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Original poster

Would you leave a two year old unsupervisied?

80 replies

MiaWallace · 04/03/2007 18:29

Would you leave a two year old to play alone in their bedroom/playroom?

If so how often would you check on her?

I'm not going to express an opinion because I don't want to influence any replies.

OP posts:
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Caligula · 04/03/2007 19:09

DS - yes.

DD - no.

Wouldn't really need to check on him, because he would keep running in to see me.

compo · 04/03/2007 19:16

yes.
Leave ds when in the shower, when I go to the loo, when I go to change dd etc.
It would be such a hassle dragging him with me whereever I go.
However... not so sure what I will do once dd starts crawling. Will probably have to have her in the bathroom with me but he always wants to be with her so might have both of them with me .... arrgghhhh

misdee · 04/03/2007 19:18

OP only reply. yes i would, dd3 often plays in the bedroom unsupervised but i live in a bungalow and the bedroom can be seen from the living room, my room and front hall. i can hear her in dh bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

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kama · 04/03/2007 19:20

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dingdongjustforyoufg · 04/03/2007 19:28

god yes - how on earth do you stay sane otherwise ?

largeginandtonic · 04/03/2007 19:32

Exactly DingDong, life would stop if i had to watch them all the time, by life i mean MN obviously

Fillyjonk · 04/03/2007 19:33

oh god yeah

and it would be boring

(would it kill you to frost that lemon drizzle cake there, btw?)

PeachyClair · 04/03/2007 19:33

Yes, because I know the room is toddler proofed (has to be, at .5 SN ds3 has no sense of danger at all)

Having said that, there is no 'alone' in this house LOL! People (kids) everywhere. And thank God for that its the way we like it

largeginandtonic · 04/03/2007 19:37

PMSL Fillyjonk

sweetkitty · 04/03/2007 19:50

God yeah I'm on my own all day with DD1 (2.7y) and DD2 (13mo) I leave them to

get ready in the morning (upstairs max 10 mins)
put washing away upstairs (5 mins)
hang out washing outside (5 mins)
make dinner (however long but pop my head around the door every few minutes)

However, they are in a room thats baby proofed (as much as it can be), if I vacuum upstairs they come with me and toddler about between rooms.

I rarely shower until DP gets home (thats my time off) if I have to have a shower they are upstairs with me stair gate closed etc and most of upstairs is baby proofed as well.

You cannot sit 2 feet away from them 24/7 and stay sane.

WideWebWitch · 04/03/2007 19:52

Yes, with qualification;

a) windows aren't open upstairs
b) sockets have covers (they do in our house)
c) I shout 'x, are you ok?' and get a reply now and again
d) I go and check what they're doing now and again

I have to say, dd is 3 and has happily played alone for ages now whereas when ds was 2 leaving him to play alone guaranteed disaster or danger. So it also depends on the child.

Nemo2007 · 04/03/2007 19:53

I have left mine to play upstairs and downstairs but most has been 10-15mins when I can hear them and will check on them. Some mornings while I am feeding DD2 in our bed DS and DD1 will play in DS room or the girls room. However our living room and the kids bedrooms are very very child friendly.

puppydavies · 04/03/2007 19:57

yep, at that age we still had the monitor in her room so would switch that on and take a pause in the stream-of-consciousness babbling as a warning...

losty · 04/03/2007 19:59

yes - and I'm not going to justify myself!

DumbledoresGirl · 04/03/2007 20:01

Good grief yes. Try being pregnant and needing to sleep every afternoon. What else would you do with your 2 year old?

Twiglett · 04/03/2007 20:02

yes

she is often pootling about the house whilst I'm doing something else

I suppose I check on her every 30 mins .. and especially check if I can't hear her

Twiglett · 04/03/2007 20:03

don't think I'd have left DS though but I had PFB syndrome then

Original poster
MiaWallace · 04/03/2007 20:03

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

I often leave dd to play alone in her bedroom (with regular checks)

MIL makes me feel like a neglectful mother for not constantly supervising her.

Dd is very independent, and the room is a safe as possible.

It's a relief to know I'm not on my own

OP posts:
losty · 04/03/2007 20:03
DumbledoresGirl · 04/03/2007 20:04
paulaplumpbottom · 04/03/2007 20:05

I think its ok in a bedroom or living room that is completely child proofed as long as they are checked on often

losty · 04/03/2007 20:12

{{{{DG}}}}

HappyasLarry · 04/03/2007 20:27

Yes, regularly. Fortunately my lo is very independant and happy playing on her own for up to an hour at a time.

What I have always wondered though is how parents who work at home also look after their children. My lo is good but I couldn´t depend on her to keep herself entertained for more than an hour.

Spandex · 04/03/2007 21:18

Ah, MiaWallace, don't let her get to you.

I too felt inadequate because of some comments MIL made about my apparent lack of parenting skills. She was particularly bitchy over an episode when DS was 8 months old and I left his baby food at her house. We of course live in the Gobi Desert so there was no way I could have gone to the shops to buy more.

But, that was before I found out her DS, my DH had been found, half drowned at the bottom of a swimming pool aged 3. Nobody had been watching him. I just remind her of this every time she tries to give me a hard time.

Ignore, ignore, ignore - you're not a machine and you can't be everywhere at once. Besides, it's good for the little ones to feel a wee bit independent without someone hovering over them the whole time.

Spandex · 04/03/2007 21:18

I meant ignore the comments, not your child!