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Parenting

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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:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Dottydot · 04/03/2007 21:26

Blimey - ds2 (2.10) goes off to play by himself all the time [proud/relieved emoticon] He'll go and play with his toys in his bedroom for a good 20 - 30 minutes and I wouldn't dream of checking on him - if he wants something he'll let me know...

staceym11 · 04/03/2007 21:29

i leave dd alone to play in her bedroom if shes happy for as long as she wants, if shes still in there after half an hour i normally go and check on her (or if it goe eerily quiet ) but she chats the whole time shes playing and i can hear her whereever i go in the flat anyway so if summit happened id know!

juuule · 04/03/2007 21:46

Not for very long and if it went quiet I would go and check. Quiet usually means 'doing something they shouldn't'.

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grannycrackers · 04/03/2007 21:53

give your mil a boot up the arse

and happyaslarry i work from home and i often check on my three yr old and find her making marmite and yogurt cake/ wallpapering the cat/ putting stickers all over the living room walls - she gets to be very creative

Bucketsofdynomite · 04/03/2007 22:01

Yes, my 2yr old and 2yr old were always out in the garden at our old house and my 2yr old played beautifully in her own room by herself.
Accidents happen, you can't wrap 'em in cotton wool.

ucm · 04/03/2007 22:18

Yes, I would & did leave ds to play in his room. However he was a climber, so his wardrobe & chest of drawers had to be attached to the wall before I would.

mm22bys · 05/03/2007 07:37

Yes, all the time! How else are they going to go to sleep? It still takes DS2.10 a long time to drop-off for his sleeps, so he has to be unsupervised in his room.

Or did you mean something different?

I agree it's when they go quiet you need to worry!

staceym11 · 05/03/2007 08:17

my dd thinks i can see through walls coz when she goes quiet i shout 'what are you doing' and walk in to find her stood stock still in the middle of being naughty with a ed look on her face! lol

geekgrrl · 05/03/2007 08:31

yes, all the time.

Kelly1978 · 05/03/2007 08:36

depends who it is, my older two were fine at 2. dt1 is nearly two and can be trusted for twen minutes while I pop into the shower or something. dt2 can't be trusted for a second. Even up in his bedroom for a nap he managed to open and jump out of the window. If I leave him anywhere he will find trouble as soon as my back is turned.

BandofMothers · 05/03/2007 08:43

Yes. If you feel the child is ok.
I used to wait until a fave prog was on telly or put in a dvd if I used the shower. She usually came to find me anyway, as was obsessed with the shower.

nogoes · 05/03/2007 08:48

Yes, I do when I am in the shower etc. I am starting to doubt myself though as he has got himself into a few mishaps. I had to get a neighbour in recently to release him from the bars between our bed, the other day (I was in the same room) and he got trapped between his buggy seat and the metal casing and he to be cut out. Another time he was in the bathroom (I was in shower) and he wrapped a rope carry handle from a box of books around his neck. Actually after reading that back I don't think I will let him out of my sight as it only takes a couple of seconds for something horrible to happen.

BandofMothers · 05/03/2007 08:52

Nogoes
What a terror. DD1 has always been very laid back. My mum never moved ornaments or put uip a stairgate. DD1 is 3 now. DD2 however is 7 mths, and rolling madly. Don't think it'll be long before she's up and about. She's so nosy and into EVERYTHING she can get her hands on.. Think she'll be a dif kettle of fish.

thehairybabysmum · 05/03/2007 09:33

My 14 mth DS potters off by himself to explore and play in a different room and has done since he started crawling. I will carry on washing up or whatever i'm doing whilst just keeping an ear out.

I did find him halfway up the stairs last week though as i had left the stairgate open!! A good lesson for me in checking the starigate ALWAYS!

Unless i was just dashing upstairs or down i would take DS up or down so he is on the same floor as me, so if im having a shower i will take him upstairs.

Maybe this is more difficult when he is actually walking as he might be more into stuff??

Do people really always have their Dc's in the same room as them all the time, surely this is not possible?? Obviously my opinion is coloured by the fact that i am clearly a bad mummy as the stairgate incident shows!

