How Old for Sibling to Supervise Two Year Old Outside?

[eternalsummer]

It's the pond, and (depending on the density and character of your neighborhood, traffic, yard size, etc.) the unfenced-ness of the yard.  

 

My 10 year old is fine in a fenced yard with the toddler; my 7 year old is fine in the same situation as long as I am working in front of the window.  Neither of them would I trust for a New York minute with even the 4 year old (much less the 2 year old or 1 year old) in an unfenced yard with a pond.  

 

90% of it is the pond if you don't have a runner. If you have a runner (I have at least 3), an unfenced yard is a disaster too.  I'm sorry there's not a better solution :(  Is there a temporary gate or fence you could install so he can get some outside time - one of those big baby yards, maybe?

[SproutMamaK]

With the pond, the lack of fence, the road, and having access to a forest... I'd say only a child who was old enough (and responsible enough) to babysit other children and whom I trusted to stay focused and attentive, as though it actually were a babysitting job and not just "keeping an eye out for the baby while I'm outside playing."

[Paige]

I would never, never let my almost 9yr old have that responsibility. She's responsible and trustworthy, for the most part, but she's still too little for that job. I may be biased because she's my youngest. I might have thought my oldest could have done something like that at 9 but perspective shows me how little 9 really is.

 

My 9 yr old could not effectively wrangle a fighting 2 yr old without hurting one or both of them. She wouldn't have the physical size or strength and she wouldn't have the patience. I'm sure she'd try. She should not be burdened with that responsibility when she wants to play. And she should not be put at risk of feeling responsible or guilty if the baby had an accident. I wouldn't even be comfortable with my 14yr old doing it unless it was only for a few minutes.

 

If it was in my yard, which is fenced with a stream behind it outside of the fence, I'd let my 11yr olds or 14yr old watch a 2 yr old for a little while. I'd probably let my 9yr old watch her for maybe 5-10min at most. 

[Incognito]

Well, having recently had a 2.5 year old in the homeschooling community just die under those circumstances, I'd very emphatically say SPECIFIC ADULT RESPONSIBLE - not even just an adult around.  

 

If I were you - I'd fence in a yard for the little kid.  

 

 

[BooksandBoys]

The pond stopped me cold. The lack of fence would have been enough for me to say the 2 year-old needed a 12+ sibling (my kids are runners and we had a horrible accident despite taking all reasonable precautions). I am overprotective now. But, a pond. No. I honestly don't let anyone watch my children near water except me unless there is a lifeguard on duty as well.

I wouldn't let my 8 year-old be alone around a pond. Like I says, I'm overprotective (but also very free range...it's hard to live in my head :-).

I let my kids play in the fenced backyard with little supervision as toddlers, but those fences are 6 feet tall and the gates are locked. Maybe you could fence a portion of the yard? I definitely know how nice it is to be able to send then outside without having to go too!

[Pippen]

Too risky all the way around, but the pond is also the gamechanger for me when it comes to supervising toddlers. Please just don't put your kids in that situation.

 

Years ago my older teen cousin was supposed to be supervising his 2 year old sibling but he became distracted. When we found the 2 year old he was face down in the pond--he'd been there awhile already and wasn't breathing. It was touch and go but he made it. Thanks to God for a brother who had just been through life-saving training in Boy Scouts and a pediatrician who came to the house and told the EMT's to keep going when they were going to stop working on him. 

[foxbridgeacademy]

No. I know first hand what happens when older siblings supervise littles around water.  My Uncle and his remaining 2 children have never gotten over the drowning death of their little brother and the later suicide of the older sister.  Any where but water and roads. 

[nd293]

I wouldn't, not with the pond. I guess I'd consider 16 as 'adult' for supervisory purposes.

 

I was at a homeschool park outing where an older sibling was supposed to watch the younger sibling. Next thing we know the mom was hauling the toddler out of the lake - he could still just stand but was grappling for footing on the slippery bottom. Kids get distracted.

[Scarlett]

Years ago I had a friend whose 18 month old drowned in their fenced back yard in a mud puddle. His 4 year old brother was out there with him and when he came back in the house his parents said where is your brother and he said out there.....I never did know how deep the water was but yeah, I am nervous about water.

[Chris in VA]

Gosh, I was going to say maybe 8, but everyone is right--the pond and the forest are the problems.

Even if you can't fence the yard now, can you at least fence the pond? I know, aesthetically, it can be ugly, but ugly and safer is better than pretty and too risky. (And it's only "safer" not safe, because fences can be scaled, of course.)

[sassenach]

The pond would be the big one for me. A kid wanders into the forest, you can catch up with them; a kid wanders into a pond, and it's tragic in seconds. I would probably not have a child under 12 be the supervisor, and I would expect them to be 100% on the toddler, so personality matters.