Neighbours kids keep looking over our fence

My neighbours kids do it, way the houses are they technically overlook us even with 6ft fences. I don’t mind for a little bit while they look at my pets. It’s annoying after a bit, but their parents say that’s enough now leave them in peace. Like I said I don’t mind for about 5mins or if I’m chatting to my neighbour but i can sympathise and see how it grates @lilybit2025

Is it really just me that being angry at a five-year-old looking into your garden seems mental? I have dogs. They'd probably bark at that, or they might not actually as they're used to kids, but even so. A cat may look at a king.

Our previous neighbours children were very annoying with this until I started sunbathing in a thong bikini when it was hot and I soon heard their Mum shouting at them not to look.

@Advicefor10 Lol so annoying. I remember viewing a house once in what I think was a very close-knit Council estate. As soon as we went into the garden, their little boys ran outside and were peering through a hole they'd made in the fence for this purpose. Put me off.

I was going to say YANBU until the last part. I always think people who really dislike children must be so smug they were never children themselves!
She is 5. Get over it!

I’m usually very easily annoyed but this thread is bonkers - would people actually put spikes/prickly plants on the fence or “accidentally” spray a hose at a 5 year old? 😳

Is your dog upset at this child looking at it, or just barking at something new? Surely your neighbours don’t want to listen to a barking dog either so I would use this as a reason, if you are going to approach them. I can’t imagine getting this worked up about a small child looking into my garden tbh. The safety thing isn’t your problem. I’d like to think I might just say hello then get back to whatever I was doing - I imagine she’ll get bored soon enough.

Exactly. It’s an invasion of privacy

I think you should get a chair, plonk it outside in front of her, and then stare at her until she stops.

I can’t believe people are serious suggesting hosing or firing a water pistol at a small child. What is wrong with you?
I have two little girls next door, I’d be more than happy to have a little chat to them if they popped their heads above the fence.
maybe have a little conversation next time OP then she may get bored of you.
otherwise just ask her parents to tell her to stop. Really not that difficult.

How’s that fair on OP and her privacy?! Some kid’s curiosity trumps the right to use your garden privately in peace? It would drive me mad. Don’t know what the answer is. There’s so much entitlement around today you’d probably get your head kicked in for asking someone’s kid to respect boundaries. These things tend to escalate and chances are the nosy kid will start lobbing stuff over the fence.

Yep, garden naturism. Perfectly legal. I think the advice is to inform your neighbours in writing that you are nudists (much info online). Once you've warned the neighbours that their child standing on the table in order to look over your fence is going to see adult male strangers walking around naked, they'll almost certainly move the table.

Go and knock on their door. Ask if all is ok as their child keeps lolling over the fence, upsetting your dog, and you are wondering if she needs anything.

If that fails, blast the child with a hospepipe.

"hello, your daughter keeps looking over the fence and my husband and I like to garden in the nude so I you might like to stop her from doing that"

Or you could join in with the barking?

I'd guess she's curious and bored. She's a young child.

Maybe give her parents some sunflower seeds for the girl to grow in her own garden.

Still baffles me how anyone who isn't particularly fond of children decided to log into mumsnet.

Only when next door shove their heads over the fence.

Maybe your dog should stop barking at the neighbours child, if the child merely "looking" into your garden sets your dog off I'd be more worried about the dog than a small curious child. She's in her own garden and only little, if you need more privacy put up a trellis or blinds. Problem solved.

My neighbours started doing this last year. I couldn’t fucking believe it. The creepy Dad was doing it and then his kids started copying him, standing on a sofa to look through our windows. Our living room is at the back of the house and I was breastfeeding my newborn and found it so intrusive.
We went round and spoke to the wife and said it doesn’t help that your partner is also peering over our fence.
They haven’t done it since.

Don’t let it bother you and she will stop doing it.
She does it because she knows it is a naughty and annoying ! Ignore it.
And don’t let the dog barking impact your mood either. Carry on as normal.
Plan to plant privacy plant hedging too.

Nude sunbathing will sort it

You don’t need to train a dog to deal with the child’s behaviour.

1. "You know it's naughty - if you do it again I'll talk to your parents."
2. Talk to the parents.
3. Water pistol 🔫
4. Hose 😈

This is perfect.

Being a noise nuisance....

No idea what that means. Oh, and I don’t have children.

Don’t go on about boundaries and privacy. She’s 5. Just say to her, and if that doesn’t work to her parents, that she is upsetting the dog, so don’t do it again.

I would sunbathe naked parents will soon stop her :)