At what age do you let your kids play outside alone?

Kari

Justin wants to be outside all day while Juliet hates the sun. I've been letting Justin play unsupervised right around the house and checking in on him every few minutes. I'm curious what others allow.

Zen

Coryandamanda brought this up a couple of weeks ago too! It's funny looking back. When I was 2-1/2, it was perfectly safe for me to play alone in our back yard. I think it was fenced but I really can't remember. At 5 my friends and I met at and played at the playground sans supervision. But now? I let Shiloh play outside alone exactly one time without my being there. We were visiting friends and their similar aged kids were allowed, so I told myself to just relax and she'd be fine. And she was. And when we visit again, I'll go with the flow again. But outside of those circumstances? Nope. No way. No how. And probably not for many years! Injury and accidents can happen anywhere but the threat of kidnapping or wandering away makes me a little paranoid. Shiloh's only 3 so tantrums aside, she yields to my authority pretty easily

Shanny

My house - no, I just can't see well enough outside if I am in and I have the pool, not gated. The backyard itself is gated. If we are out there and I need to run in to get something I will leave Kate outside alone for a minute but she doesn't ask/want to go out alone.
At work - their entire house is glass so I can see everything. There is a sliding glass door in the kitchen/family room so I can leave that open and they can come in and out as long as I am in the kitchen making lunch or something. But their yard isn't fenced yet and they have a creek in the back so if I so much as have to pee the door gets closed and everyone comes in.

If I had a secure yard, no pool and a kid who would go out there alone I don't see it as a problem we just don't have that perfect scenario either place.

fisch

Yes, in our fenced in backyard. I can watch him through the sliding door, and our yard is fairly private. We let him do this starting last summer when he was closer to justins age. Now he is happy bug hunting outside solo and I can say "Jack where are you" and he responds "right here!" I have let him go to a friends one time for a playdate without me.
A fenced in backyard is different the an open front yard. We live on a busy street next to a condo complex that is full of people we don't really know, so for us that wouldn't work. Even though our front is fenced as well the gate opens to the driveway and it's easy for him to open.

cocolibby

It depends on a lot of factors besides age, like where you live and what the setup is. Where we lived when our younger two boys were 6 and 3 it was not no but HELL no. It was a traffic situation, a known pedophile living a few houses down situation, the terrain and the lack of a fence, etc. Where we lived when the youngest was 5 we could let them be in our own back yard being checked on frequently and there was never an incident. Boys definitely need serious amounts of time exploring nature!

We live in the country now, so we can pretty much let them run wild as long as they're together (this combats the injury thing Zen mentioned - at least there's a brother to come tell a mom if someone falls down or whatever). Evan is more of a stick in the mud and wants to come inside and read books sooner than his younger brother, which is sometimes just too bad for Asa if one of us can't be out there with him because he is NOT trustworthy on his own!

friendamy

I agree with cocolibby - it depends on so much more than age. for me, we live on a quiet streets with several families with kids. we have a fenced in backyard and a deck that goes around to the front that can be locked and is still the length of the driveway from the street/sidewalk. I let my son play outside unsupervised when he was 2. I'd go inside and do dishes, go to the bathroom, make lunch... whatever.

now at 5 he'll play outside all day by himself or with neighbor friends in our yard/deck. we built a fort so it's hard to get him to come inside!

mel

I have the perfect setup, with floor-to-ceiling windows across the living room that overlook the entire back yard. They cannot open the locked gate or climb the 8 foot privacy fence, so I let them play alone with no worries. I keep an eye on them through the window and we talk through the window as well. There is NO WAY I'd allow them in the front yard alone. They are way too young.

michgirl

My boys can play in the backyard by themselves because the back of the house is windows, the yard is fenced and they can not open the gate. The front yard scares me so bad we still have a baby gate between the entry way and the living room because I do not want them anywhere near the front door by them selves. WE live just down the street from the fire/ems station and there is too much emergency traffic on our road.

