SURVEY Just so I'm reeeeeeeaaaaly clear and understand what is "normal" for other people- at what age do you consider it appropriate to do the following?

[LynetteScavo]

1.Wean your baby.

2.Allow your child sweets.

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced.

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins.

5.Please feel free to add your own.

1.Wean your baby. Dd1 was 4 and a bit months. Dd 2 about the same.

2.Allow your child sweets. Dd1 was 3. dd2 was 2.

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. Dd1 wanted hers done. then decided it would hurt too much. We've said secondary school...she's 7 now.

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. Not sure.

5.Please feel free to add your own.

Sleepover? I would let her sleep at a couple of her friends' houses now if she wanted to. But there are also a few that I wouldn't let her sleep at.

1.Wean your baby - 4 months with dd and 5 1/2 months with ds

2.Allow your child sweets - dd was probably 10/11 months, ds a bit younger as he pinched hers

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced - 6 or 7 would be the youngest I would allow it (mine were done at 7)

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins - depends on the child but dd isnt old enough yet at 5.

5.Sleepover - 3 for dd (it was at my mums when I was having my ds) She also stayed at my sisters when she was 4.

6.Sleep in own room - not before 6 months (7 months for dd and 8 months for ds)

1.Wean your baby. Did both mine at 4 months because that was the 'rules' back then. Dd2 fine, dd1 a nightmare. Would wait till 6 months if I had a baby now... with relief!

2.Allow your child sweets. About 1, but with obvious safety issues (not humbugs or gobstoppers!). Think at least one of mine had white choc buttons before 1 (given by someone else, though). Loathe and detest chewing gum, so wouldn't mind if they never had that...

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. 14 (yes, I know it's arbitrary, but it's what feels right to me!)

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. Maybe once they are at secondary school. Not sure... dd1 is mega scatty, so can't imagine trusting her to keep an eye on dd2, so maybe not till I can trust dd2 to keep an eye on dd1.

1. Stay over at a friend's house. Have done it from about 3-ish with family and very very close friends (practically family!). With school friends, dd1 had a few attempted sleepovers aged about 6 and it went horribly wrong (they fought, wouldn't sleep, ended up back home at about 9.00 p.m.) so we abandoned the experiment. She's going to a sleepover tomorrow (she's 8 now), so will see if that's OK... No objection to doing it, but depends on the child. Dd2 falls asleep on the dot of 7.30 regardless of what's going on around her, so would have less of a problem with her going than with dd1 who's capable of staying awake all night!

dear god,go peruse aibu board choc-a-block with your answers,plenty argy bargy about it too

I dont see what the problem is that people have with this thread .

1. Wean - both mine done at 4 months - infact around 14/15 wks ( They are aged 8 & 6 so guidelines have changed but hey ho they will cahnge again no doubt .

1. Sweets - Choc buttons etc only about 18 months -

1. ears piecred - well as I have two boys proably around 21 when they have left home !

1. 8 yrs - under strict instruction s o sit and watch TV ( no problem there !) and not to answer door .

1. Walk to school ????

erm, can't properly remember was 8-10 years ago.
1: Weaning, both at 4 months, before the new guidlines.
2; Sweets, PFB 2. second child 6 months as fed them by PFB.
3: They are boys. I am not under any pressure yet. If they want to, they will, whether I like it or not. Probably they will not as they like to be a bit different and too many other older boys do.
4: Already have done 10-year-old. (nearly 11) Very sensible and had my phone number etc.
5: Rides bike to school/goes round town with a friend.

1. can't remember - about 6 months prob
2. depends onthe situation
3. never. they can chosse to do it themselves when they are adults
4. depends on the child
5. depends on the child and the person asking.

helpful eh?

can you tell us why, now we have all done nice sharing?

1.Wean your baby- 4.5 months (but my dds are now 12 and 10 so I know the recommendation has changed- although not sure how they would have lasted till 6 months without solids.)

2.Allow your child sweets- about a year old but very few and they never had more than one of the mini bags of sweets till they were about 5- not hung up about sweets but worry about their teeth.

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced-Mine were both 9 (their choice not mine- can't bear to see little ones or babies with pierced ears.) but done at the beginning of the summer hols so could take them out by the time they went back to school.

