# At what ages can kids play alone in fenced yard?



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

I meant to post a poll with my other thread but forgot to check the box, so here it is!

At what age do you think it's ok to leave your child/children alone in a completely FENCED backyard?


----------



## delphiniumpansy (Mar 1, 2007)

no poll


----------



## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

My daughter started playing completely alone in our fenced in back yard as soon as she figured out the dog door - right around 18 months or so. She loves it outside, she'll spend HOURS out there - she has her own trampoline, her own sandbox, toys galore... and the two dogs that love to romp with her. She's perfectly safe, and really loves that time she has to herself. So I voted 18 months!


----------



## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

My daughter could go outside before she could walk.

I just made sure there were no hazards out there, and check the yard for safety every day.


----------



## PreggieUBA2C (Mar 20, 2007)

Under 18 months with a caveat; older siblings are there too! I would have no trouble sending our three out alone with me being able to see them from inside of course- if I even _wanted_ to be inside, sheesh! If I had only one, and he was like our ds3, I would let him now and would have probably last month too- he's very independent and focussed. He is also exceedingly aware, but that may be a product of being the youngest of three. Ds2 wouldn't go outside alone; he's a very social boy whose down-time happens behind a chair where he can still see everyone. I wouldn't have with our ds1 until he was about 2 1/2 if he was an only child- but I was much more cautious then. I'm nearly _negligent_ now!


----------



## Scrubsjm (Apr 28, 2006)

Under 18 mo. with a sibling, but I voted 3 for totally alone in the backyard.


----------



## Aliviasmom (Jul 24, 2006)

18.








Really, it depends on where we were living. Right now, we don't have a fenced yard, but our area is pretty quiet and safe. (I DON'T let her play outside alone though!) It also depends on the CHILD. I know 8 year olds that I wouldn't trust outside alone, and I know 4 year olds that I WOULD. It really, truely depends.


----------



## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

My DS is a little over 2.5 and I feel comfortable with him playing in our fenced in backyard while I am sitting in the kitchen. Most of our backyard is visible from the kitchen and he plays just in the area right outside our sliding glass door.


----------



## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

I think it depends on the child and the yard.
I don't leave my dd (7) without adult supervision outside even in a fenced in yard for more than a few minutes. We don't feel she pays enough attention to her surroundings and is too impulsive to not be supervised in most outdoor situations.
I don't make rules for anyone else's kids and most people we know feel comfortable with much younger children outside alone. The kids are usually fine when they stay in their own yard. Some of them probably need more supervision than they are getting though as they leave their yard and go destroy neighbor's property or play in the street.


----------



## LauraLoo (Oct 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aliviasmom* 
Really, it depends on where we were living. Right now, we don't have a fenced yard, but our area is pretty quiet and safe. (I DON'T let her play outside alone though!) It also depends on the CHILD. I know 8 year olds that I wouldn't trust outside alone, and I know 4 year olds that I WOULD. It really, truely depends.

Because I've just moved from a suburb or a very large city to a different part of the country in a small, rural community, my feelings have changed.

Living where we did, I couldn't even imagine allowing my ds (almost 6) to walk the 2 blocks to school without me until he was 9 or 10. Now, I can imagine allowing both of my children playing outside together without me present every single second.

So, I agree with Aliviasmom. It really depends on a lot of things and I see age as a smaller factor on when it's ok.


----------



## mclisa (Jul 26, 2004)

I think it depends on how long of period of time you are talking about. I have an almost 2 year old and I have left in her the back yard while I ran in to get someone's jacket. I wouldn't leave her out there for very long all by herself because we have a Rainbow playsystem which she can climb up on, but isn't very good at getting down from.

I've left the 4 and 6 year old out there for 15 minute increments while I'm working on the computer or cleaning.


----------



## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *onlyzombiecat* 
I think it depends on the child and the yard.

I agree. I voted for less than 18 months, because I think there are plenty of situations where it would be safe for a kid that age to play alone in a fenced yard. But I can picture plenty of situations where it wouldn't be safe until the kid was quite a bit older. I would expect it to be safe for just about every kid by the time they're 3-4, unless there are some really unusual hazards in the yard.


----------



## LeftField (Aug 2, 2002)

For mine, it was age 2 with a sibling, age 3 with no sibling. Our fenced yard has areas where I can't easily see what they're doing. I'd have to go outside and look around the corner. We had issues with ds2 picking red (poisonous) berries and putting pea gravel in his mouth when he was 2. I guess it just depends on the kid and the yard. I will say that when that day came when I could send them out in the yard together, it saved my sanity (and allowed me to pick up some of the mess inside).