Shaeley Mae

Kari wrote:

and when I got out a few minutes later realized he let himself out the locked back door (he unlocked the regular lock and the dead bolt) and had gone out to play. We talked about staying inside and asking permission, but I think I need to put some locks up really high to reinforce this since he's a tad, shall we say, strong-willed.

Lilianna can easily unlock our deadbolt, so I have a childproof cover on the door knob itself. There's absolutely no way that she can open the door (nor the pantry, where I have glass jars, fire extinguisher, etc).
As well, you can put an audible alarm on any door. It's not monitored or anything, and you would be the only one who hears it. You can get them at Home Depot/Lowes, etc.

yfnr

The twins can play outside on their own, and have for about a year now. I live far off the road and they are good at staying near the house. I have windows in front and back and make sure I eyeball them every 10 minutes or so. Sometimes I let M play with the twins outside, but I keep a closer eye on them.

I have a back deck that has a playhouse, slide, chairs and other outside items. It is also gated in. So all the kids, from about 18 months are able to play there without direct supervision - ie I will be in the kitchen cooking or cleaning while they are outside. If the pool is out, this doesn't apply.

The kids are not allowed outside regardless if I am upstairs.

All three kids can lock/unlock and open the front and back doors. The back deck stays gated, so that's not a big deal, and I installed a very loud chime on the front door so regardless of where I'm in the house, I can hear if the front door gets opened.

The gated back deck has been a WONDERFUL thing for me. I have three children who want to be outside 24/7 and I hate the outdoors. Also, with my MS I am very sensitive to heat and I just can't be outside in the summer.

Autumn&Ryan

I didn't read all of the previous posts but I would say some of it depends on where you live, how many people are around, whether not there are wild life in the area, how close roads are, etc. Personally, if it were my very secure backyard, 3-4 yrs old.

Kari

I would have written more but I was on my Kindle and trying to nurse Juliet at the same time! I do live in the country (a town of about 1,200 people), on a dirt road off a quiet side road. I have the corner lot, which is about an acre and a half, and I live next door to my dad who has 4 acres. My house separated by a patch of trees and tall grass from the neighbor up on the hill. There really isn't a front & back yard; more of two side yards because the house is perpendicular to the street. It's several hundred yards to both the dirt road and the paved road. The paved road is separated by about 15' of tall grass, so it acts as a fence or boundary. Justin chooses to play within 20 feet of the house on either side. We have a 12x36 deck on one side of the house, which I let him play on last summer when I was doing dishes or cooking because it's off the kitchen and I installed a locking gate on it. This year, I put his new swingset just off the deck, so that's a popular choice when he's outside as well. On the other side of the house (facing my dad's) is his sand box, lawn toys, swim pool and water table (both empty except when I'm out there supervising), tricycle, trucks, toy lawnmower, etc. That's the other spot he likes to play in.

My parents lived on a very busy street, but always let us play in the back yard unsupervised (3/4 of an acre, abutting a few miles of forest lands). When dad saw I let Justin play outside alone one day, he came over and sat with him, then suggested I install a fence. I've priced a few, but fencing in even a small part of the yard for him to play will cost a few thousand dollars, and I feel he's pretty safe in our neighborhood. There are no pedophiles living within five miles, and really no neighbors coming around. If I leave a window open I can hear him playing, because he's often talking to himself. My preference would be to be outside with him, but with Juliet, that's really not possible all the time, so I was curious what you guys do and if I'm off-base in letting him out alone at 3.

I do need to institute some boundaries, though. When we got back from camping yesterday, I really wanted a shower. I put on the tv, hopped in, and when I got out a few minutes later realized he let himself out the locked back door (he unlocked the regular lock and the dead bolt) and had gone out to play. We talked about staying inside and asking permission, but I think I need to put some locks up really high to reinforce this since he's a tad, shall we say, strong-willed.