Pink Fairy Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Our neighbors have been letting their ds mow the lawn since he was about 8-9yo, which seems young to me but has worked out well for them (he's 11 now). At what age did you let your child mow the lawn, and how did you decide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 My son started at 9 with close supervision. At 11, he does the whole yard, except the hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I started at 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Ours were either 8 or 9 for the push mower. No way, no how for the rider yet, though ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 We started ours at 10. Now at 11 he does the whole huge yard! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 We based this decision on safety. I read a few articles that indicated one major consideration is height. The person's elbow height should be above the top of the push mower, if their arms are hanging straight down. I don't remember the exact reason but it had to do with the ability to push the mower safely. Minimum age in most of the articles was 12, along with the height. Our oldest started at 13 as he was not tall enough when he was younger. Even with safer mowers today, there are still a lot of mower injuries that make it to the emergency room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catalinakel Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 We based this decision on safety. I read a few articles that indicated one major consideration is height. The person's elbow height should be above the top of the push mower, if their arms are hanging straight down. I don't remember the exact reason but it had to do with the ability to push the mower safely. Minimum age in most of the articles was 12, along with the height. Our oldest started at 13 as he was not tall enough when he was younger. Even with safer mowers today, there are still a lot of mower injuries that make it to the emergency room. Which is why our eleven and a half year old has not started yet..too short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 My oldest son was about 10. It might have been accelerated due to the divorce around that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlychan Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 My DS is 10 and just started with the push mower. He will do the push mower for awhile before he starts on a riding mower. He may have done it a bit younger but we just got a big yard:) He does a great job and it is HARD work. I think 9-10 is a fine age to start. My almost 7 year old is nowhere near ready to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 We have a reel mower, and my son ha been using it since he was 8 or 9. He is very responsible. I don't think I would have allowed it so early with a mower with a motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 My 11yo has his own grass cutting business. I *think* he started around 9 or 10 cutting our grass. He is very mature and very tall (5'3" right now.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithHopeLove Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I have two boys who are built very differently. Our twelve year old, tall for his age and fairly strong, has been push mowing since he was about 10 -- the first summer with much instruction, supervision and small sections of the yard. This summer he was able to do it all on his own. Our nine year old, while he is responsible enough, is small for his age and not as strong -- he will most likely wait until he is able to physically handle the job, maybe a couple years, depending on his growth. I think it is important that responsibility, ability, and supervision all work together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Good points. I was surprised when I read that people let their 8 year old children mow. My son is almost 8 but he barely weighs 50 pounds (and is particularly short). I can't imagine him being able to safely handle a lawn mower. My 8yo is 4'9" and 85 pounds, but he can't mow because he isn't mature enough (very impulsive and doesn't pay attention.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Same here with the immature, impulsive, and doesn't pay attention :D And that makes me feel short! I'm 5'1". :blushing: My dc are very tall - 97th percentile and up (off the charts.) I am not tall (5'6") and dh is slightly tall (6'2".) I don't know where the height comes from! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 they were pretty small up until that point. They are never allowed to do it if I or my husband is not at home. Even though they are very careful, I don't want them operating machinery when an adult is not on site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Our neighbors have been letting their ds mow the lawn since he was about 8-9yo, which seems young to me but has worked out well for them (he's 11 now). At what age did you let your child mow the lawn, and how did you decide? For us, it was size and strength more than age. Most kids are stronger than adults, pound for pound, but height really makes a big difference in one's ability to handle a roaring mower. We are a fairly petite family. By the time the kids were big enough to really handle our mower, they were 10yo or so. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We started this year at 8. He is very tall and strong so able to push well. He started out supervised closely and by part way through the summer he was doing the entire lawn on his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 There's SUCH a variety in ages. That's because it's not about age. It's about height and weight/strength, responsibility, and maturity. Our oldest did the push mower on and off (with supervision) when he was 8 and started the ride-on mower (with supervision) when he was 10. We waited until we were sure that all of the above characteristics were present *to our satisfaction.* As always, YMMV! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.