Do you let your 4 yo play out back with friends alone?

hmd

We have two kids in our neighborhood that run rampant.  They are now 5 & 6, and they have been this way for several years.  DS begs to play with them, but I usually do not let him. 

I let DS play out back in our fenced-in yard alone, but usually do not let anyone else come over if we aren't out there with them.  Would you let other neighborhood kids play in the back yard alone with your DC?

MelissaMc22

That's always a tough one.

DS will be 4 next month and I let him play with our 9 y/o neighbor outside. SHe is awesome with him and I consider her like a mothers helper. I am always home and checking frequently.

However, there is a 5 year old neighbor that I do not let him play with alone. They are too young, IMO.

 

Mickschick

We don't have a backyard (it's a sideyard) and it's not fenced. However; their bff has a fenced.in backyard and when we go over there we let all the kids (my two 4 y/o and 2 y/o and her 4 and 2 y/o) play alone in the yard. She has siding glass doors in the kitchen that go out to the deck in the ba k and we sit.in the kitchen and watch the kids through the doors. Or we are baking/cooking in her kitchen and the window is open and we can hear/look out at them. She doesn't have a pool for what it's worth.

Andrewsgal

Heck yes. I let my 2 year old and 4 year old play alone in our fenced back yard. Whenever we have playdates all the kids are usually out back while the Moms are inside.

ridesbuttons

In a fenced yard?  Yes.  I let my 4 year old out with or without friends with the caveat "I need to be able to see you".  I'll check every few minutes if I can see him/them.  I do not have a fenced yard.

If my yard was fenced, I'd have no problem letting him/them play alone.

 

rebs

Yep, that is the purpose of a fenced in backyard IMO.  We do playdates all the time where the kids are out back and the moms in the kitchen.

DandelionMom

I supervise pretty closely when friends are over unless the kid is one of the long-time friends that is really trustworthy. 

st.lucia bride

Yes, 3yo DD plays outside in our unfenced backyard alone as well as being allowed to play in the cul-de-sac circle alone.

jettagurl

I regularly let my kids (all 4 of them now) play outside alone. I'm either in the kitchen or eating area and can see all of them - we have the backyard fenced and it stops at the back of the house (they can't go up along the sides). 

I would be fine with other (well-behaving) kids being out there with them.  

As a side note, my dog always goes out  with them, and he goes nutso when anyone is withing about 20 ft or so (and will bark at ppl walking the next street over), so when he barks all crazy, I just look out to check on them again).

prism207

We live in a townhouse that backs fairly close to a main road, no fence, so no, not here.

But at my SIL house we let Sam play in the back yard-no fence-with his cousins and their friends.  His cousins are turning 6 and 8 this summer and the friends are on the older side of that.  They are very sweet to Sam.  We are usually in the kitchen which looks out into the backyard and has a screen door so we can hear.  The kids run wild between the two yards, and my SIL's house is set WAY back from the street-it is one of those houses sort of inserted behind existing homes.

 

shopgirl78

Hell yes!  That's where I want them to play.  I know they are for the most part safe!!  I even let DS2 out there if I know I will not be gone long.  If he is not out there, I will only check every 15-30 mins or if there is screaming.  

It's a gated-locked fenced in yard with all sorts of backyard toys.