Hey guys..
I am just curious how old your child(ren) were when you first allowed them to play outside without constant supervision?

I am dreading this summer as my twin 6 yr old girls will be home with me and all the DC kids. This is the first year I will also be completely booked!!

I have had the girls here on days school was closed but I wasn't and it usually kills me before noon!! Then nap time, forget it. One of the girls forgets how to be quiet I have thought about having them out to play while the kids are napping, but I can not leave the nappers in and
I just do not feel that 6 is even old enough to be out alone

My oldest who is now 17 I did not let out of my sight till she was 11 LOL but I hear so many people say how they let their 5 yr olds out to play without them, and per my license I can (would NEVER) let the 5 yr olds out to play in the yard without me, checking on them every so many minutes so long as I have Mom's permission.

My yard is fenced in but it is not like an 8 foot, can't see in kind. It is more like 4 feet with slats.

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In the backyard, as young as 12 months. In the front, I think I was nervous until 8-9 yrs old, and only if a whole group of kids were outside too. Not just one or two kids.

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I let my son out to play when he was around 7 he had to stay in the back play area all the time so that I can keep walking back and forth and make a quick check on him. And he knows that nap time is quiet time and that is it. He will sit and play legos or watch a movie at nap time. Up in his room so not to disrupt everyone else. I feel you though I am a bit nervous for summer time with mine home all day he is 8 and I also have an almost 7 yr old that will be here too with all the others 7 between 6mon and 4 yrs.

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My youngest is 6 1/2 and she knows if her older siblings are not outside with her, she can't leave the yard. I can see out the daycare room to the front yard and I can see out the dining room window out the back yard so I can check on her as needed.

We also live on a cul-de-sac where traffic is minimal.

Hope that helps!

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My state says that 'school age' can be out alone, meaning 5 and up. I only have 3-5 yo dck but I would never let them out without me.

However, these are YOUR girls. You know them best, along with your neighborhood. I think it's nice that there are 2 of them. Part of my biggest concern would be that they might get hurt and nobody would know. But, with 2, at least one could come get you for help.

Good luck with all the kids

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At my old townhouse, I wouldn't have let my children alone because it was a communal yard shared by all the townhouses in the community. Now that we're in a house with a privacy fence and limited access to any passers by except our neighbors, I let my 3 and 5 yo kids play by themselves, with the door open so I can hear them. Only my own children of course outside of daycare.

I think it really depends on the type of yard you have, the equipment around the yard, your neighborhood, and the maturity of your child. To me, honestly it's a judgment call. One that deserves some serious thought, as you are doing.

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my own kids, not daycare kids, play outside in our backyard without us. my dd is almost 7, ds are 5 1/2 and 3 1/2. when the 2 older ones are out there, we allow our 3 yo old out too, and watch through the window. i also have surveillance cams set up, so i can always see them anyways. the gates are locked and we have a 6 ft fence all around except for the parking pad where there is a shorter chain link across 1 section. this gate is also locked. i also go outside every 5 to 15 minutes just to make sure they know to clean up what they have out that they are not playing with.
i can also hear everything when they are outside. and usually someone comes in crying because someone won't share.

if we did not have the completely closed in 6 ft fence, they would not be playing outside without direct adult supervision.

i remember being 2 and 3 yo and riding my bike up and down the sidewalk while my mom was in the house. and around 6 i was biking around the block to my friends house. i had very strict dad, and he was fine with it. but that was 20 years ago, and times have changed.

i watched a tv show profiling a serial rapist/murderer, and he had girls hidden in his backyard in a make shift home. he kept them prisoners and had children with them. one day a neighborhood watch type group knocked on the door to get some ideas on what neighbors think on how to keep the kids safe who walk to the school bus. this guy said straight up "it doesn't matter if they walk in groups. you only need to catch 1" they caught him a few weeks later i believe.

it's scary the way the world is. i don't know if it was in our town/city or somewhere else, i just heard the story, that a guy pulled up beside 2 girls walking home from school (or to school) and said "hey i'm having some car trouble, do one of you have a cell phone?" the girls said yes, and he drove away. if they hadn't had a phone, they couldn't have called for help. he had planned to pick them up. he was caught later on as well, when he tried to pick a girl without a phone and was seen.

i've already decided that i will be driving my kids to and from school regardless.

