Child playing alone in garden

[Bitchfeatures]

AIBU, 2.5yr old playing in the garden alone. I think he's too young, DP says he will be ok and I'm been overprotective.
The garden has a 6ft fence and a locked gate, can see less than half of the garden via kitchen window, can't see at all via living room window, the back doors open so can hear but not necessarily see.
DS wants to be in the garden allll day, I sit out/play with him but it's a pain not been able to get housework etc done on the days we are home.
Who's BU?

I used to leave my 18 month old out on her own whilst I was in the house.
Is your garden safe? What would be the problem, just check on them periodically.

If you have a pond with no guard on it, YANBU. If you don't, then YABVU and over-protective.

Most nurseries have indoor outdoor freeflow at that age. Unless there is something especially dangerous in the garden YABU. Just keep a check regularly and an ear out.

It's fine unless your garden is full of hazards.

Depends on your child. Mine at age 2.5 had no sense whatever and would quite possibly have found some daft way to injure herself. Some are much more sensible and can be relied on to play in predictable and safe ways.

Garden is very safe, mostly grass, a big fence and lockable gate that needs to be opened with a key. The area we live in is a bit rough but obviously he wouldn't be on the street. No pond.

I started letting mine play a bit in the garden on their own at that kind of age - with me sat in the conservatory so I was still able to supervise them very well.

I let my DD play in the garden on his own way before 2.5 - garden perfectly safe.

Sounds OK, as long as you are regularly checking. Dd is 2 and exactly the same age wants to be out all day. We have large patio doors though so see her mostly unless she hides in the trees at the top.

It's fine unless your garden is full of hazards.

Most gardens have some.

Doing some jobs in a room overlooking the garden and in earshot, maybe ok. Doing the vacuuming without an eye on him, not really.

Your DS may want to be in the garden all day but kids do need to learn at some point that the world doesn't revolve solely around their wants.

Im not seeing the problem unless ther is a pond or steep steps?

Leave doors open,he's unlikely to play quietly at that age so you should be able to hear him from inside the house.

What does he do whilst playing? Does he put things in his mouth a lot? I would be worried about picking and eating berries, or slug pellets for example.

Your DS may want to be in the garden all day but kids do need to learn at some point that the world doesn't revolve solely around their wants.

He wants to play in the garden, not invade France.

nurseries have free flow but they would always have at least one member of staff outside with the children. I think it's quite young to leave alone as they can easily have unforeseen accidents, eat plants, put stones in their mouths etc

Depends on your child and garden. I have full visibility on our garden from the kitchen but dts were always supervised until they were older. I just didn't trust them!

When they go quiet is the time to go and check they're not up to mischief! As long as you check quite frequently and they can come back in when they want it shouldn't be a problem.
BTW free flow in a nursery would have a minimum of 1 staff member outside.

It’s absolutely fine.

free flow in a nursery would have a minimum of 1 staff member outside

Yes but they wouldn’t have eyes on every single child 100% of the time. OP will be nearby with a 1:1 ratio

I wouldn't.

Honestly, I can't see the big deal. You're not happy having your toddler out of your sight, other people are. Suit yourself, everyone else does.

Impossible to say without seeing the garden, what does he do our there? I wish mine wanted to be outside more. I let my 2.5 year old in ours on his own but he never wants to be there for more than 5 minutes so not really the same. One time this summer he was outside on his own and he dragged his slide over to the wall and climbed on top. Wall is about 6ft with no fence and he was standing on it. I had gone upstairs to get some laundry, and only knew because I heard his older sibling shrieking from her bedroom because she saw him from her window. I never would have predicted that being a hazard, so really think hard, risk assess, and go from there.

I agree with juells. If you're not going to relax, there's not a lot of point, is there?

I let mine out, and she's not quite 2.5 yet. She's been allowed to wander since last summer and nothing had has ever happened (lots of mud, though). But there are other things I don't do with her because, which I could perfectly well and know other people do, I wouldn't personally feel relaxed about it. You're allowed to have preferences.

I wouldn’t leave them unattended for great lengths of time but if you know your DS is generally safe playing alone for a bit then popping out every so often should be fine.

As I think a PP has said, so long as you’re not upstairs hoovering away with no ability to see or hear if there’s an issue it’s perfectly reasonable providing your DC isn’t a little thrill seeker like my DS who likes testing how hard something is by head-butting it/how high something is by attempting to jump off of it!

Mine are twins and I know DD would be absolutely fine unattended for a bit at a time so it is mainly about the child and their disposition 😊 but that being said, if you’re not comfortable trying it yet - you don’t have to. Maybe start off by giving him a minute or two alone outside but with you watching from a window/doorway and see how he gets on?

I think 2 and a half is too young to be on their own. He doesn't need to be in the garden all day. He already gets time there with you. I would just bring him in when nobody else is out there.

Sounds fine if your garden is fairly safe and you can hear him. I'd check on him every 5-10 minutes though.