What age would you let your child wake up and play unsupervised?

[UpBeforeTheSun]

I guess the question says it all!!! We have a DS 3yo (nearly 4) who enjoys a 530am wake up. Meanwhile baby will sleep until 630/7am while I feed in bed. If I'm up at 530am the day feels like a struggle. That extra hour is very much needed after a night of feeding baby!

What age would you let your children play/watch TV downstairs unsupervised?

It happened by necessity for us aged 4 and 6.
I was on my own for 3 months, had a horrendous cold, and just needed the days to start with a 7, not a 5!!!
So I left breakfast downstairs, and told them they could go straight downstairs when their clocks changed colour (at 6am, fml).
They had a ball, and asked to do it again the next day.

With no breakfast, probably a sensible 4, in a house where you aren't miles apart.
But, I'd also suggest a rule about staying in your bedroom until 6am. Or you find a child watching TV at 4am.........

When I was in a flat, I was comfortable with my sin playing unsupervised, as I was on the same floor as he was and he was within earshot. By the time we moved into a house, he was a bit older, but once we had younger children, I would doze on the sofa - mainly so they didn't tear each other limb from limb, plus they would let themselves out of the back door. If I was confident that my child was sensible enough to stay in their designated space, then I'd say it was OK. Another option is to let them play in their own room, upstairs.

I can with my 4 year old if he watches tv as he will literally just sit and watch it. Although he did pause it and make breakfast for himself out of the blue one day. Luckily we don’t have milk in glass bottles or that could have been dangerous.

Most mornings I turn the bedroom tv on for DS (2.5) so I can snooze a little longer, I never fully fall back asleep tho. It does help

When my eldest was really young I used to sit him in my bed and let him watch Milkshake while I dozed. Now my younger kids are older they go downstairs and go on Ipads or TV. They aren't allowed down till 7am and I sometimes doze till about 8 but I am not fully asleep and am half listening out for them.

Mine used to come into my bed and I’d pop the tv on in there for her to watch whilst I snoozed a bit more. I definitely can’t start the day on 5. My youngest is 11 though and still an early riser. As she got older she got a tablet and has been able to go down and get that (we charge downstairs) and watches it in her room or her own tv.

So my sensible now 3.5 year old has been playing in the mornings unsupervised for about a year (out of necessity)- I work and hubby has seizures. However she has a spare room as a playroom so she is in distance of him- and I leave out a drink/snack when I leave by 6.30am
Hubby gets up an hour or so later. It has worked well for us (but we don't allow tv/ipad as she could change what she is watching.) She does have a tonie box which she uses though....

My daughter is nine and doesn’t go downstairs herself until me or OH are up! I’m not sure why it makes me uncomfortable. It’s not like she wouldn’t be allowed downstairs on her own if OH and I were upstairs during the day! She isn’t much of a TV watcher though. She is more likely to quietly watch her iPad in her room till we are ready to get up and she’s been doing some mornings since about 5.

My 3.5 year old has some toys and his Tonie box in his bedroom that he will play with usually just whilst I shower but sometimes if his younger brother has had me up he’ll play for a bit whilst I doze but he’s only down the hallway so I can hear him if he shouts. We live in a bungalow and his bedroom is next to the living room so I suppose I could let him watch some tv but he’s never asked so I don’t give him that option.

Ours were 3/4.

My son is almost 6 and he’s been going downstairs and watching Tv for the last 6 months. He’ll often make himself a bowl of cereal (or occasionally sneak something naughty out the treat cupboard!) but he knows it’s just TV until I wake up. It’s usually about an hour he’s alone. We have open stairs and it’s only x 2 bed house so he’s in earshot.

He's proving to be a sensible kid and I trust him but I’ve only become comfortable with it enough if the last few months.

Having said all that, we have a horse and I’ll happily let him roam the farm fields alone (the ones without animals of course).

10, mine and my grandchildren were not and are not allows downstairs until i go down. You mugt think they know not to do things but they are kids they can do anything. Its just lazy to out your kids in danger because you cant be bothered to get up

You have been leaving a child unsupervised since the age of 2.5? If your partner has seizures he should never be left alone to care for a young child

1. Probably 3.5+, rather than just-3 mind you.

How utterly ridiculous. Are you saying single parents with epilepsy shouldn't be allowed children?

6, not before. And even then only for 30-60 minutes

My DS was almost 4 and he loved getting up at 6am every morning! We set him up with some breakfast and a flask of milk in his bedroom and he helped himself and then played with his toys and watched his TV in his room until we'd go in. tbh him moving around used to wake me but it was cute hearing him being all grown up in his room. He loved it.

Crikey what kind of house do you live in that is unsafe for a 10 year old to be alone downstairs on? 😳

One where i care about the safety if children asn was not too lazy to get up with them

I've no idea where the numbered bullet came from! I wrote "3" initially, then clarified with the 3.5+ rather than just-3 comment.

I would have let my 8 year old do it at 4. My 7 year old I still couldn't do it. It depends on the child

No of course they can have children, but anyone with uncontrolled seizures should not be alone looking after children

@Daisyblue77

Real laziness is failing to bring children up to be able to safely navigate the ground floor of their own home by age 10

😳🤣

@Daisyblue77
Oh dear.

This! now I don’t agree with leaving a 2.5 alone. I would say from age 7 if sensible.

But not allowing a 10-year old downstairs alone…. You know that they go to seocondary school soon… It is quite shocking that in 6 years, they could leave home, get a flat and be married. But they can’t even go downstairs alone. This is very lazy parenting.