i've also heard scary stories where men pretend to be a girls dad, the girl enrolls at a high school, makes friends with a loserish type girl, and then they plan an outing with the girl and her parents. the man poses as the dad to the girls parents, and convinces them that they will be safe, etc. then they kidnap the girl, and keep her locked up for prostitution within a house.

sad, but i don't want to ever think to myself, if only....

oh and an old school friend's cousin's kid was riding his bike down the street. he knew how to cross safely at the crosswalk to the other side to get to the playground. parents were watching him, but they weren't directly there, the little boy checked, was clear to cross, but then a tow truck came out and hit the little boy. dragged him quite far too under the tire because we all know how big trucks can't stop quickly. sometimes cars just come out of nowhere, like around a curve or whatever. we live almost right at the end of the block and we have tons of teens/young adults ripping it around the curve, and when they see the kids on the sidewalk it doesn't even slow them down. they usually floor it and race down the street. my kids sometimes forget to stop and look still, and so i don't think they are old enough.

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Mine have been playing in the yard alone since the age of 5 or so. We don't live on a busy street though, and they know the boundaries.

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I let my boys outside and my youngest is 7 they can go around the neighborhood to go to a friends house or ride bikes I think if you think they are ready then its not a matter of age its a matter of trusting them

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::zipping up flame suit::

My 3.5 year old is out in the backyard alone as I type this.

It's fenced, but just a chain link fence. She's pretty trustworthy (as in, has never given me a reason NOT to trust her out there) and while I can't see the back yard from where I am, I CAN see the front, so I'll know if she leaves the back.

The back yard is safe; it's where we play with the dcks all day long. I feel perfectly fine with her out there. The neighborhood, the neighbors...nothing has ever given me an uncomfy feeling about letting her be out there without me or without my direct supervision.

Most days she's even allowed to ride her bike on the sidewalk in front of the house...provided I'm sitting here on the computer at the time. She knows her boundries are neighbor's driveway to neighbor's driveway and does pretty well. Our front yard is fenced also so she can play out there, again, only if I'm on the computer so I can see.

Makes nap easier, makes it easier for her to watch less TV (the wintertime naptime stand-by, because she doesn't nap), and makes naptime more of a rest time for me.

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I am sure they would be in and out due to not sharing, bathroom, thirsty etc. LOL They do that with me OUT there :0)

I do think it is better since there are two in that way LOL
I can see a huge portion of the yard through my windows, the important part...the part that is open to the road. I can not easily see the back part but that section does have a very tall privacy fence. We have surveillance in the front of the house that I can turn but the video part is not on the floor I run my business out of. I will have to see if I can have my husband change that. That in itself would be a huge relief if I could just look at the monitor and see what they are up to.

Thank you ALL for your replies

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Good for you Silver!! Kids can't act like big kids if we don't give them some responsibilty. Obviously, your 3.5 yr old hasn't broken any rules or your trust in her because she is outside still..... so right on!!

Of, course with daycare kids you have to follow whatever rules your state has but I let both my own children play outside alone once they could talk and walk. If they broke the rules, they came inside and we tried again the next day. Consistent routine and consequences make all the difference. We also had no fence.....our mowed lawn was the only boundary between my yard and 40 acres of wilderness.

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I have always know (and been told) I am too over protective. When the other 2 yr olds at Grans were playing on the street curbs in water and such my 2 yr old wasn't allowed off of the porch unless I was beside him. When the other 4 yr olds were going around the block on bikes at Grans house my kid didn't leave the front of the house. When the 6 yr olds were going fishing over the river bank ALONE my kid didn't leave the yard. Now at 9 the other kids walk/ ride bikes to the gas station or the store 7 blocks away alone as always, mine is not allowed to leave the yard. As of last year he can swing and play in the yard alone if I am cooking and in ear shot with open windows and able to peek out. Winter when it's all closed, nope. I gotta be there because I can't hear as well with it all shut. We also have a few pedophiles a couple blocks over so I worry about that too! They can be anyone anywhere and just not caught yet. See overprotective.

We live next to a biking/walking trail and MANY people pass by every day. We only have a 4 foot chain link fence. ANYTHING can happen. We even had a big dog jump the fence to get in the yard last year while his owner was jogging a block ahead of him. The owner looked back to see the dog trapped in my yard. Now what if it would have bitten a child (no one was in the yard at the time we were on the deck) The dog was frantic to get out but wouldn't jump again. The owner had to jog back and open the gate. Same owner that lets the dog poop by the yard btw!