TinyGang · 05/03/2007 09:40

Yes I did that too. As long as the room is safe.

I think they need to have some play time alone to go off into imgaination land. You can't be welded together every minute of the day.

I just used to check regularly. Agree that when it goes too quiet mischief is being made!

ghosty · 05/03/2007 09:44

My DD has played happily unsupervised for ages (she is just 3). I can't be watching her all the time - aren't we supposed to be encouraging them to play independently? Especially if they are happy to do so. If she needs me she comes to find me.
Mind you, she did paint the toilet and our cat with my mascara once ... and put lipstick all over the shower door (and her mouth) ... and eat a whole Jacob's Club chocolate biscuit (hard to come by in NZ) in the cupboard with the door shut, in the dark and make a lovely mixture in the bathroom sink of toothpaste, water, teabags, shower gel and moisturising body lotion - and then left the tap on

Ok, on second thoughts - ON NO ACCOUNT LEAVE YOUR 2 YEAR OLD, FOR ONE MILLISECOND, TO PLAY ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOUSE UNSUPERVISED!!!!

schneebly · 05/03/2007 09:52

My DSs (3.5 and 2) go to their room to play together every day. Obviously the room is child safe and the windows cannot be opened by them - I also check on them regularly. The worst they have ever done is to just make a mess!

When DS1 (PFB) was 2 I actually asked the HV at what age could he play in his room on his own and she said that it depended completely on the child.

DetentionGrrrl · 05/03/2007 09:55

depends on the 2yr old and how safe the room is (ie, locked windows, socket covers etc) Every 15 mins maybe if they were quite 'sensible' and the room was safe?

twoplusone · 05/03/2007 10:58

I left dd to play on her own in her room... but ds ewill toddle all over the house only ever been away from me at 5 mins anylonger and I check to see what he is up too... he generally is a flitter and will not sit still for anyperiod of time at home..(will at creche though!!
As others have said it depends on the child.. I have most of the toys down stairs.. trying to encourage upstairs play with him (he is 2years8months) and need to clear front room of his toys to make room for baby things in the summer..

cant see it happening myslef...

suedonim · 05/03/2007 14:49

Answering the OP, no I wouldn't. Little minds are so inventive about the mischief they can get up to!

Original poster

MiaWallace · 05/03/2007 16:02

Thanks to all those who have given their opinion and shared their experiences.
I will continue to let dd play unsupervised without worrying about it.
One less thing to feel guilty about

OP posts:

kitbit · 05/03/2007 16:35

I leave ds (age 2.4) in the spare bedroom (downstairs) as it has a sofa bed & cushions everywhere and all his toys in it and is really a playroom. From there he can pooter into the living room and kitchen (which is where I usually am if not with him), but knows not to open the bathroom or office doors and we have stairgates. He doesn't tend to throw himself off things head first, eat stuff or otherwise cause devastation however I am quite good at detecting the difference between silence=happily occupied with mummy-approved activity and silence=dismantling the DVD player. His little friend who comes over for a few hours to play sometimes while her Mummy goes to the supermarket...nooo way! Same age but always falling over, eats everything, breaks everything, stands on everything, plus is always asking for you to hold something/pass something/open something/look at something.

Long windbag way of saying "depends on the child"....!

Anna8888 · 05/03/2007 16:39

My daughter is 2.4 years old and she has played unsupervised in our flat since she was 11 months old. I childproof what needs to be childproofed according to her development - she had a phase of climbing on tables and jumping off when she was about 18 months so had to close the dining room door. But basically she goes wherever she likes and just gets on with it. She's very physically advanced though.

alipiggie · 05/03/2007 16:42

My ds2 used to take himself off to play. Everything was baby-proofed. Including locks on bathroom cupboards etc. The only michief he got up to - a tub of sudocrem - liberally smeared over carpet and walls.

peanutbutterkid · 05/03/2007 18:43

Am a bit shocked about people who reckon their children would open a window if left unsupervised, WHY do you not have and use window locks??... ????

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