Is Your Garden Safe For Your Children?

A garden is a brilliant place for children. They can enjoy the extra space for play, as well as enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air and getting some exercise. You can spend time with them outside teaching them about plants, gardening, and the wildlife that lives in your family garden. However, if you don’t think about your garden carefully, there can be some potential hazards that could be dangerous for your children. Here’s how to make sure your garden is safe for the whole family. 

Add Lighting

Lighting is a useful safety feature for the whole family, not just for the younger members. Whether you’re letting the dog out for the last time before you go to bed, or are entertaining in the garden in the evening, the light will help to reduce the risk of trips and falls. You can put in fixed lighting around seatings areas, such as your patio or deck with Grooved Composite Decking Boards, so you can enjoy the space in the evening, and still be able to see what you’re doing. Add lights onto any pathways to reduce the risk of tripping while you’re walking around the garden. Motion sensitive lights are useful to have on the front of the house so they will come on if you arrive home after dark and need to see your way in. They also work to put off any would-be intruders. 

Cover Any Water

A water feature can be a beautiful feature in your garden, but remember that a child can drown in only a few inches of water. If you have a pond in your garden, make sure you add a mesh grill over the top, so your child cannot get into the water, even if they fall near the pond. You could also put some fencing around the pond and keep the gate locked any time that there is no adult in the garden to supervise the children. Look out for other water too in your garden, not just ornamental ponds and water features. Be careful with anywhere that water could gather, such as the lid of a sandpit, or a water butt. Keep these items propped up or covered, so water can’t gather and become a drowning risk. 

Be Careful What You Plant

No matter how careful you are, you cannot watch children every second, and it doesn’t take long for them to get into some sort of mischief. Children love putting all kinds of things into their mouths, and plants can be a very appealing thing for them to try out as a snack, out of curiosity. One of the simplest, but most important, things that you can do to keep your garden safe for your children is to be careful with the things that you plant. There are lots of plants that are perfectly safe to eat, so stick with those, just in case your children decide to try to eat them. Avoiding plants that could be poisonous is a very good idea if you have pets in the house, as well as small children. 

Make It Secure

Make sure your garden boundary is kept secure with proper fencing or hedging. Check the fence regularly for any gaps or broken areas where your child could get out, or an intruder could get in. Make sure that any gates that come into your property are sturdy and can be fastened with something that a child won’t be able to reach or undo by themselves. This makes sure your child can’t wander off without you realising, and also helps to keep anyone else out of your garden. A lockable gate is a very good security measure to keep unwanted intruders from approaching the house, as well as keeping the children on your property where you know they’re safe. Like the plants, this is also a good idea if you have pets as well as children. A sturdy fence can keep the dog in the garden too. 

Keep Play Equipment Safe

If you have play equipment for your children in the garden, like a swing or a climbing frame, make sure you position them in a safe place. Play equipment should have plenty of thick grass under it to cushion any falls, or you can lay a surface underneath, like bark chips, so your children won’t be hurt if they fall off. If your children are using the play equipment, make sure someone is available to supervise, just in case.