I only have 1 son and he does mind most of the time but he has an extreme case of ADHD. I don't like medicating him so I only do it for school. After and on weekends he can be bouncing off walls at times. He is the type that would be having fun laughing telling a story and walk into the street without looking because he's just so busy talking. He is also eager to please and be included so he will do what other kids tell him. So I worry and he goes no where without me or another adult. But the yard yes he is now allowed and yes I am overprotective! I wear the badge proudly!

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My own son was outside in the back at three and out front right in front of the house at five. At six I let him go two houses up and back. Around eight I let him cross the street.

The dck's can't be outside without adult supervision so they have never been outside without us.

Even if I wasn't required to be out with them, I wouldn't allow them to play outside without supervision. I wasn't the least bit nervous about my son being outside for hours upon hours but I wouldn't do five seconds with a day care kid.

I would LOVE to be able to allow the older kids (three to five) to play outside but the risk for an injury is just too high. If I was allowed to legally and did not have the financial liability I would allow them outside with window supervision. My reason for not doing it is financial risk NOT that I don't think they could manage it. They would have a BLAST outside (minus our bee problem we have every year)

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Regs here are 5 and up can be outside completely alone, 3 and up can be outside if I am watching out a window. Our yards get inspected pretty heavily too so that is good.

My own kids are 10, 8, 5, and 2. My oldest was gone most of the day today playing with the nearby kids within a mile radius. He said they are building a fort down by the river and spent most of the day there. My 8 year old has free reign of our area as well. My 5 year old can play alone in the yard as much as he wants. My 2 year old can be outside without me if he is out with one of the older two kids.

We live on a ranch so my situation is a little different. We have an acre of lawn in the back that is fenced and full of climbers/slides, swings, sandbox, etc etc. My older kids are playing in our and neighbor's pastures, at the river, and in irrigation ditches. Our rule is they have to check in at mealtimes and they need to call if they are in someone's house.

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6 weeks.

Just kidding! It's Friday and I never drink caffeine....but just had a 64oz Dew. WHHHEEEEEE!!!!!!!! LOL

I think it depends on the back yard etc. How secure and how well baby proofed. Also depends on the child and how independant they are. Can people see in the yard? Can people talk through the fence (not good) Lots of criteria to be met depending on the surroundings.

If the yard is a very private, secure, all grass "playyard" then a small toddler would have a blast exploring. If the yard is more open, has a gate, flowerbeds, rockery etc......much older before being allowed out alone.

This sounds crazy....but get down to child level and see how the yard looks at that level. You'd be amazed at how different it looks and what different things you'll see.

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My own kids were allowed out back at about 2. Out front, I started letting them be out there alone at about 5, but they had to stay in our yard or our neighbor's where I could see them at all times from the living room.

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I let my 2.5 yr old DD out in the backyard by herself. I leave the backdoor open so that I can hear what is going on, and check on her every few minutes. We have a 6 foot privacy fence, and our dog out there with her for protection

My 7.5 yr old DD is allowed to walk around our block. We know most of the people around the block (gotten to know them since living here), and most are elderly and tend to watch what is going on out their front windows. I do worry about her out there alone, but she knows not to go with anyone, and that she is not allowed to go into any of our neighbour's houses, even if they invite her in, without coming home and asking me. DH and I have been talking about letting her walk down to our neighbourhood park (2 blocks away) this summer, that has a free, daily summer drop-in program for kids ages 6-12 from 9am-5pm everyday, all summer.

We have decided that we will probably never feel totally comfortable with her leaving our sight, but at some point we have to let her. She wants to start riding her bike around the neighbourhood too. I liked it better when she was a drooling, immobile baby

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So many views - of course the are & neighbors do make a HUGE difference

The neighborhood my oldest grew up in is far different from the one we have now..mind you we have not moved LOL Newer neighbors and people now doing 80 through stop signs etc. not to mention the sickos not so far away. We are in a school district so where do you think the nut cases would go??

I spoke with my husband about it and he can connect the monitors either to our spare lap top or to the TV which ever I prefer. With the security system I can see the entire perimeters of our property. Therefore while the DC kids are napping, the girls can play out doors without me having panic attacks every so often.

Thank you all for your insight on this. I am sure the girls will be excited to know that they will be able to play out doors when I am not able to take them out

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