What is the absolute youngest

[Sweetmotherofallthatisholyabov]

They can come down and watch tv by themselves? I've a 5,2 and baby. I'm now realizing with each child I've added a loads of years to early wake ups.

Also, is it a gradual thing? Like it starts with them coming down and only waking you for breakfast and then one day they're old enough to do breakfast too? And then one day they just don't need you (actually that's also a distressing concept.... must be the hormones)

I'm clearly raising terrible man-children.

If the nearly 6 yo got up and came downstairs one of us would go down with him. Actually he just gets in my bed.
He can find snacks but I wouldn't want him coving on a step to get into the fridge to make breakfast without us in case he slips.
No way would I be happy with an 8 yo negotiating a pan of boiling water to make toast
They don't walk to school alone here until year 6 so 10ish

No way would I be happy with an 8 yo negotiating a pan of boiling water to make toast

Sorry, how are you making toast using boiling water?

@arethereanyleftatall

A better counter to that *@KurtWilde* would be to have a front door a 4 year old can't unlock and to tell them they're not allowed to pour juice. Rather than not allow them to watch tv alone until they're 8.

Of course. But you simply cannot discount the fact that small children unsupervised isn't a great idea! They don't always do as they're told for starters, unless your children are perfect? The front door key was too high for my brother to reach so he went and brought a foot stool to stand on! Equally he couldn't reach the kitchen cupboards he got a kitchen chair to help himself up with. Surely better to be safe than sorry? It hasn't had any adverse affects on my children not letting them downstairs unsupervised until they were 8 but each to their own.

Dd is 6 next month. TV in her room and will wake up at 7 and put it on herself. She'll also go get herself breakfast of cereal or fruit. We live in a bungalow though. She's been doing this for a year or so. She knows she can come get me if she wants.

@Puntastic

No way would I be happy with an 8 yo negotiating a pan of boiling water to make toast

Sorry, how are you making toast using boiling water?

I meant eggs 😂😂😂😂😂😂

My kids had TVs in their bedrooms and they used to like watching some tv in the morning on their own from about age 3. They’d come in to us and say good morning first so we wouldn’t be in a deep sleep and could hear them.

@KurtWilde

Mine knew not to go downstairs at that age. Imo having children as young as 4 roaming around downstairs unsupervised while you're asleep in bed isn't much different to leaving them home alone - which I'm assuming none of you would do! There is potential for things to go wrong and if you're asleep how would you know until it was too late?

This comes from a place of my brother (4 at the time) getting up at 6am once and letting himself out of the front door while my parents slept, because he heard the dustbin men and wanted to see the wagon. A second time he was he got up he was helping himself to juice (after climbing on to the kitchen counter!), spilled the whole bottle and managed to short circuit the kitchen sockets. I know it's anecdotal but it's enough for me to be a bit triggered by small children being unsupervised downstairs while parents are in bed!

Mine were 8 before I felt comfortable with them being up and about without me.

But couldn't those things have happened if they were just out the room for a bit? Surely you're not staying the in the same room as them at all times until aged 8, so I'm not sure that I see why it's so important whether you're upstairs sleeping or whether you're up there to put away the laundry?

DD gets herself up and dressed and gets her cereal herself, she 7.5 years.

Mine are 9 and 7 and have been getting up and getting their breakfast by themselves for about a year.

My step sons started doing it when they were around 9 and 7 but the you ger only did it because the older one did I think.

My eldest has been doing this since about 6. He was bedsharing with me til then though so waking together and getting up together sort of made sense (and I’d had DC2 a few months earlier so I think he was a bit sensitive and regressing and would prob have otherwise started doing all these things alone a little bit sooner).

DC2 is 3, still sleeping with me and still feeding first thing. I reckon she’ll be getting up with her brother before she’s 4. Can’t wait!

We don’t have ‘downstairs’ though so they’re not too far from me anyway.

We live in a bungalow so a bit different as we're quite close by, but ours were able to get up and go and put the telly on for 30 mins before breakfast by 3-4. They could get themselves a bowl of cereal by 6-7.

My 4.5 year-old will happily take herself down to watch TV. She favours porridge for breakfast so doesn't make that herself yet but could easily do a bowl of cold cereal.

Mine are nearly 6 and 3.5.

The oldest can definitely get up, switch on the tv and get himself an easy snack. Probably for the past year at least. He will help the younger one if she’s up, but they tend to fight after a bit. Still that 20/30 min peace is nice.

Also my house is in one level so I can hear them as they aren’t that far away.

7 year old has been able get her own cereal and drink for at least a year. She can make herself a sandwich if the things are within reach in the fridge and I'm pleased she puts a bit of cucumber on the side too! Obviously, navigating iplayer is another crucial skill she mastered some time ago. 10 year old will make a hot drink and scrambled eggs. 13 year old would survive on apples and crisps as anything else is too much effort.

My 5 year old comes down himself to watch TV but he doesn't make himself anything to eat or drink. He'll take his sister (3) down if she's up as well. They do come in to us first though to say good morning and tell us that they are going down.