What age would you let your child do this?

[londongirl12]

Outdoor shopping centre with restaurants outside. There’s a play area right outside next to the restaurant. What age would you let your child out to the play area on their own? No roads around.

@BethDuttonYeHaw I live in Scotland too 😊 small town on west coast 😊
All for letting kids out to play etc, especially locally! But I have a 5 year old and there’s no way he’d be outside without me at shopping centre. Too many people coming and going and it only takes 2 seconds for something to happen IMO 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m on the east coast - maybe we land our helicopters earlier over here. 🤣

at 5/6 in the scenario described in the OP I let mine play if I could see them.

they’ve survived and are now 16 and 12 and getting buses and trains here there and everywhere and the 12 year old would die of embarrassment if I suggested she play in a play park. So those waiting till 13 - enjoy that. 🤣

It really is. What sort of 13 year old wants to go to a playground?

I think it depends on the child, I had 4 that could be trusted to do that at around 7/8 but my now 7 year old can't be trusted while I'm practically on top of him never mind only in sight.

If I could see I would let my 5 year old go. If I couldn’t see, I would let my 9 and 11 year old go, 5 year old stays with me.

OP said 'play area'. Not park or playground.

I'd say it depends what age the area is designed for. No use saying 10 plus if it's intended for under 8s.

I presumed the " -4" meant under 4.
Apologies if I misunderstood this.

However further posters have said if you can see them, there's no issue at that age so I'm clearly a minority in thinking a 4/5 year old shouldn't be unattended, even if visible in a playground.

I’m really struggling to envisage the exact scenario here.

Are we talking about people sitting indoors in a restaurant or at outdoor seating? How far away is the playground from the restaurant? How long would it take for you to get over there if something happened?

Without being too sure about the set up, I think I would let my 8yo do this, particularly if they were with another child of a similar age.

13 plus? They are more likely to want to go to the mall with their friends than a playground surely.

Simlar here mine are 9&10 and would stay together.plus I could see them.

5/6 if close enough to see at all times. Depends on the kids though. Mine are pretty cautious on play equipment

Depends on what the area/town is like.

So many variables here, so the OP would have to add on a bit more information really.
What country is it in, size of the town and shopping centre.
My kids played freely in the local square and parks while we ate at restaurants at 3, but we live on the continent in a rural location so the age would depend on the context.
If this were a medium/large bog standard UK busy shopping centre then I would probably say 7/8🤷‍♀️, but I’d still have them within sight.

One with a packet of fags and some of their stepdad's home brew rhubarb vodka.

<cough>

I’m envisioning something like Bicester Village - contained outdoor retail units and restaurants (with outdoor seating).

If I could see my child, from 5yrs old if alone. If I could not see my child, around 7 I think.

13 plus don’t go to play areas and are out on their own long before that!!

9 - Depends on child though.

So the restaurant is next to the play area but you can’t see it fully if you’re sat inside. It’s all fenced with only 1 entrance but you can’t see that either. So parents and child would be out of sight of each other.

In that case, 7+

Thank god someone else said this... what 13 year old wants to go into a playground while their parent eats dinner?? This things are aimed at under 10s.

With your update - mayne 8 with regular checking.

We let DCs go to a playground at 6 & 9 when we were sitting outside and so could watch the playground.

Maybe 8? Depends on the general vibe of the area and who they're with.

I wouldn't let my 6.5 year old go, but I would if I could see him. We have a similar pub locally where you can see the play area and entrance/exit from inside, and I've been ok with that since last year (with friends). Very quiet area though.

The shopping centres are only in rough cities near me. I let my 13 year old go to our village playground with friends unsupervised, I think it’s a familiarity thing and also the proximity of cars that could whisk them away in a city. I assume I’d feel differently if it was a familiar place with eyes on and other known kids around. If not, then yeah, I trust my daughter completely but unfortunately she gets a lot of older male attention already, no way I’d let her handle that alone in a highly populated area.

Age 10

We live in a village when all the teenagers like hanging out in and around the playground together including my 13 year old. Why is 13 too old to be in a playground? Do u mean like a ball pool area or something?! Surely it depends on the place. Obviously if it’s only got tiny slides in she wouldn’t 😂