OP, the time is super easy to change on those clocks. We do it every Friday and Sunday night.

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Anonymous wrote:Depends on how willing you are to allow a screen or similar to babysit your kid. Plus personality.

Um no. My kid starting doing what OP is suggesting at just over 3. No screens at all. She goes down and draws with her crayons or reads her me readers waiting for the rest of the house to get up.

OP it is just a matter of building their confidence in their own independence.

Um yeah. I'm the PP you're responding to and we don't allow our elementary kid screen time, and never had, but I can't imagine there's anything to argue with here. Screen access has influence, as does personality-- that's all I'm saying. Perhaps your child can be safe and occupied without screen time, but not all can *at that same age*. Generally (not always) screen time lowers the age of "independent" play for any individual kid, but the age varies among kids anyway. Most kids can be more easily occupied by screens than other activities, IMO. As is implied by the many comments here talking about kids getting up and turning on the TV themselves.

Your post that I replied to seemed to imply that this was only feasible if screens were involved. I and other pps are saying that we have kids that can do this without screens. Clearly it won't work for every child but it works for some children and that is a good piece of information to have.

Yes if you're ok with screen time (which I actually am) it becomes easier but it's not 100% necessary

I read PP as just implying that for most kids the age at which they will hang out alone without causing problems depends on whether you're OK w/ screens. I have to say, I think that's true. Most kids can reliably watch a screen for an hour alone before they can reliably do most other activities totally unsupervised for an hour. Not all kids, but most.

I mean that is what I was disagreeing with. I have a 3.5 year old who has been getting up on her own and having a little morning routine for months. This morning she got up at 5:45 which was WAYYYY early and had to occupy herself till 7:30 or so. She comes in to check in every half hour or so. She went downstairs and got her cup of milk and cereal and managed to open her cup, pour milk into her cereal, get a spoon and eat as real cereal for the first time. I was quite impressed with this. Then she sat in her bed and read books/snoozed for a bit. Then she went downstairs and did some drawing.

No screens. And this is a pretty typical morning. Every once in awhile I'll let her watch Super Why on the PBS kids app or something similar but that is the exception not the rule honestly.

You do realize that "my kid can entertain herself without a screen" is in no way evidence that the PP you're "disagreeing" with is wrong, right? Your kid has been entertaining themselves for months w/o a screen, perhaps she could have with a screen months+ ago. Also, the age old, your kid doing X doesn't mean most kids don't do Y. But don't worry, you got the brag in. Never change DCUM. (Also, if your kid is getting up and then "snoozing" an hour later, she's getting up too early and shouldn't actually be wandering around. That's just a kid getting rewarded for not STTN at age 3.5 and is likely to incentivize the behavior.)

I feel bad that came across as bragging. I am not saying that every 3.5 year old could do that. I'm also not saying that you couldn't do it earlier with a screen. I agree that you could with most kids. And I agree that virtually all healthy 3.5 year olds can do this with a screen. I'm also saying that I think kids are more competent than we give them credit for and sometimes people underestimate what their kids can do.

I will say that my DD kind of grew into this, it didn't happen overnight. We have always tried to instill a little more independence than DCUM generally would feel comfortable with. And there have been some extenuating circumstances recently because I'm about 5 months pregnant and have had hyperemesis and been really extraordinarily sick and sometimes just could not get up these last few months.

I am disagreeing with the idea that parents should give up on the idea of this if the reason they don't want to try is because they believe screens are the only way they could be successful. I think kids can learn how to do something like this safely and without screens. Sure I am biased towards this because I happen to have a kid that does it, and I'm not saying it would work for every kid or that the parents of kids this wouldn't work for are doing something wrong. I'm just trying to say don't give up just because you think this requires screens because it might not for your kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how willing you are to allow a screen or similar to babysit your kid. Plus personality.

Um no. My kid starting doing what OP is suggesting at just over 3. No screens at all. She goes down and draws with her crayons or reads her me readers waiting for the rest of the house to get up.

OP it is just a matter of building their confidence in their own independence.

Um yeah. I'm the PP you're responding to and we don't allow our elementary kid screen time, and never had, but I can't imagine there's anything to argue with here. Screen access has influence, as does personality-- that's all I'm saying. Perhaps your child can be safe and occupied without screen time, but not all can *at that same age*. Generally (not always) screen time lowers the age of "independent" play for any individual kid, but the age varies among kids anyway. Most kids can be more easily occupied by screens than other activities, IMO. As is implied by the many comments here talking about kids getting up and turning on the TV themselves.

Your post that I replied to seemed to imply that this was only feasible if screens were involved. I and other pps are saying that we have kids that can do this without screens. Clearly it won't work for every child but it works for some children and that is a good piece of information to have.

Yes if you're ok with screen time (which I actually am) it becomes easier but it's not 100% necessary

I read PP as just implying that for most kids the age at which they will hang out alone without causing problems depends on whether you're OK w/ screens. I have to say, I think that's true. Most kids can reliably watch a screen for an hour alone before they can reliably do most other activities totally unsupervised for an hour. Not all kids, but most.

I mean that is what I was disagreeing with. I have a 3.5 year old who has been getting up on her own and having a little morning routine for months. This morning she got up at 5:45 which was WAYYYY early and had to occupy herself till 7:30 or so. She comes in to check in every half hour or so. She went downstairs and got her cup of milk and cereal and managed to open her cup, pour milk into her cereal, get a spoon and eat as real cereal for the first time. I was quite impressed with this. Then she sat in her bed and read books/snoozed for a bit. Then she went downstairs and did some drawing.

No screens. And this is a pretty typical morning. Every once in awhile I'll let her watch Super Why on the PBS kids app or something similar but that is the exception not the rule honestly.

You do realize that "my kid can entertain herself without a screen" is in no way evidence that the PP you're "disagreeing" with is wrong, right? Your kid has been entertaining themselves for months w/o a screen, perhaps she could have with a screen months+ ago. Also, the age old, your kid doing X doesn't mean most kids don't do Y. But don't worry, you got the brag in. Never change DCUM. (Also, if your kid is getting up and then "snoozing" an hour later, she's getting up too early and shouldn't actually be wandering around. That's just a kid getting rewarded for not STTN at age 3.5 and is likely to incentivize the behavior.)

4 or 4.5, assuming your kid is not the kind who uses unsupervised time to do things he/she KNOWS are off limits. If the kid hasn't demonstrated that sort of thing before, try it out. Make sure there are clear expectations of what he/she can and can't do. For example:

You may read books, color (not paint), do blocks, or play with dolls or other toys from the toybox. You may get yourself a banana or a breakfast bar. If you don't follow these rules, you will not be able to get out of bed, and will have to stay in your bed til mom and dad get you up.

Anonymous wrote:I could not sleep knowing my 3 year old was roaming the house unsupervised. I think that's way too young for such a long bout of being alone in the morning while you are asleep. My oldest just turned 5 and I'd let her do something like that, but for less than an hour. We have a younger one though so it's not even an option because the 2 year old needs a parent.

Ha. I am the pp. My 2 year old is still in a crib and frequently sleeps until 7:30 and would be entirely content to laze about his crib for another half hour. Who knows what will happen when he is out and about as well!

4 is fine for some kids, not for others. Know your own child and home, and you can answer your own question.

I could not sleep knowing my 3 year old was roaming the house unsupervised. I think that's way too young for such a long bout of being alone in the morning while you are asleep. My oldest just turned 5 and I'd let her do something like that, but for less than an hour. We have a younger one though so it's not even an option because the 2 year old needs a parent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how willing you are to allow a screen or similar to babysit your kid. Plus personality.

Um no. My kid starting doing what OP is suggesting at just over 3. No screens at all. She goes down and draws with her crayons or reads her me readers waiting for the rest of the house to get up.

OP it is just a matter of building their confidence in their own independence.

Um yeah. I'm the PP you're responding to and we don't allow our elementary kid screen time, and never had, but I can't imagine there's anything to argue with here. Screen access has influence, as does personality-- that's all I'm saying. Perhaps your child can be safe and occupied without screen time, but not all can *at that same age*. Generally (not always) screen time lowers the age of "independent" play for any individual kid, but the age varies among kids anyway. Most kids can be more easily occupied by screens than other activities, IMO. As is implied by the many comments here talking about kids getting up and turning on the TV themselves.

Your post that I replied to seemed to imply that this was only feasible if screens were involved. I and other pps are saying that we have kids that can do this without screens. Clearly it won't work for every child but it works for some children and that is a good piece of information to have.

Yes if you're ok with screen time (which I actually am) it becomes easier but it's not 100% necessary

I read PP as just implying that for most kids the age at which they will hang out alone without causing problems depends on whether you're OK w/ screens. I have to say, I think that's true. Most kids can reliably watch a screen for an hour alone before they can reliably do most other activities totally unsupervised for an hour. Not all kids, but most.

I mean that is what I was disagreeing with. I have a 3.5 year old who has been getting up on her own and having a little morning routine for months. This morning she got up at 5:45 which was WAYYYY early and had to occupy herself till 7:30 or so. She comes in to check in every half hour or so. She went downstairs and got her cup of milk and cereal and managed to open her cup, pour milk into her cereal, get a spoon and eat as real cereal for the first time. I was quite impressed with this. Then she sat in her bed and read books/snoozed for a bit. Then she went downstairs and did some drawing.

No screens. And this is a pretty typical morning. Every once in awhile I'll let her watch Super Why on the PBS kids app or something similar but that is the exception not the rule honestly.