I remember when I was a child, and had gone with my father to pray Jumuah at a local Masjid back home. We found a cool place inside the Masjid b4 Khutbah. But when the prayer was about to start, the ?adults? pulled me out of the row, and kept pushing me back chanting, ?Kids to the back rows?. I was pushed back towards the entrance of the Masjid, where there were no rugs, and the floor was extremely hot. I couldn?t bear to stand there and join the Jamaat. So, went to the wet wudu area, and just sat out through the entire Salaat. You can imagine what was going on in my mind, and the fact that the entire episode is so fresh in my mind even after some 30 years.
The place for children is at the back.
Certain Ulama have given permission for keeping the children next to their parents, if there exist strong fear of them getting up to mischief and disturbing the Salaat of the adults. (Taqreeraatul raafi?ee).
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai