Kids outside too early?

[PinkSparkleUnicorns]

It's 8:20 and I've just let my young kids out to play. Instantly regretting it! They are not screaming and shouting but enough noise to wake the neighbours behind us I think. I just wasn't thinking, is there an unspoken time that's generally acceptable to send kids out to play?

9 I would say. If my kids were out playing after 9 and someone was annoyed I’d tell them to jog on.

Definitely not before 9/9.30 especially if they’re going to be playing in the garden for much of the day. I say this as a mother of two small children. Neighbours might not be asleep but might enjoy a quiet start to the day

I'd say 8.30 onwards is fine but only you know your neighbours. Mine are a mix and none of them are having to rush to work for 8.30 in the week at the moment so I don't think weekends count the same right now.

Mine aren’t allowed out before 9, and I’ll string it out for as long as possible after that too! Saying that my neighbour is happy to let his barking dogs out at midnight and 6am so don’t know why I’m so considerate

Ofcourse it's fine lol. I would tell mine to keep the noise down abit.

Half of me thinks, what the hell, week days and weekends are merging into the same for most people (althiugh not me as I'm still WFH all week!) So by 8.30, it's fine for kids to be in the garden with this nice weather.

However like a PP says, I think some people are trying to sleep some of the day away as they're so long at the moment. I think that's what my kids are doing anyway, I'm lucky to see them before 12pm these days...

It depends really, our neighbours dogs are in their garden making noise from around 8am, and children across are in the garden by then, so if DS is awake and wants to go out will do so. If I lived elsewhere and it tended to be quiet in the morning I'd do something indoors first and then head to the garden around 9 during the week and 10 at weekends at the earliest.

My neighbour's child has been out since 8, banging pots and pans in his playhouse which is right next to my kitchen window. He's now down the bottom of the garden shouting and screaming, so I expect those living on the road behind our houses are absolutely delighted.

His dad started using his drill just before 9. Maybe the days are blurring and people are starting to forget the concept of 'weekend'?

The irony is that parents happily let their DCs out at 8.00 in the morning, but then complain if neighbours are sat outside talking after 8.00pm because DCs are in bed. A bit of consideration is needed all round.

I don’t care when children are out and playing, it’s the volume and levels of screaming and aggression that annoy me.
The way my garden works is that I have 8 neighbours whose gardens have a boundary with mine, and half have children who play. No one minds because they don’t make huge amounts of noise. Giggling, talking, paddling pool, badminton, playhouse, kickabout and gymnastics all happened yesterday whilst I was gardening from 8amish.
If they yell and scream, the consequence is they go in and return when they remember to be quiet. It works for us.

What?!?!! I have literally no idea when my neighbours let their kids out, I wouldn't hear them unless we're all outside anyway.
We used to have a cockerel and he was much louder than the kids! No one ever minded about that. I can hear a neighbour's cockerel now and it's nice. There were tractors up and down the road this morning and you often see (and hear them) in the fields behind the house after midnight, they have to work so no one minds.
We would start minding if it was aggressive shouting or swearing or something like that, no one round here minds animal noises, farm noises and happy children noises. I am so grateful for my neighbours.

The fact you are considering it shows you are a good neighbour!

@Hollywhiskey it's different living in a rural community with countryside noises to living in a built up area with children shrieking and screaming though. Not all children do of course, but too early and it's really irritating, hah.

I think under the current circumstances people with children waiting until 10am to let kids in their own garden is ridiculous. Ok so some people want a lie in but what about adults whose children might have been up since 6am! After 830 is fine and maybe people will just have to adjust their unrealistic sleeping habits !

We had neighbours with small children who used to check them out in the garden at 7/8am on a weekend to make as much noise as they liked. They then complained about my teen daughter playing music in the garden after 7pm when their little darlings were going to bed. Tough. Works both ways

To early in a Saturday morning, during the week not so bad.
Bring them on their walk for early exercise.
I don't let mine out the garden until 10 at least.

Depends on neighbours if they have been up late having drinks in the garden, then I'd say kids up early is fine. Simarly if they are mindful of you then you should be mindful of them

Yep to early...I'm up at 7.30 on a weekend but don't want a headache before I start the day. There are screeching little duckers jumping on trampolines and shit on weekdays at 8 on my street though it's annoying.

You can tell a person’s personality by those who enjoy children playing and those who hate it. The latter are uptight, mean and boring.

Well I don’t want to hear screaming, which is all next door but one seems to do. So I’m uptight, mean and boring then.

We live rurally and there's farm noise from very early anyway so I don't mind happy child noise in the mix at all.

I don't mind child noise from 7 or 8am - mine are older and tend to laze about on screens til 10 then go out, but I don't mind toddlers outside from 7am or 8am - there are tractors and cows being noisy anyway.

Tbh happy child noise isn't bothersome - babies left to cry or children howling in upset is very, very bothersome and impossible to ignore, but happy noise is easy to tune out or fine to listen to, like birdsong.

Depends where you live.

I've never encountered the species of children who scream endlessly who are discussed on MN, I think they must be regionally specific...

Ok so some people want a lie in but what about adults whose children might have been up since 6am! After 830 is fine and maybe people will just have to adjust their unrealistic sleeping habits!

6am!!!! Heaven forbid! How do you cope?

I bet you’re the first out the door to be clapping for key workers.... pity their ‘unrealistic sleeping habits’ don’t quite fit with your lifestyle though. You don’t have any consideration for people who may be working non stop and want some rest.

Not everyone is having a lie in by sleeping past bloody 7am.

Interesting thread, my next door neighbours mow their lawn at 8.30am on a Sunday.

Is it any worse than children playing outside?

Mine were out 8.45 am this morning. We've got 3 boys aged 1-7, toddler had banged his head this morning talking on the laminate floor. Outside we've got astro turf and it's the safest place for them. It was a bit early I'll admit but everyone's struggling right now and if it helps to let my kids out in the garden I will. I've had complaints from one neighbour before about the kids being out on a week day 15 mins before school starts and requesriing me to keep them in. I said sorry that's not possible after 8am builders have started etc and we have the right to use our garden. Weekend admittedly we should try and wait til 9 but she has even complained about them waking her up "after 9 on a sunday".

8 is fine on a weekday but weekend and bank holiday I’d leave it till 9 at least.

It really really depends on where you live. 8am onwards is fine here. Our road is mostly families, generally 2-6 kids per family, everyone has a garden, most people have a dog. Everyone has been out In their gardens or going to exercise from about 8am onwards here, and that won’t cause issues. What would cause an issue here is noise in the evenings or late at night. That would very much upset people. The people we bought our house from were a child free couple in their forties who used to have raucous hot tub parties. The road was very pleased to see the back of them and their hot tub, replaced by us. We’re frankly pretty boring, DH and I plus two kids and a dog - no hot tub!