrub his loo and wipe the seat - been doing this since about 7 or 8 (his aim was crap so something had to give)
Dishwasher, we only got one 4 yrs ago and he has always helped if asked and sometimes without being asked for pocket money extras.
Brekkie he got at 3-4y I left it out for him to a point and popped milk into a jug for him.
Ironing - he can do hankies but only recently- he is lefthanded and its a terrfying thing to watch him do.
He can cook - very very well - for about 18 mths makes handmade pasta and fresh carbonara - lamb koftas - he can follow any recipe. The mess though
He will be domesticated enough to not starve at uni, or to be the bane of a womans life!

I have not read any other answers so I am not influenced by anyone else....

1. It has never occurred to me. Maybe 11 or 12?
2. My 9 and 8 yo could do that now but only do so when I am extremely provoked!
3. My 9, 8 and 6 yo do that now, in fact even the 3 yo helps himself to cereal and lashing of sugar!
4. Might start my oldest on ironing at about 10/11
5. My 9 yo helps out with dinner but I wouldn't leave him to do it unaided until much older, maybe 13/14?

Now going to read other responses and see how out of synch I am!