1 year old exploring front gardens and Xmas decs decd

[FamilyofTrees]

When we've been out walking recently in our fairly small village, my 22 month old has been wandering into front gardens and having a look around. Especially if they have Christmas decorations up, like reindeer or a Santa.

I say to him not to touch and that it's not our stuff, but beyond carrying him away or putting him in his trike (I'm 8 months pregnant so can't carry him if he refuses to walk so we always bring his trike with us, but I give him the option to walk) there's not much I can do to stop him and I'm not particularly inclined to cause a screaming meltdown over a quick little detour that I personally wouldn't be bothered by. He isn't causing any damage.

YABU - You shouldn't let him go into front gardens at all

YANBU - As long as he doesn't break anything or stay too long it's fine

I always told ours - dds and Gdcs - that we don’t go into other people’s gardens. We just don’t.

Sounds TBH as if your 1 year old could do with being on reins, OP.

Reins are more practical than a trike (and weigh less than tantrumming toddler plus trike).

Means he's less likely to faceplant into a pyracantha bush you haven't spotted in the dark or, as many of them do when not controlled by their parents outside my house, run up the path and trip over their own feet - or the loudest ones, climb onto the wall and promptly fall off again.

Who said it was dark? Why would I be going for a casual walk in the dark with my 1 year old at 8 months pregnant? 😂

I have one of these tiny front gardens. The roses in it have super-sharp thorns, planted as a deterrent to stop nosy people or kids sitting on my fence. Your toddler would risk have got his skin severely scratched if he'd wandered into my garden

YABU. A small garden still doesn't mean your child can wander in.

Or the small child I saw gaily stamping on purpose, all over a bed of gorgeous scillas at Kew. I should have said something to the parents, I know, but I didn’t.

We live in a very rural location so on trips to somewhere with streets and houses I’ve had to teach my three kids not to wonder in when they see something interesting.

just remember that one day your toddler will be a child, a teenager and an adult and it’s easier to teach them now about
boundries.

It may not be fun for you but your
toddler looks way cuter having a tantrum now when told no than they will do at 8, 13, or 18.

Gardens are private property and of course many of don’t mind a young child exploring and enjoying the lights but just like stroking a dog you should only ever do it with owners permission!

Infact just think of people’s property like their dogs!
You’d be crazy to let your toddler approach any dog at will…..

Please parent your kids 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

It’s not the same, someone wishing to converse or give you information through a leaflet is completely different to someone wandering up looking at your flowers, through your window or in this case at your Christmas decs. I would every year take my kids out to look at the local decorations & not once did they try and wander on someone else property. Viewing from the street sufficed & if they had of id have explained they couldn’t. As for enforcing rules. Whats so hard about cutting the walk short and taking them home if they refused to pay attention. It’s not ridiculous to have a pram for an 18mo if they refuse to cooperate you could pop them in & take them home

Who knows? After the fairly bizarre derail of your own thread earlier, nobody is actually taking you seriously, op 🥱

Reins exist for this reason. Use them.

It’s dark at school pick up in a lot of places. Perhaps the poster thought that’s when you were walking as many people do go out after 3.30 if they are getting their older children.

Don't be silly.

I think it depends OP. I live on a street where none of the front gardens are enclosed and frankly we have to walk over each others grass at times because of people parking up on the pavement - I wouldn't expect anyone to drag their child out onto the road around the cars instead. I can see the attraction in close-up decorations in those circumstances so I wouldn't care unless there was a safety risk - but then safety risks shouldn't be out in the open anyway. I do think opening a gate to enter and enclosed garden is different.

😂😂😂😂

If you can't pick your child up, he should be in a pushchair anyway.

Reins, proper reins, are brilliant. My dd was a bolter and a climber. I am sure that twice they saved her life.

I have a stone wall at the front on my house, the top stones are painted white (railings went in WW2)...people regular hold their child's hand as they walk across the top OF A PAINTED WALL! Drives me crazy, so so thoughtless

One of my nieces used to try and do this when was around that age while out for a walk. Just used to grab her hand tell her "no" it was somebody else's garden and disracted her so she moved on. It wasn't always easy but she did stop doing it

It is exploring xmas decorations now. In the summer it will be exploring the pretty flowers. Oh, it won't hurt anyone if they picked a few would it... and so on.
There have been threads on here where people have seen kids pick flowers from their garden.

When I first moved in to my house every single day a child waking home from school would walk on the slab path right in front of all the front doors on our street. There was a proper roadside path but this is our ‘private’ path so to speak between our drive and to the back gates.
anyway - he’d set the ring doorbell off every day at 3.30 and it drove me insane because 1, this is private property. 2, he’s got his coat and bag etc on potentially scruffing up my car and 3 his parent just allows him to do this
so one day I watched on the camera from inside the hall and as he walked past opened my front door and pushed the pram out right in to the little bugger. His parent came over asking him if he was ok and I simply said sorry it’s not a footpath and the postman’s already been I wasn’t expecting someone to be there! Parent looked at me but never said anything. He’s never done it again

*edited spelling

Love this Yes - what if he refuses +gets stroppy tho? My 12 Year old grunts a bit when i talk with her, likes to have her tea ‘after’ me- something am sensing more, although I tell her tea is ready.
shes better with her mobile phone at letting me know when she is home / who shes going to the house of, which is reassuring.

Absolutely don't want random kids or cats in my garden.
Dogs welcome.

I say to him not to touch and that it's not our stuff, but beyond carrying him away or putting him in his trike (I'm 8 months pregnant so can't carry him if he refuses to walk so we always bring his trike with us, but I give him the option to walk) there's not much I can do to stop him and I'm not particularly inclined to cause a screaming meltdown over a quick little detour that I personally wouldn't be bothered by. He isn't causing any damage

I'm sure you are able to stop him from running out into the road though. Yes, I get your toddler running into a garden isn't necessarily going to end up with them being hit by a car, but it's still somewhere they should not be going, and something they need to learn. That said, they could still end up being hurt by someone going about their private business in their own garden. They could be using sharp tools, mowers, strummers, they could be reversing out of their drive...many other things
Would you knock on the door if they broke something?

I would go against the overall opinion here and would say if a tiny child wanders into my front garden I would feel fine with it, even it it breaks something.

But I would be worried, OP, if other people are not that nice. Your kids could get hurt or shouted at. Maybe do put reigns on him.

Really?

If someone's uncontrolled child broke something in your garden you wouldn't be bothered?

Want to move in next door to me?