Is 6.30am too early for young children to play in the garden?

[Getbackinthebox]

It is light early in the morning and young children often wake early. The weather is warm at the moment so being outside in the garden in the early morning can be attractive to some people. However, if you had a young child wake early would you have them out in the garen playing at 6.30am, bearing in mind that young children aren’t often able to play quietly and keep their voices down? Also, would you raise your own voice to join in their play and interact with them at that time or do you think it is too early to let them into the garden? If so, what time do you think is acceptable?

I personally don't let mine out before 8.30/9 am even though my eldest used to wake at 5am

I would let them out in the garden to sit and eat breakfast or do something quiet like read from 7am but no playing till 9am (we don't allow shouting in the garden but they simply can't play quietly for some reason).

Quietly pottering or doing something liek sticker books, reading or a card game fine. Running around shouting and trampolining, kicking a ball against a hence not fine.

6.30 is too inconsiderate on neighbours. I would say 8am is acceptable - the same time that building work is permitted to start.

Yes. I know it's hard but you need to take them to a park instead

Nobody should be making a noise in their garden at 6.30am, regardless of the weather.

8am I let mine out

Far too early. I’d hate that!

I agree with posters above, 8am weekday and 9am weekend is appropriate.

Take them to a large park if you have to be up that early.

I assume from your tone you are the pissed off neighbour not the parent concerned

Have you met a child?
As long as kids aren't making a racket they can be in the garden early.

Far too early. On an in-work day my alarm is 6.50, out the door at 8.15, in work at 8.45. On a WFH day I tend to get up at 8.

Yes.

I can't believe you're asking this.

No 8am ok l think , most people up for work by then.
Im not working today was happily asleep bins were collected at 8am and communal gardeners started mowing, but l understand its early because will be hot later..

I almost think it is worse to do it this week as most people would probably sleep poorly early in the night due to the heat and need a lie in even more than usual.

And i say this as a mother of two children who have been waking stupidly early this week. They were badgering me to get up to play from 6am, I told them we wouldn't be going downstairs until 7am for breakfast as normal. They found a way to entertain themselves quietly! (5 and 8)

"Some people on this thread are really entitled and uptight."

says the woman who also says "so in my view neighbours should tolerate a few noisy mornings in the Summer. They can equally shut their windows if they are bothered" and* *"let kids play outside early in a heatwave instead of sticking them in front of the TV so Carol next door can have a lie in on a Wednesday."

Irony isn''t her strong point evidently

I don’t let my 4yp out until 9am! We’re super suburban, he’s super loud, so we do his cartoon time in the morning (assuming this is a weekend q)

We have a few noisy kids at a house a few doors from us. It’s the mother shouting at them to get ready for school every morning I can’t stand. It’s really quiet until her foghorn starts. Embarrassing

Usually yes. This week probanly not.

In this heat, I think it’s fine for kids to be out early. It’s too hot within a few hours and for the rest of the day so it’s the only time they get to have a few hours outside.

8am? The people who are in 9-5 jobs are up way before 8! These are exceptional circumstances - I’d be fine with 7am. How many kids OP? If it’s only 2 kids it can’t be that noisy!

I think it’s ok while the weather is so hot! It was already 21 degrees at 5am today and my kids were up at 6am. We went for a bike ride, came home for a shower. Too hot to exercise later in the day!

On a normal day - 6.30am is outrageously early

8 am midweek and 9 am on weekends. Though I might have made an exception and gone for 8 am on a weekend with weather like this where you really need to adapt to using the cooler parts of the day. Would insist they were quieter than normal, but not sure how much difference that really make to neighbours as obviously they wouldn't be silent.

I wouldn't let mine out at that time. They are quite noisy kids though! It really depends what "playing" means, if they're sat on the grass making daisy chains and quietly chatting, maybe, but most kids I know just can't help themselves but shout/scream/laugh loudly. Everyone's windows will be open this time of year too.....
Equally, my neighbours have a 3 yr old and a littler one and I'd not resent them doing it because toddlers and babies are really hard work during early sunrise and heat wave times. Older kids can just wait inside for a bit though

It's too early but also having tiny kids in this heat is probably a fucking nightmare. They've probably been counting the hours until they can go outside. So I wouldn't complain unless they do it when it's not like the devil's arsehole everywhere.

I would be extremely unhappy if I heard young children playing in the garden at 6 am. I would think 10 am is an acceptable time

No, I think it’s you who has spectacularly failed to understand my point @KaleidoscopeSmile. I am actually entitled, as a matter of law, to let my kids out in MY garden at any time I choose, 365 days a year. I don’t do that, in fact today is probably the only day they’ve been out before 8, but posters saying that I should take them to a playground at 7am instead of letting them out in my own garden a few mornings a year in a heatwave, are exhibiting entitled behaviour in my opinion as they frankly have no right to police how and when we use our own garden but still expect that their wishes should take priority at all times, with no give and take. If you want complete peace and quiet, move to the middle of nowhere or buy a big piece of land. If you can’t afford that then you need to accept there is going to be noise at times that don’t always suit you.