What age are they old enough to be left alone for short periods to play?

[kiwicatastrophe]

in their bedroom for example if it's safe? at what age would you start leaving them for 5 or 10 minutes at a time to play on their own?

DS was about 1.5 when I left him alone on the same floor. He's just turned 4 and only now is he really allowed upstairs on his own - but then my house layout isn't conventional so it was more the house I didn't trust IYSWIM?

I let my 3 year old and 20 month old play together if I'm in the next room and can check any suspicious silences! I occasionally let my 3 year old upstairs to play on her own for short periods of time, but check on her a lot, there are window locks on all upstairs windows and the bathrooms are locked from the outside so I feel she's relatively safe but still prefer her to be in my sight.

Surely you already leave them in a safe place like that while you go to the toilet?

I don't think its a decision I ever made, I think it was more at what age would they happily allow me out of their sight! So if your child is happy playing alone for 10 mins and you know they are safe, just take their lead...