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins- about 9 and a halfish (frighteningly sensible dd!)

1. 6 months for DD, could've/should've held off longer cause she wasn't that interested

1. 14 month she started getting buttons from gran and grandad. Now has sugar addiction, which i try to only occasionally indulge.

1. Not too keen at all and would choose to wait until she was at secondary. She is only 3 now but may succumb to peer pressure in a few years time. 9 or 10 though rather than 5/6

1. 8?

1. did ds at 6 months. Just cos it was right for him, not completely closed off to other options if right for dcs.

1. ds already has had chocolate, probably wait until ds is about 2 for sweets proper.

1. I can't really talk cos I had mine done at 6 at my insistence. For my dcs I'm afraid it would be at least 14 or 15.

1. Depends on the child, about 10-12.

1. 5 mths
2. about 1, very occassionally
3. secondary age.
4. probably about 13ish

1. Mine were weaned at 4 months. I guess 6 months is the norm now.

1. Sweets, hmmm. Not sure when mine had them but they all had chocolate well before they were one. Sweets you suck or chew they had much much later.

1. I always say dd can have ears pierced when she can stand the pain. She is 8 at the moment and shown no interest yet. Neither have any of my boys (thank God)

1. I left a child alone for 20 mins when he was aged about 9 but I leave them alone together now and ds3 is only 5 (but with older siblings before anyone jumps on me).

Sleepovers I am not keen on at all. Ds2 went to one when he was just 10 and did not enjoy it one bit as I knew he wouldn't. I hate them with a passion. Completely unnecessary IMO.

1. 4 months
2. 12 - 18 months depending on type of sweet
3. 14 years
4. 9 years

1. Wean- 4mths, 8mths and 5mths respectively!
2. sweets- chocolate buttons about 10mths- year. Mine are allowed lollipops now but they always leave them and they don't like other sweets yet- only chocolate.
3. Ears- sometime after 11, preferably after 13
4. Home alone- depends on child but probably around 9?
5. Sleepovers- would let ds (3.5) if the opportunity arose but only with close family friends. By this I mean I would allow him to stay at a friends overnight or we would gave a friend to stay- NOT one where lots of children are staying.

1. What about- at what age do you allow dc to make own sandwiches etc.

Allow or force them to thatsnotmymonster?

I would allow my 5 year old to make a sandwich if he wanted to (and, thinking about preparing his packed lunch each morning, if he was not already committed to getting dressed and washed!) but I still have to force my 12 year old to make his!

HAH! Knew I wasn't going mad - have just been told-off on another thread for suggestuiing that mum of 20 wk old might want to think about weaning - suddenly felt like the only mum in the world who dared put a tea spoon of baby rice past her dd lips before the 6 month mark!

1.Wean your baby. 6m. i did 51week

2.Allow your child sweets. about 10m, choc from 6m.

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. depends on child but not before 10.

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. 8/9 again depends on child.

5.Please feel free to add your own. sleepover dunno ds is 3 but stays with cm & hers occasionally since 2. sleep in own room 2.

haha not 51w, 25

1.Wean your baby. 5.5-6 months

2.Allow your child sweets. not before 1 year after that very very rationed

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. DS's never if I had girls not until after 13

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. no immediate plans but probably - 8 ish?

5.Walk to school alone. 9 or 10

1. 6 months
2. From year old.
3. 14 y.
4. Depends on a child. About 5-6 y.

ALL these topics have recently been covered on here already. Thats why we think it is suspicious!

1.Wean your baby. 4 months with both of mine (looks down at 6month dd scoffing her face with toast)

2.Allow your child sweets. Chocolate well before 1 sweets somewhere between 1 and 2

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. When they dont need my permission

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. Mine are both under 2 so I'd say 11 now but who knows.....

1.Wean your baby. i can't remember , think it was around 3-4 months

2.Allow your child sweets. ohhh i dunno - when they cry

3.Have your DCs ear/s pierced. 12

4.Leave your DC home for 20 mins. depends on the kids.

you see i felt perfectly able ad trusting of daughter from around age 7 or 8 - but i still feel edgy leaving the 15 year old, he finds trouble in empty house