Toddler loves watching diggers and building sites - AIBU to let him?

Not at all! I do this myself, but I’m an engineer 😂

From the mother of another digger-obsessed toddler, crack on OP. My DS also loves seeing the bin men every week and we always stop so he can watch them. Generally they are really kind and beep/wave to DS which he thinks is the best thing ever!

OMG.

Vehicle-obsessed DS will love this.

That's our half term day trip sorted.

When DS was a toddler he was such a regular fixture at the building site of his future school that one of the forklift drivers came over and gave DS a toy model of the forklift he (builder obvs not DS) drove.
We had a well-worn copy of Usborne Trucks and Diggers, and DS knew all the names of various makes, models and attachments of construction vehicles by the time he started at the school.
I liked it as he'd stand/sit still watching a building site for hours so it gave me a chance to sit and read a book for a while. I used to bring lunch and a flask of tea.

OP I understand your question! My youngest was the same and I always used to feel a bit bad standing there staring at people at work.

Generally nobody minds, everyone knows sites with big machines are a magnet for small children.

Just reinforce the message never to go onto a site, they are very dangerous places. Even at primary school stage children are attracted to sites.

There is a factory near my place and whenever I walk past with dcs we stop and watch the forklifts work for a while.

I'm sure builders etc are quite used to it and don't mind, they are in public after all.

I’d like to know if you can watch if you are an adult or teen.

I think it’s somehow more acceptable with a young child but I do love watching them.

Not unreasonable at all. Toddlers are their biggest fan base!

Dd and friends still get a kick from waving to a train driver as they pull into the station. Bus drivers are a mixed bag (they have to interact with the public a lot more I imagine)

My DD (and myself) have always loved construction sites and trackers in the farm.

I always feel how you do - am I making them uncomfortable by watching them? Lol

I can imagine watching someone stack shelves at Asda could be quite unnerving!

I do this construction workers and farmers are more used to it though.

I watch them but make sure not to stay too long, just in case they don’t like it.

Hopefully some people working in those areas will comment as I’d love to know myself!

My son was beside himself the day the road painters arrived and refreshed the big SLOW on the road outside our house.

We went out and watched. The man started with the W and by the time he got to the S he made sure DS was watching.

It's fine! We parked DS's pushchair by the side of the busy A road we lived on and let him watch the cars go by in stop start traffic on the regular when he was a baby/toddler.

We lived by a farm lane and used to walk down it and look at the tractors. We ended up making friends with one of the farm guys who told us whenever they were moving the cows down the road (a spectacular sight for a little one).

And I always stop with DD to let her watch the bin men do a few bins after dropping DS off at school. She jumps up and down and claps her hands.

Lots of people love this and will wave to an excited baby/toddler. Those who don't are probably just busy. I don't think anyone would begrudge an excited little one learning about the world!

Of course it’s fine, it’s not like you’re walking into the site. It’s in public!

Not being unreasonable to watch but please make sure you do it safely.
A few months ago I saw a woman pull up to the only access point to a large construction site, just off a busy road with poor sight lines. She got a child out of the car seat and stood and watched in the entrance regardless of the fact that large articulated lorries regularly go in and out. I'm hoping the site manager told her to move for their own safety.
If she'd parked a few metres up the road and stood on the pathway it would have been entirely different.

They're building new flats near me and there are high boards all around the site, but they've put viewing windows in at adult and toddler height. They are definitely ok with people stopping for a look at what's going on.

As long as he's not wondering around the building site I don't see the issue.

My son was another one fascinated by building sites, diggers, police vehicles, fire engines, Eddie Stobart lorries.
We always had to stop when passing building sites, to have a look.
Nobody minded 😀

I've done it too.
I've seen videos on social media where kids watch the bin men which is very similar.

One of my favourite memories of my last fosterling was him shouting "Dan-dance!" at every passing ambulance. We were told he'd never walk or talk (but no-one informed him of this clearly as he did both) and one of his first words was "Twacta" shortly followed by "Dan-dance!".

Watching construction sites is par for the course for lots of preschoolers so don't worry about it.

I would just stop and watch - no harm in it.
Get him this book, he will love it.
Dig Dig Digging (Awesome Engines) : Mayo, Margaret, Ayliffe, Alex: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Be thankful it's only building sites!

I can't tell you the number of hours spent watching bin lorries, the crusher at the tip, road resurfacing works (he was 3 when they did the local streets).

When I was out without him and a bin lorry went by, the guys working used to shout hello to me because we'd become such a familiar sight, taking up strategic viewing points along the route.

Then there was taking a picnic to the bridge over the railway station to watch trains coming in and out for the afternoon.

cant see a problem as long as your not in the way and in a safe position. During the third lockdown I was nannying for a 3 year old in Notting hill and we spent hours watching the diggers on portobello road. They knew him by name in the end. Lol

as above, there's a reason why diggerland is so popular!

DIggers, rubbish truck, firetrucks... Toddlers can be fascinated by many things. It's cute.

Lots of toddlers do this, watching diggers in the road was a great day out for DS1! Also lorries, bin men etc..

The people you're watching probably had the same fascination as your little one when they were kids. Surely they get it!