How old should a kid be before playing in the backyard by himself

Question

my son always wants to play but i have 4 other kids to look after that are def not old enough. it is fenced and we have a pool. it makes me nervous!

Answer 1

Never w/ a pool

My 3 year old plays outside by himself but only when I'm in front of the window/ door and I can see him at all times.  I won't even let him stay at my parents house when I'm not there b/c of their pool.

Okay, never is extreme, I have young kids, can you tell, lol?.  When he is old enough and mature enough to do so (and can swim well).  There's no age limit, it depends on the child.

ETA: In that case... I wouldn't at this point.  In a town 35 minutes from here, a 5 year old drowned in a back yard swimming pool just 3 days ago.  I just wouldn't feel comfortable.  And NEVER do anything that you aren't comfortable with.  I say that b/c you said you still get anxious.   : )

Answer 2

He is too young to play without supervision.  You have a pool, I don't care if he can swim, it is very dangerous.  He can slip and hit his head on the way in or panic.  

Answer 3

The pool is not isolated & fenced off, don't do it. If you can get a yard space that is seperate from the pool & fenced off, by all means let him go out, just keep checking on him...

Answer 4

No easy answer... So many variables!  The neighborhood, his age, the fence, the level of maturity.  The pool, if it's an inground with access makes it a no brainer.  If it's above ground and the ladder is up, and the fence/gate is closed, and the neighborhood is good, I'd go with 8ish.  This is probably later than others would recommend, but I'm kind of a worrier.  Hey that reminds me of another important factor... you.  When do YOU hit that comfort zone?

Even if he can swim, I'd wait until he understands how serious the danger of water and swimming alone is.  At 6, he can repeat back what you've taught him about water, but he doesn't truly comprehend it's seriousness.  He might drop a toy in the pool and go get it with the logic, "I can swim".  Anything could go wrong.  The toy might've sunk, it could be too far out from the edge, he could be too tired to paddle... not worth it!  

I let my son start playing by himself at 8.  Might've even been a late 7.  We have a great, great neighborhood, and he's responsible.  It wasn't always that way though, and when we lived in the city, my 18 year old was 7.  I always went out with her, and I didn't foresee that she'd be going out alone anytime in the near future.  But again, her personality, level of maturity, and the existing neighborhood were much different.

If my (now) 9 year old is outside, I let my 6 year old go out too.  Sometimes, if I'm going to be in the kitchen where I can see her, I'll let the 6 year old out with the dog (he's a great babysitter lol).

Answer 5

COVER THAT POOL AND FENCE IT OFF IF POSS./ my daughter and son 4 yrs and 2 yrs go outside to play by themselves in our FENCED IN YARD. I check on them every 5 to 10 minutes if i am not outside with them. they play while i clean house. I would not let them play outside by themselves if we were on a busy street or that is not fenced in. I don't like them outside by themselves for very long so usually i go out with them. plus, at a diff. house/apt we lived at i would let my daughter then 3 go play with the kids and some witch reported me saying i let my kidS play by themselves all the time. my son was 1 and didn't go outside period without me. So I still don't feel comfortable letting them out by themselves.for long.