When do kids not need full attention?

[Anonymous]

I have a one and a two year old boys and they’re all consuming on weekends. Both are very active, the 2 year old has endless questions, without close supervision the pushing starts quickly and in general it is not possible to focus on doing anything that requires much concentration or time around them.

If you had kids like this (vs these mythical ones I hear about that will happily color by themselves for an hour) at what age did you could feel like you could count on getting anything done around them. I’m thinking like two hours to organize a closet or an hour to cook a good meal that needs to be timed well - —- something you need to see through vs leave half done and needs some concentration without having to help someone with something every 30 seconds

[Anonymous]

Honestly, my 4.5 year old is very trustworthy and I have been able to do anything I need to do around the house since he was about 2, as long as he was in earshot. But 2 hours to organize a closet, without being disturbed? I think you need to wait until they are in school full time. Even now, my 4 year old is going to come find me to ask me to read him a book or to show me something he is playing with or ask for a snack over a 2 hour period. (Unless I put him in front of a 2 hour movie, to be fair)

[Anonymous]

Probably 3-4 for 10-15 minutes in a container area.

[Anonymous]

2 hours? If I'm alone with my 5 year old, she'd watch a movie or something. Not totally hands off, but low maintenance. With my 3 year old there though, no more than about 15-20 minutes.

I'll report back when he's 5.

[Anonymous]

Age 4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, my 4.5 year old is very trustworthy and I have been able to do anything I need to do around the house since he was about 2, as long as he was in earshot. But 2 hours to organize a closet, without being disturbed? I think you need to wait until they are in school full time. Even now, my 4 year old is going to come find me to ask me to read him a book or to show me something he is playing with or ask for a snack over a 2 hour period. (Unless I put him in front of a 2 hour movie, to be fair)

I didn't mean not interrupted, just that it wasn't having to stop working every 2 minutes to go deal with something for 5 minutes. I'm envisioning like when they'll play on their own for like 45min or so and then I can get them a snack and set them up on project or something and get another 45min or so. Still talking to them as needed but not the endless stream of "mommy whats that, why are you doing that, can i have that, why are you putting that there, can i climb up there, can i dump out the backet, can i see that, whats that, why are you doing that, i have to potty....actually i just went peepee in my pants, i'm going to pat my brother lovingly TOO HARD, can i pat him too hard?! ..... etc etc etc"

[Anonymous]

My twins recently started being able to be left alone to play with their toys for longer stretches - probably starting around 3.5+. Not 2 hours straight, but long enough that I can get some stuff done around the house or get dinner going, etc.

[Anonymous]

Kids are 2.5 and 5 and we're good leaving them alone in their play area for several minutes.

[Anonymous]

My oldest is 13 and he still interrupts me when I'm working to tell me more about the Astros cheating scandal.

But by the time my kids were about 7/9 I could count on them to entertain themselves when I really needed to focus.

By 3 they didn't need to be watched all the time.

[Anonymous]

3.5-4 mine started playing independently for an hour or more. BUT, not on command. So, if she was engaged in something, I could sneak away and leave her, but I couldn't necessarily tell her to go entertain herself for the next hour. But that's what movies are for anyways, right?

[Anonymous]

My youngest is 7mos and oldest is 3.5. I turn on Sesame Street at 4pm each day and they play (usually quietly) and watch it while I cook. They'll still interrupt me, of course, but not so much that I can't see through to getting dinner on the table by 5pm.

It'll probably be a few more years before I'll be able to reorganize a closet tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My twins recently started being able to be left alone to play with their toys for longer stretches - probably starting around 3.5+. Not 2 hours straight, but long enough that I can get some stuff done around the house or get dinner going, etc.

Same here! Our 3.5yo twins can play by themselves now, so that I get up to 30min!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is 13 and he still interrupts me when I'm working to tell me more about the Astros cheating scandal.

But by the time my kids were about 7/9 I could count on them to entertain themselves when I really needed to focus.

By 3 they didn't need to be watched all the time.

I was going to say the same - my 13 year old still wants snacks that apparently taste better when I prepare them, wants to me to go shoot hoops, wants me to fish money out of my wallet so he can go buy sweedish fish at the grocery store. He latest is coming up and saying "Mom, would it be too much to ask..."

[Anonymous]

Totally depends on the kids. Girls earlier than boys. I'd say about 4, generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, my 4.5 year old is very trustworthy and I have been able to do anything I need to do around the house since he was about 2, as long as he was in earshot. But 2 hours to organize a closet, without being disturbed? I think you need to wait until they are in school full time. Even now, my 4 year old is going to come find me to ask me to read him a book or to show me something he is playing with or ask for a snack over a 2 hour period. (Unless I put him in front of a 2 hour movie, to be fair)

This - 2 hours is a long time for completely uninterrupted time with little kids. I'd MAYBE put my 7 year old in front of a movie, but I couldn't do that with my 4 year old. She'd get scared by something or want to ask me a question about something, and come find me.