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Original poster

Would you let your 4 year old watch tv downstairs alone in the morning while you slept?

77 replies

hattyyellow · 03/12/2009 15:28

One of our DC (she is 4.4) has started waking very early. We got fed up of her jumping into our bed and wriggling nonstop and told her she had to stay in bed.

DH then told her, without telling me, that if she really couldn't get back to sleep she could go downstairs and watch c-beebies.

Something in my head feels this is all wrong and I don't know why. The doors are locked so she can't get out of the house. There is a woodburning stove in the sitting room but it has a fireguard and it would be pretty hard for her to get that off and wrench open the door to the stove which is pretty stiff.

I think after years of my parents limiting tv and us limiting her tv, I don't feel she should be watching it in the morning. Especially by herself. This morning was the first time I heard her go downstairs and I felt dreadful as I dozed off again (had been up with baby in night) and woke up an hour later. I don't like to think of her downstairs unattended for an hour by herself. The last few days she has tiptoed down so quietly we haven't even heard her which also panics me a bit.

Does anyone else let their DC do this? Will some awful tragedy befall her that I haven't thought of? Any advice gratefully recieved.

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Rubyrubyruby · 03/12/2009 15:31

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MoreCrackThanHarlem · 03/12/2009 15:44

I was very much like you, dh was always telling me to let dd get up on her own at the weekends and put the telly on for half an hour. I could never bring myself to do it, it just felt wrong, and neglectful (totally irrational, obviously).

The upshot is she is 9 now and refuses to go downstairs without ensuring I'm out of bed first. Starting to think I'll still be getting up and making hot chocolate for her when she's doing her bloody A levels

PheasantPlucker · 03/12/2009 15:50

Yes I have.

Yes I would.

Although we have no wood burning stove, and my house is probably smaller than yours.

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cat64 · 03/12/2009 15:52

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Tortington · 03/12/2009 15:53

think ds could work the VCR at 3!

Original poster
hattyyellow · 03/12/2009 15:57

Not a huge house at all! But I was sleeping the dead grateful sleep of one who has finally got teething baby off to sleep!

Reassured to hear it is widespread - I was fearing stories of children somehow injuring themselves horribly etc..

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AppleyDapply · 03/12/2009 15:58

Yes, I do and we also have a woodburning stove.

I also try to extend the time DS spends in bed. This week we've put a lamp in his room on a timer that switches the light on at six. I know he still wakes up at fiveish (can hear him singing ABBA songs to himself) but so far its working and it means that he's not on his own downstairs for too long.

purpleturtle · 03/12/2009 15:59

Ours not only watch TV for hours before we surface some Saturdays, they're also capable of getting themselves breakfast .

(Admittedly, this has sometimes resulted in cereal scattered far and wide, but it's a small price to pay IMO)

RockinSockBunnies · 03/12/2009 16:00

Yes. DD's been doing this since she was about three!

When she was still a toddler, I used to make up a bed for myself in front of the TV (duvets, sleeping bags etc) and sleep whilst she watched TV....

purpleturtle · 03/12/2009 16:00

Meant to say, they're 8, 6 and 3. (And the 3 year old set the breakfast table for all of us this morning! )

colditz · 03/12/2009 16:01

Yes. I would. Definitly.

colditz · 03/12/2009 16:03

PS get a latch on the kitchen door, then you can know she is safe.

My 3 and 6 year olds go don at the weekends and I get up at about half past nine (when they are haranguing for food). My house isn't big, I can hear them if they call me.

Original poster
hattyyellow · 03/12/2009 16:05

I guess the potential problem is if she wanders off from watching tv (my DC like some c-beebies programmes but get bored by others)..

I can't think of anything immediately dangerous but that doesn't mean she couldn't manage to create havoc if she really wanted...

I will leave her alone for periods during the day if I'm upstairs but she wouldn't generally be left unsupervised for an hour at any other time of day...

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PotPourri · 03/12/2009 16:09

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colditz · 03/12/2009 16:10

What sort of havoc would she create though?

The worst mine get up to is dismantling the sofa.

Original poster
hattyyellow · 03/12/2009 16:12

I'm really not sure!

It's just this nagging feeling that small child + tv + unsupervised for long periods is just, well, somehow wrong! Yet I function so much better on that hour's extra sleep!

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colditz · 03/12/2009 16:13

What is she going to do with that tv for an hour that she wouldn't do if you were sitting next to her?

If you're worried about content, show her how to put a dvd in.

ladylush · 03/12/2009 16:15

Yes ds used to do this when he was 4 and it was bliss. Tbh I don't think we slept soundly but it was still nice to not have to get up iyswim. He'd last til about 8.30, then come up and say he wanted his breakfast - at which point one of us would get up. He never made a mess but once he helped himself to some chocolate teacakes that were in the cupboard. Dh came downstairs and could smell chocolate so he confronted ds who vehemently denied it with a full mouth and brown teeth

ChickensHaveNoTinsel · 03/12/2009 16:17

My two have been getting up for about three years (DS1 was 6, DS2 was 3.5) The living room is directly below our bedroom, so we can hear them, and now they even get their own cereal. I regularly lay in 'til 10am at weekends.

PheasantPlucker · 03/12/2009 16:18

The worst thing dd2 did whilst unsupervised was 'beautifying' herself with a deep red lipstick of mine!

My makeup bag now remains in my bedroom!

Morloth · 03/12/2009 16:18

On the weekends/non-school days DS has been doing this since about 4yo.

Soooooo nice! He helps himself to the fridge now as well.

PuppyMonkey · 03/12/2009 16:18

God, that is the whole joy of them getting a bit older imho. You get your lie-ins back cos they can go downstairs and switch telly on. DD1 did this regularly, except it was pre CBeebies, so she just watched the normal kids telly or put a DVD on. I am positively going to TRAIN dd2(currently 2.8 so a bit young) to do this. Cannot bloody wait. Bring it ONNNNN!!!!

Original poster
hattyyellow · 03/12/2009 16:28

Okay, am starting to feel slightly less panicked about the whole thing. It's just a strange old stage where you go from the watching them every minute baby stage to the becoming a bit more responsible child stage. It's still new to me to be asleep whilst my child is awake!

Intrigued by the idea of her getting her own breakfast! My other two DC both sleep until at least 7.30, the baby probably because she likes to be up in the night instead

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ChickensHaveNoTinsel · 03/12/2009 16:31

Oh yes, it is lovely I just put their bowls, spoons and box of cereal on the table the night before. They also are allowed to help themselves to the fruit bowl. My eldest is a total goody-two-shoes, and a grass, so I soon hear if anything untoward is going on

nickytwotimes · 03/12/2009 16:31

I am looking forward to this in a years time...