To be concerned about neighbours 20 month old baby playing in the street?

[rainwatwe]

So basically I have 2 kids, both under 4.
They play in the garden but not in the street.

The other day I was driving back when I saw one of my neighbours kids - a 20 month old baby girl playing on a foot to floor bike with her siblings and the other neighbourhood kids who are all under the age of 8.

The child was on the pavement playing near a road.
There was no adult supervision.
This is the 2nd time I have seen this happen now.
I was a bit shocked at this and also concerned.

But this neighbour is one of those people that is very confrontational as previously she has had the police called on her for verbally abusing a senior pensioner.

Around here most of the kids play unsupervised under the age of 9 though, the parents just leave them too it.

This is how it always was when we were young - all kids playing unsupervised out front - but never at 20 months old. I’m assuming the little one just wants to be involved and the mum doesn’t have the heart to stop them and no umph to make the effort to be out there too. Lazy parenting.

I rarely see this situation now, usually just on council estates or in cul-de-sacs. If she’s confrontational though, even if you mention it and have an argument with her the situation won’t change, so you would be wasting your breath and gaining an enemy at the same time. All you can do is drive carefully around your area.

Twenty months old is far, far too young, and horribly unfair on the older children - if something were to happen they'd be scarred for life.

I reported a family who's tiny toddler played outside in just a nappy. A few other issues like a naked under 5 at the window on a main street.. Ss did visit. Yabu not to report.

That’s very young

Too young. Way too young.

I would be very concerned, my youngest is nearly 2 and I can't imagine letting her play out unsupervised and other young children are not mature enough to supervise a baby.

I would report

Report

The other day the mum was sat inside with another neighbour and had just left the kids to play amongst themselves.

Who would I report this too?
I believe the elderly neighbour already reported her last year.
She gets a lot of help from other neighbours, her sister etc as she has 3 kids under 5.
She has mentioned how hard she finds being a mum.

Social Sevices is who to report her to.

I have two SEN toddlers, no support and find life unbearably hard. At no point would I let them play in the street with older children. Finding being a mum hard is no excuse for neglect.

social services report - definitely

I'm pretty free range and that's far too young even for me, very unfair on the older ones

Social services are there to provide support not sweep in and remove children. Seems like a very sensible option as this family clearly need some support and guidance.

From what you’ve said you could live on my street!

is it really a social services issue for a child under 5 to be naked in their own home? Find that quite bizarre. My DD4 is naked in our house for most of the summer tbh

MNers can be very prudish, though.

@rainwatwe I personally feel sorry for the older children, as the baby is made their responsibility when no mum is there and should anything happen to the baby they would never forgive themselves.

itll be more that the being visible from a window onto a Main Street was the issue. Very different from letting an under 5 run around in the nip where they can’t be seen by anyone.

What?! Wow! Unless the baby was getting severely sun burnt you wasted SSs time and resources. Also, under 5s should be able to run around their own house naked if that’s what they want to do and they’re not avoiding their parents request to get dressed. It’s their home!

Yes definitely report. My neighbor was reported and her son now lives with his grandparents who also live on the estate. It appears the reports resulted social services taking action. Similar situation only my neighbours son was naked playing out or barely clothed. He’s 6 now and actually cared for in his grandparents house. She’s just had another and it appears she’s been allowed to keep this baby. One hopes she’s a better mum now. If another neighbour has seen and reported it helps though. My son is 2 and wouldn’t be leaving him unsupervised in my garden let alone the front of my home near a busy road.

They visited due to my concerns as a whole. Small dc should not be available at windows for perverts viewing...or playing out on a nappy. Rspca visited when I rang them also about animal cruelty..
FYI 30 witnesses came forward to say they saw James Bulger being abducted and did nothing. Preventing child abuse is surely everyone's problem to help solve?
No calls =no action..

But do you let them stand in the window naked?

I don’t think children should be naked at the Window on a Main Street

Definitely report this. A neighbour of my parents also had a visit about not supervising their children, so it should be taken seriously.