My youngest DS (2) goes outside on his own all the time. Our yard is a very small courtyard and is fully fenced and escape proof so I have no worries with him being out there alone. I am usually downstairs in the kitchen, laundry or lounge room anyway which is all close to the back yard.
hmmm, well i wouldnt be able to see or hear her at all due to the set up of house and yard. so that is a bit of a worry. there isnt really anything out there that is dangerous though, we will be getting a swing and slide for her bday in a month. i will have to think about it some more, i am such a nervous nelly!
we let my bro's 8, 6 and 4 year olds outside here to play without adult supervision - provided there is two of them together. we have no fences at the front and back so we tend to limit where they can go - thankfully they're good kids and don't go past the shed unless there are adults with them. we only loosely supervise if we're outside with them to make sure they don't go past the back fence, don't torment the cattle dog (he has to be tied up when he's home cos of no fences unless DH is out there with him - won't come back for me!) or get tangled in his chain. we have a double block though with heaps of space and lots of stuff for them to get into - so it's not something i think i'll be comfortable with until E is much older. i don't hover, i just go about doing my own thing and make sure i can hear what is going on. to do that from inside i'd have to be in my bedroom with the ensuite window open, and if someone got hurt, have to go to the other end of the house then right down the backyard to help them out so it's just more practical to be outside with them...
I was thinking about this the other day too. I sometimes let dd1 outside on her own if I am in the kitchen or on the lounge where I can see her most of the time, I also leave a window open so i can hear her (if its quiet she is normally up to mischief).
Yesterday it was quiet and I called out to her asking what she was doing she yelled back to me 'a poo'. She had done a poo in the dogs dinner bowl .
We have 2 dogs and if dd is outside on her own I put the dogs away. I trust my dogs but Im not sure I can trust my dd not to poke them with a stick or pull their tails and its just not worth the risk IMO. I also move the dogs water bowls round the side where the dogs are as my friends nephew almost drowned in their dogs water bowl and he needed to be rescusitated.
We have a tiny garden, no steps (save into the house) and a gate to stop DS going to the front garden and the road.
He's been playing out there alone... since he was about one and a half. Although at that point "alone" was I'd leave him outside if I needed the loo. We use the washing line and sheets to make a den, we have a ride-on and some cars as well as some water play; Liebling will be out there for hours if I wanted with minimal contact from me. So yeah, an hour to get housework done broken only by requests for more water, that works very well for me.
As far as I'm concerned, the garden is just another room in the house. I've always treated it as such so it has no special rules, other than you can get things messier in the garden. BUT we have a very small, child-friendly garden.
Charlotte has been playing outside 'by herself' since about 14 months old...the house is fully fenced and gate locked...she loves it! And I get some time to do the dishes without her being surgically attached to my ankle. lol
She is very independent, always has been. She has problems sometimes or trips over and cries, but she would do that if I was there with her anyway - this way she has learnt to pick herself up and dust herself off and takes off after the cat again lol
I wouldn't for ages only because there is two levels of garden and Ry could fall over the edge and steps and we still need to clean up some things the previous owners left up the back corner we've been ignoring and the fence is broken and he could get into the psycho neighbours yard..
If your yard is safe then I'd say its ok, just make sure they can't escape thats when little people go walking and end up in dams or caught out in freezing conditions and end up on the news....
We've got a very childproof yard - six ft fences, padlocked gates and nothing they can fall off or do major damage to themselves with.
DS is two and a half and he's been playing outside (usually with 4 yo DD) for probably a year now.
I am happy for him to go out on his own but if i know she's not with him I do stick my head out and check on him. But when DD is there, she is just at prime "dobbing" age so he can't even breathe in the wrong direction without her promptly submitting a full report to me
my DD plays outside on her own all the time. i can see her from all the windows.. and can always hear her! i tend to call outt o her out the windows anyways, even just a 'whatcha doin bub?' and she tells me she is doing... whatever it may be.
at our old place, the back yard was perfect, small, but big enough to play in. there was nohere she could climb up, get out, get stuck etc
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