how do i prevent my three year old from letting my one year old out?

Jessica - posted on 07/24/2011 ( 1 mom has responded )

i live near a busy street. i have a fenced in back yard that i let my kids play in as much as they want and they run in and out every day. it is a pretty decent size with nice toys. i check on them several times and i make sure the gate is closed before i even let them play. i have four kids ages 12, 6, 3, and 1. the problem i have is my almost four year old CONSTANTLY letting my almost two year old out of the yard! she is either letting her out the front door, letting her out of the gate, or where ever else. my problem is my almost two year old has a huge fascination with running in the street. the second she is free she runs as fast as she can to the middle of the road. she has a trek to get there but she still does it. she doesn't even stop to play or look at anything... she just takes off to the street RUNNING EVERY TIME. i am getting tired of my almost four year old letting her out. it keeps happening over and over and over again. i put a gate at the back door so if i need to open the outside gate for anything and can't watch my one year old closely enough, i know she is safe inside unable to get out. i start taking out the trash or what ever and i turn and my three year old has opened the gate by the door, opened the door to outside, and has let my one year old out... and before i can even blink, my one year old is running to the middle of the road. i make sure everything is secure before i hop in the shower and my three year old has unlocked the front door and has let my one year old out. i end up running down the street in a towel! she was in the shower with me but i was in the middle of getting dressed. it keeps happening over and over again. just in the last two days my three year old (she will be four at the end of august) has let my one year old out four times and i have had to chase my one year old in the middle of the road all four times. i am at my wits end. i am so scared my one year old is going to get hit by a car. i am tried everything with my three year old. i don't know what to do. does anyone have any suggestions??? i catch my one year old usually within seconds of getting outside but she is a fast runner and she runs probably within 10 seconds out into the street from the back door (and it is not a short distance!!!). i have spanked my one year old for this and it hasn't helped. i need to stop my three year old from doing this! any suggestions would be nice!