----------



## Breathless Wonder (Jan 25, 2004)

I voted other-
I think there are other outdoor safety factors, besides whether your yard is fenced, that influence the decision. For example- an area with poisonous snakes, large cats (think cougars), bears, coyotes- I would think twice about leaving young children out in the yard unattended.

Also- is the child a climber? Apt to get into "mischief"? It also affects my decision.

It also depends on the neighborhood.


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

I voted 3 for my kids. that's the age where I feel comfortable they wouldn't put random stupid things in their mouths (i.e. rocks, nettles, mulch...).

Other than that, our fenced yard is in the back, it's very safe, it's a quiet and safe neighborhood and there is no alley in the back. Just neighbors across the fence, and I know them all and trust them.

A fenced front yard would be older. A backyard with a child who climbs would be older. A backyard where I couldn't tell by a glance where they were might be older.


----------



## Momily (Feb 15, 2007)

I put 3 because my son was big on putting things in his mouth until about 2 1/2. Of course it all depends on the yard -- if there we no trees to drop acorns, no mulch, no pebbles I might pick a younger age.


----------



## snookies (Feb 4, 2007)

If my backyard was fenced I would totally let DS play by himself nnow that he is 4.


----------



## melissel (Jun 30, 2004)

I voted age 4, but I let my DD1 play alone in our fenced yard when she was an older 3. She's extremely mature and not a risk taker (we have a smallish jungle gym, and an "interesting" shed), so I felt comfortable with it. I will probably not feel comfortable letting my wild-child DD2 out alone quite so young. Honestly, I don't know how I'll feel leaving her alone outside with her older sister when she's older! She's very daring







:


----------



## DebHibb (Mar 31, 2006)

DS is 19 mos, and the weather is just finally warm enough in the last month or so for him to play outside. He liked to mouth things too much last summer, so we hadn to watch him like a hawk to keep the pebbles & wood chips out of his mouth.

My 5 yr old plays outside with him sometimes, but not always. We do have some concrete stairs out the back door that freak me out a bit. Collin likes to go up and down them over and over. I guess it's good practice.


----------



## mamallama (Nov 22, 2001)

I agree that age isn't the most important factor. Visibility, neighborhood, the individual kid are all bigger factors.

Much of our backyard is not visible from the house, and I don't feel great about our neighborhood, so even though both of my kids are pretty rational and aware and responsible, they had to be relatively old (4) to play outdoors alone--and I still send our (large and well-trained) dog out with them.


----------



## littleteapot (Sep 18, 2003)

I was out in the summertime naked and "unsupervised" when I was three... we lived in a tiny farming community, everyone watched everyone else and if my mom wasn't constantly looking out the window there was five other people who were. I can remember walking for 10+ minutes down the road to go to some old woman's house because she gave me candy, and I was allowed to do this.

But in a huge city, particularly a less than ideal neighborhood...

So I really, really think it depends on location.
I let my daughter outside in the fenced backyard at 2.5 unsupervised, but I won't let her go in the front (unfenced) without me nowadays (3.5) for more than 5 minutes maximum. I'm not worried about 'stranger danger' but rather her curiosity getting the best of her. When she's old enough to understand safety I'd have no problem with it.


----------



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I voted age 3, which is when I would feel safe with my current back yard if it was fenced in. IMO, if there are older siblings in the backyard, then the child isn't "alone" anymore.

It really depends on the size of the yard, the temperment of the child in question, and the child's ability to get back inside unnassisted. My old house had a huge backyard with a wooded area in back- I woudln't let a young child alone back there because if he got hurt in the wooded section I wouldn't have been able to hear him crying from inside the house. I probably would have let DS play alone back there at age 5 if we hadn't moved before then. I used to let the two girls play there together from the time DD2 was about 4.

If, for example, I had a 10'X10' area fenced in by the back door and I was hanging out near the back door, I could see letting a 1yo play back there without me as long as the door was open- it's no different from being in the next room.

I'm still annoyed that my Mom removed the fence from the backyard (she owns the house) without consulting me first. I was very comfortable letting DS (then aged 3.5) play alone in the fenced-in backyard, but I coudn't let him do that after the fence was removed. I would let him play alone in the backyard now at age 5, but he has a really hard time understanding why I don't want him going in the front, and I may need to take away that priviledge.


----------



## boobybunny (Jun 28, 2005)

I have not voted yet, and am not sure how to.

My youngest of three is now 2.5, and he has been going outside via the dog door since he was a barely a year old. He just followed his beloved bullgod out while momma was in the bathroom. I heard the doggie door, but did not think anything of it. Finish, flush and start looking for the boy..... upstairs gates locked.. hmm not in the play room, not in "ft Jackson" the cupboard cleared just for his playing and hiding. Damn.. where is he??????

Panicked call to hubby, hubby asked if I checked the back yard... and there he was happy as all can be.














:


----------

