Kids love to run around and play outdoors, and if you have a house with a nice-looking, large garden, that’s a great opportunity to give them some extra recreational space. However, an environment like this can also be potentially dangerous to a small child, especially a more active one that likes to explore and mess with things. You will need to be responsible about this and keep a few things in check to ensure that the little ones will be able to stay out of harm’s way at all times. Here are some things you may need to consider in order to make your garden child friendly.
Is the Pool Safe?
A swimming pool can be quite dangerous to little kids, even for those who can already swim. Make sure that you have a pool cover, and if you can afford it, drain the pool regularly in periods of infrequent use. The only problem here is that this can quickly start to take a toll on your budget, but if it’s becoming a problem, it’s best to keep the pool drained rather than full – the safety of your kids is your number one priority!
How clean the water is will also make a difference. It might not seem too important to you as an adult, but kids can be much more sensitive to issues with water contamination, so invest in a good filter and keep the pool’s water regularly circulated. If you’re already draining it every once in a while, as we mentioned above, you shouldn’t have to do too much to keep things safe.
Keep Your Tool Shed Locked
A garden usually also means a tool shed where you would store all the heavy-duty machinery and other smaller items needed to do repairs around the home. Putting a simple padlock on the shed can pretty much eliminate all risks of your children making their way into it, and it’s a good idea if you want to deter theft. Burglars know to look in the tool shed if it’s unlocked, as people often keep a large number of valuable items there.
Don’t just consider the door though – remember that kids can get creative, especially if they’re playing a more adventurous game. Keep the window safely locked too, and if there are any higher openings, put a grate on them. You should treat the tool shed as the dangerous place it is, and once the kids have grown up a little, you should start explaining those dangers to them as well.
High Fences
A good fence should prevent your kids from slipping away when you’re not paying attention (e.g. because you’re busy doing chores inside the house). It happens more often than you might think, and even cheap fence panels are better than nothing at all if you want to ensure that your kids stay safe. Plus, it can serve as a nice decoration for your environment, and you can even customise the appearance of your fence panels to a good degree when buying from the right company.
On that note, Fencestore is a good starting point if you’re not sure who to talk to, and as you’ll quickly find out, having a reliable partner is importanthere if you don’t want to spend too much on your fences. You can view their available products at https://www.fencestore.co.uk/fencing.
Grill Supplies Always Packed Away
Throwing the occasional grill party is a great and fun idea – including for the kids – but you should always make sure that the dangerous supplies you use are kept away in a safe location. The tool shed is a good idea if you are already keeping it secure like we described above, although be careful with fire hazards and always maintain a safe environment that allows you to easily put out fires if something goes wrong.
The same goes for long forks and any other instruments you typically use while grilling. People are typically mindful of keeping sharp instruments out of the back garden when they have small kids, but surprisingly, grill supplies tend to get ignored in many of those cases and are just left to hang from the grill itself for everyone’s convenience. Don’t make this mistake; pack away everything after a good party, no matter how late it is or how tired you may be feeling.
Remove Slip and Trip Hazards
Whilst this may seem like obvious advice for inside the house, it may not be something all parents think about when it comes to their garden. To try to avoid the inevitable, always replace paving slabs as soon as any cracks start to appear and regularly check them to establish if any have become loose. If you have any swings, slides, or other play equipment, consider investing in a good quality playing surface and replace gravel with something that small children cannot pick up and choke on such as grass or concrete.
Ensure the Safety of Your Treehouse
It’s a bit of a cliché commonly found in many family movies, but for a good reason – kids love the idea of a treehouse. If you are considering installing a treehouse, you should be extremely careful about the safety of the structure, as they can sometimes be quite the health hazard if they are not built properly. The Internet is full of tutorials that can help you get the house built up in no time and according to all safety specifications. You will need to make sure the height of the structure is at a safe level, but if you don’t feel confident in constructing it yourself, it would be a good idea to enlist the help of a professional. It might also be a wise idea to enforce a rule that no children are allowed to enter the treehouse without an adult present.
Following all of these steps should allow you to have a great space for your kids to enjoy themselves on a daily basis, which will also work out great in your own favour in the long run, giving you some extra peace in the house itself. If you have any child friendly ideas I would love to hear them in the comments below:
