opinion, please. worry-wart??

OK so not for the purposes of swaying my opinion ('cause I'm comfy with it), but more so hubby and I know how this compares to other mums, would you say I'm a worry-wart (too safety conscious) or need to loosen up? honest opinions, please!!

The sticking points are: leaving a 25-month-old in the bath by herself while parent in another room for anywhere from a couple of minutes to 10 or so. Letting the toddler play outside (while parent in the house, unable to see outside), on either the front deck or in the back yard while the gates are open (we share a driveway with 2 other houses, on a reasonably busy road, and Ella doesn't obey "stop" or "come here"). I'm being told I'm a worry-wart whenever these situations strike and I get up to fix them...

It's obvious what I think, but maybe the opinions of a fair few other parents might either stop me having to hear that I'm "overprotective" yet again, or if it all swings the other way, I'm screwed! Ha ha.

Weigh in.

i say better safe than sorry for both of those things!

ooh I don't think I'd be comfortable with either of those situations.

I don't think of myself as very overprotective but i DO know my children. If either child is outside and gate is open, they will go out said-gate- regardless of whether someone is with them or not. in fact Jake escaped from a locked gate while I was mowing the lawns. In your situation, i would trust Jake....kinda and no way would Taine be trusted.

As for the baths, I do leave the kids, BUT that was from about 2.5. and only for a few mintues, bnever if they were bathing together, and depending on the depth. They are both singers so when they stopped singing, I would go to check.


so, no in those situations, I DON"T think you are being overprotective at all

I must be a worry wart too because I dont let Alize do any of the above either. I think leaving them unsupervised in those situations is very unsafe, and the toddlers are at risk of death in both situations IMHO to put it bluntly.

Idon'e think your overprotestive at all we Never leave James outside by himself as we can't see anywere from inside and they only time I have left him in the bath was when I forgot a flannel most of the times 1 of us are in there with him anywhere.

I will leave any of our girls in the bath basically after 12 months or so, so long as the water isn't too deep (deep enough to wobble them) and they are confident sitters. Usually the first time is when I suddenly remember power or jammies or a nappy that I need - so I run! LOL. At my girls' ages I am confident about them in the bath but I always remain well within ear shot and I will pop my head in from time to time - especially because they usually bath in pairs. (Actually pairs are easier because they laugh and chat and therefore you know that they are above water!!) I always seem to turn the stereo down whenever someone is in the bath.

We have a fully fenced backyard (thanks to our neighbour who made a gate for us!) so unless one of the gates are opened, the only way for the girls to get outside is the front door. As a general rule if we are leaving the front door open and not there (ie for air), we close the child gate across it.

We'll leave Maddie in the bath to run and grab a towel or flannel or something but I'm not comfortable leaving for extended periods of time.

We also have a fenced backyard and I let Maddie play out there without us watching her but I wouldn't let her out unsupervised if she could get to the road.

Leah gets left in the bath with the shower running so I can grab bits and pieces I might have forgotten, or to get the phone to take in, things like that. But thats all, to the point the other night I BF Joel sitting in the hallway watching her through the open door as there is no room to BF in the bathroom!

We have a large farm type gate on our drive which is closed at all times when we are home. I can stay inside and know she can't get out. We are down a shared driveway but ours is the last house and we back on to a reserve/park but our fence is 1.8m high so noone can see in and she just runs around and around the house.

i'm not sure if i would leave charli in the bath by herself or not......she's always with jack so it's a little different.
i probably would leave her while i went to get a towel or if i was in her bedroom because it's right beside the bathroom

but i would never leave her in the yard if i knew there was a way out onto the driveway!!!

your not being a worry wart andie, you are being a safe, loving mum