If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

Do you let your small toddlers play in there alone? I don't mean for hours...I mean with checking on them continueously.

I watch my best friends 2 children about 10 days a month...a 4 month old and a 4 year old. She has a seperate playroom on the 1st floor. I'll let Rylan play in the playroom when he feels like it...normally i'll go in with him if the baby is sleeping but not always. When he's alone i'll check him about every 5 minutes.

Well last week my friend got home from work and we were talking in the den and Rylan ran in the playroom to play. Normally I hear him playing...banging things around. This time after not hearing him making noise I realized I hadn't checked on him in about 10 minutes. I went in there and he wasn't there. I ALWAYS keep all of the other doors closed...there's 4 of them down that hallway and after checking and saw they were still closed I seriously freaked out. I was like a madman...screaming and crying that I couldn't find him. They live on a very busy road and I was just imagining him getting out the front door that was open. I was sobbing uncontrolably to the point that she had to tell me to stop so she could listen to see if she could hear him.

He ended up being in the computer room. They have the door knobs that are straight and not round so he opened it and shut it after he was in.

I have never in my life felt like that before...it was honestly the worst few minutes of my life.

Do you guys let young kids play in another room ? Am I stupid for letting him? I normally never ever go that long without checking him...it just happened to be this one time we were deep in conversation which I know will NEVER happen again. I just don't know what to do for now on. Not let him play in there alone or let him. Like I said I go in about every 5 minutes to check him when he does.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

DC often play in other rooms without us there. They also spend 9 hours a night in their own room. We also leave them alone when DW goes to the bathroom during the day. It's a necessary part of life. DS could technically get out of his bedroom, go down the stairs, unlock the front door, and head outside. He does that normally, but only with our permission when we are there. We've trained DC not to go out the front door without either me or DW knowing about it. I think teaching them is more effective than constantly monitoring them. Of course, you still want to check on them once in a while, but I don't think a 4yo needs checking on every 5 minutes.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

No, we don't have a separate room. But DD (who's 2) is often playing in a room I'm not in...she could be in her room playing while I'm downstairs doing laundry; she could be in the living room and I'm in my room getting dressed, etc. I check on her every few minutes I guess, mostly b/c I'm passing through the room she's in anyway. Or she'll come find me.

That does sound scary, sorry you had to go through that

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

my dd plays in her room all the time by herself...I am always either in the kitchen or the living room and she calls me if she needs me

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

my DSs playroom is downstairs and hes been climbing the stairs for quite some time now (he is 2)

he will go and play downstairs by himself if i am upstairs and he will come back up when hes bored.

we dont gate the steps.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

I am working on a playroom for DS upstairs. I am tired of the LR being a playroom/therapy room.

I plan on putting a putting a gate for the stairs. Close the bathroom door and leave the other bedroom open that we use as a computer room and go either play with DS or leave him and check on him every few minutes. He is quick!!!!

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

Yes we do.

DD is 16 months and she plays in her playroom by herself. We constantly check on her but she is free to play in her playroom/roam the babyproof areas of the house whenever she wants.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

I use my back bedroom on the first floor as a den/playroom and will let Ryan play in there alone for the longest five minutes - meaning, I will go into the kitchen down the hall for a drink or run to the bathroom (right next door to the room), etc. If it gets quiet, I peak in - he normally is mesmerized by the TV if he's too quiet.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

we dont have a designated playroom... but our living room is gated in and is in the back of the house... i do walk out an d leave ds in there to play... not for long periods... but i will go down and grab the laundry or cook

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

Most of Nina's toys are in our den, which is all the way in the back of the house. I always let her play in there alone. Most of the time, she comes out to check on me!

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

We don't have a separate playroom, but our living room is babyproofed and gated off from the rest of the house.

I will leave Kaydyn in there by herself to play while I go to the bathroom, go downstairs to put laundry in, go in the kitchen (right next door) and cook dinner.

I can usually hear her moving around and when I don't hear anything I will peak my head in. Usually she is just watching TV, but she likes to climb so I check to make sure she's not on top of the couch or in the window.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

All of her toys are in the den right now. Eventually we'll make a playroom out of our basement.

I don't leave her alone for hours but she does play and watch TV while I am in the shower, cooking, sometime doing work online at about an hour at a time.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

I let my DD who is 4 and her friends play in the basement alone. That said she has a mild temperment and really never gets into trouble.

DS in 10 months and I have no idea if I'll be able to ever do the same with him. He is SO different.

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

OK...it seems like everyone does the same. Funny thing is I never thought anything of letting him play in the playroom without me but when this happened I second guessed myself. I was so scared I thought maybe I was wrong for doing so. Thanks!!

Re: If you have a seperate playroom or keep toys in a room other than livingroom...

I do.

We only have 1 level, he is free to roam wherever and I can hear him