Home gardens are synonymous with summer fun. Your back garden can provide your children with a place to exercise, get some fresh air, and have hours of fun entertainment. However, gardens can be surprisingly dangerous places for children if the proper precautions aren’t taken. Following a few simple tips can go a long way in helping your children avoid outdoor injuries.
Here are five ways to help you ensure your child’s outdoor play area is not just fun but also safe.
Children are generally very curious – it’s in their nature. So, when something entices your child, they’re very likely to want to go and investigate whatever it is that’s piqued their fascination. With toddlers, all it takes is for you to take your eyes off them for one second, and they could easily crawl right out of your garden.
With this in mind, installing a new fence is an important step to take when turning your garden into a safe play area for your children. A fence around your garden will allow you to control how far your child can go and will make it easier for your to keep track of where they are and prevent any accidents. It’s important when choosing a new fence to select one that is tall enough so that your child can’t simply climb right over it.
Fencing is also very helpful for protecting your child from external threats. A good solid fence will help to keep intruders and trespassers out of your garden. Fencing is also great for helping to keep unwanted pests out, such as wild or stray animals.
However, it’s also important to ensure that your fence is safe for your children. If you decide to put up a wooden fence, you must make sure no sharp pieces or nails are sticking out of it and be sure to sand down any sharp edges that may cause an injury.
Children love to run around and play outdoors, and when doing so, it’s inevitable that there are going to be a few trips and falls in the process. With this in mind, it’s important when creating a safe play area for your children that you choose soft flooring to help avoid any serious injuries.
Artificial grass is an excellent option for children’s play areas as it provides a soft landing should your child trip or fall. This type of outdoor flooring comes with a huge range of additional benefits as well.
Artificial grass is available all throughout the year and will provide the same cushioning underneath regardless of the weather. This means that your children can enjoy playing in the garden all throughout the year. This type of grass also doesn’t get muddy, meaning you won’t have to worry about muddy footprints through your home or potentially having to give your child’s clothes a wash every time they go outdoors.
A great alternative to artificial grass is turf. This also provides a brilliantly soft landing, so it works well in play areas. Turf provides a cushioning effect when your child impacts the ground, so it’s great for areas where children want to run around and play ball games.
If you want to make your outdoor play area as fun as possible, consider investing in some garden play equipment. If you have enough space and the budget for it, there are many things that you could purchase to make your garden more fun.
Consider items such as slides, swings, and climbing frames that can provide your child with a lot of additional fun things to do in the garden. You could also consider some larger areas for your child to enjoy by installing a playhouse or treehouse built just for them. This will help encourage your child to spend more time outdoors and give them their own space to enjoy time alone or with their siblings or friends.
When deciding on the play equipment for your garden, always keep your child’s age in mind. Children grow up fast and can quickly outgrow their play area goodies. With this in mind, you should avoid spending too much on outdoor play equipment that may become useless after a few years.
If you want to build a safe play area, avoid investing in a trampoline. Although they can be extremely fun and children do love them, trampolines are known to be one of the biggest causes of injury in gardens.
Before building a fun play area for your children in the garden, it’s important to consider any risks first of all. Take a look around your garden for any potential hazards, and be sure to remove them before allowing your child to play outdoors.
A garden wouldn’t be complete without a few bushes and plants. However, some species of plants and bushes can be toxic and may even be poisonous to your children. If your child comes into contact with these types of plants, it could lead to some negative side effects such as allergies, skin reactions, and thorn piercings.
Toxic plants are quite rare, but it’s still important that you check over your garden plants just in case, as you don’t want your child accidentally coming into contact with something that could potentially be a danger to them. Be wary when purchasing new plants, as you may not be aware that something is poisonous until you get a reaction.
It would also be a good idea to teach your children about toxic plants and what they should do if they come into contact with one. This can be a fun learning activity for your children and will also help to prevent them from any potential poisoning incidents when you do let them play in the garden or elsewhere outdoors.
Pests can be an issue in the garden when your child just wants to go outside and have fun undisturbed. Wasps can be a particularly big problem as they can sting your child if they’re not careful, causing some paint to your child and potentially making them want to avoid going outdoors.
To help prevent wasps and other pests from becoming a nuisance, remove any fallen fruit or food from trees and bushes in your garden. If you notice any wasps nests emerge in your garden, remove them yourself or have a professional come to remove them.
Cats and small wild animals might decide to use your garden as a toilet from time to time. Before letting your child play in the garden, give the lawn a quick inspection to make sure there isn’t anything on it that shouldn’t be. If you do happen to find anything, simply remove it and hose the area if needed before allowing your child to play there.
Small insects such as slugs tend to come out at night, and these can leave slime trails on your children’s toys. To help prevent this, it’s always best to bring small toys inside or store them in a shed or garage rather than leaving them outside. Larger play equipment such as slides or climbing frames may need a quick wash before your child uses them to remove any slime or other dirt caused by insects or the elements.
This is a collaborative post.
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