How are you handling neighbor kids?

[MSWR0319]

We live next door to a family with 3 kids and DS2's best friend lives about 5 houses down from us. I'm trying to figure out how I feel about outside play with these kids? I know they'll come over if they see mine out or my younger one will just go over there if he sees them out because he is a handful. Are you letting your kids play outdoors with neighbors?

[Snow mom]

No, my kids have been told that if other kids come out they need to stay away/not play/come inside. We’ve seen neighbors but very much they will stay on that side of the street and we will stay on this side and pass. Most people here are social distancing so I haven’t had to tell other people they can’t approach us, just remind my kids.

[lizzywednesday]

Nope.

DD is going to be hyper-monitored while outdoors, though, because she's super-lonely right now - she's in an increased risk group because of her heart and I'm in an increased risk group because of my asthma.

We'll have to figure out what service/app we'll need to use to do a multi-camera video call with her cousins to help alleviate the loneliness. (I think Zoom does that, but IDK what else might.)

[KpbS]

I saw this last night and it has confirmed my gut feeling.

https://www.drstevesilvestro.com/no-coronavirus-break-playdates-heres-why

[MSWR0319]

This was my gut feeling also. But then I looked outside and the neighbor kids are crawling all over our play set and I wondered if I was overreacting.

[carolinamama]

Nope, not playing. It's come up a few times when kids have seen my kids hanging out in the garage or on the driveway playing basketball. As parents, we explain to the kids that we aren't playing with anyone else until it safer. And I fear it will be awhile unfortunately. You are not overreacting, nor are you alone.

[Snow mom]

This was my gut feeling also. But then I looked outside and the neighbor kids are crawling all over our play set and I wondered if I was overreacting.
No, they shouldn’t be there. They need to be playing in their own yard or at bare minimum not touching your kids stuff while outside. I know it’s not comfortable to do, but you need to put a full ban on them playing on your kids play structure.

[carolinacool]

That article is interesting because it seems to suggest that kids *can* be outside with others. DS basketball coach is planning to hold a conditioning session tomorrow since he can't get into a gym for practice. I'm sort of on the fence. DH doesn't want him to go because he thinks conditioning is a waste of time, not because he's worried about anything else.

[carolinamama]

That article is interesting because it seems to suggest that kids *can* be outside with others. DS basketball coach is planning to hold a conditioning session tomorrow since he can't get into a gym for practice. I'm sort of on the fence. DH doesn't want him to go because he thinks conditioning is a waste of time, not because he's worried about anything else.

Here's my concern with kids playing together outside - they forget to stay a bit apart. How frequently do they look over eachother's shoulders to see something or a little play turns into physical back and forth for fun? It's hard to contain that type of behavior. We don't know if a parent or coach is positive and asymptomatic, spreading it to a kid who then spreads it to a parent or grandparent. Humans are social creatures. We have been conditioned to touch - handshakes, hugs, high fives. It's hard to break that habit. There are plenty of 30-40 year olds in ICUs because of this virus. If everyone makes the hard decisions sooner rather than later, we may have a chance at mitigation.

[PZMommy]

That article is interesting because it seems to suggest that kids *can* be outside with others. DS basketball coach is planning to hold a conditioning session tomorrow since he can't get into a gym for practice. I'm sort of on the fence. DH doesn't want him to go because he thinks conditioning is a waste of time, not because he's worried about anything else.

I'd say no. They will be touching the same things, and kids do not stay 6 feet away from each other.

[KpbS]

Since the virus can live on hard surfaces for up to 72 hrs (swingset...) it’s a firm no from me.

[Philly Mom]

I had allowed my kids to play outside with one set of neighbors only. No touching. I then saw on Instagram that they hung out with other friends. I told my kids they can talk 6 feet apart but that is it. It was only a matter of time. Their dad is on the front lines (though hadn’t been at work in a while) and since they aren’t fully distancing from him, We need to distance from them.


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[smilequeen]

We don't really know our neighborhood kids. Current benefit to 3 acre lots I guess. School friends are getting a lot of facetime time.

[mnj77]

Another no. My kid is 13 and I hung out outside with her yesterday. Another girl was out but I told her we needed to stay apart. That was fine. Today I’m looking out my window to see that girl way too close to other neighbors. So I’m going to be supervising my teen outside because of other kids.

[gatorsmom]

“No. Go home kids and don’t come back until this is over. We will all have an ice cream & pizza party when this is all done!”

[ang79]

So my 13 year old is a runner and the school closure has stopped track practice. She wants to go running everyday and I suggested maybe we could visit some parks and she can run while I walk on the paths with her younger sister. She then asked if her best friend could meet her there so they can run together. Not so sure because like someone mentioned above, they probably won't be 6 ft. apart. Its hard on the kids but at least my girls like to play together so they aren't completely alone in this.

[TwinFoxes]

We allow one neighbor to come over. His parents work are WAH. He came Sunday, not today (a "school" day). I'm not 100% sure it's the right decision, but it's what we're doing.

[MommyAllison]

We live on a block where all of the kids play together, from the moment they get off the bus until it gets dark, every day. It was a little eerie how silent and still it was today! We are saying no to playing with other kids, including neighbors - our schools are out for two weeks (for now) starting today, and we are going to stay home and hopefully make it count. So far, the closest confirmed case is a city 2 hours from us. I'm hoping that all of the preventative measures our community is taking will help it not spread so much here, as we have a very large retiree population.

[bisous]

Ok. So we’ve had ONE day of quarantine so far and my kids don’t seem to miss other kids at all. They love being together. I imagine this will be tested to its upper limit! I’m just glad they all get along.

[athompson]

No playing/hanging out with friends at all. It's not worth the risk for anyone.

[roobee]

A mom tried to set something up with her kid and DS yesterday. DH told the mom maybe, but then it didn't work out because DS was having too much fun hanging out with DD.

Then the mom followed up and said she's planning on taking her boys to FL next week. OMG stay the %&#$ away from my kid crazy lady! Glad to know how little regard this woman has for the health of her family, my family and the community.

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[belovedgandp]

Currently a no. And as hard as it would be and I can picture this being the case in our old house, I'd be telling neighbors no on the play structure.

DH and I have talked that if this continues we may have a one family exception. I know the other family is following guidelines also. All three of our kids are the same ages and at the same schools. If we continue past our current three weeks, I may propose taking our circle to 10 with them for school work and relief for the WFM parents.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I banned basketball for my kids because the neighbor kids can't help but show up and play basketball with them. I've explained how basketball is a hand-ball-hand sport and that the unsupervised kids having serial playdates are exposed to a lot of people who may be carriers. My boys cannot deal with having no basketball...but each day I remind them the NBA was the first to cancel, then March Madness, so they can play soccer, badminton, or do a host of other things, just not with the neighbors. It does take a good bit of effort on my part b/c those kids are always out there if we go out...so we have to get in the car and go somewhere else to play. We ran a frisbee golf course at our pool and played on a ropes course i'm certain no one else has used. At least I hope not. We were there getting ideas to build our own ropes course in the backyard.

[ourbabygirl]

This came up for us today when a couple of neighborhood kids (from two different families) came over and asked if DS could play. I did let them play, but realized that it was basically impossible to have them stay 6 or more feet apart, stay off playground equipment, and wear their gloves.

So my plan is to go on outings with my kids when the weather is good, and stay home inside more when the weather is rainy, not allowing neighborhood kids inside (it helps that DH will be working from home now, so it adds to our explanation).

[JBaxter]

Ds3 -16 has played basketball a few times in our neighborhood. I may take dis 4 to the neighborhood pool today. It’s heated ours isn’t. I have to get him out of the house and off his electronics

[cagey]

Weather is good for us Right now (MD) and am good with 1-2 kids on bikes, scooters and sports like tennis and soccer. They also did a trash pickup in a park near the house. Keeping kids outside or, if rain, in garage with door open when they play corn hold or something like that

Keeping them separated for 6 months isn’t realistic; if we set rules and protocol now it will make it more bearable for all

[hillview]

No social interaction here