How to Make Your Outdoor Space Safer for Kids

Your garden or backyard is a great family space where you can spend time with your children and enjoy making memories as a family. Encouraging your kids to spend more time playing outdoors in the garden is a great way to boost their health and wellbeing. However, you do need to be mindful of their safety when playing out. There are many potential dangers to be found in the garden, so it's crucial to ensure that everything is completely safe so that you can enjoy the garden together without worrying about hazards. If you want to child-proof your garden and patio area, keep these tips in mind. 

Decking Material

If you are building a deck in your backyard or garden, one of the first things to think about is the material you plan to use. Along with thinking about longevity, durability, and appearance, it is also essential to consider just how safe the material will be for your children to walk on. Slip-resistant decking materials are the best choice to minimize the risk of slips, falls, and injuries when your little ones are playing in the garden. Composite decking boards from Ecoscape UK are an ideal choice for families with children. The decking boards offered by Ecoscape UK safe and slip-resistant; they are also hard-wearing and do not splinter or crack, reducing the risk of hazards in the garden and ensuring that the space is safe for kids of all ages. 

Garden Chemicals

There are lots of chemicals that you might use to keep your garden in top condition, such as plant food, weedkillers, and pesticides. However, these chemicals might be great for making your garden look great, but they can be very toxic to humans if ingested. Because of this, it's essential that you are careful when using garden chemicals and ensure that the bottles are kept safely locked away in a cupboard or shed that the little ones cannot get to. When using the chemicals in the garden, it's best to keep your kids inside for a while afterward to reduce the risk of exposure. 

Garden Tools

Most garden tools like forks and shovels will not seem all that dangerous when you are using them, but they can cause a lot of harm to a child. It is essential to ensure that any gardening tools are kept out of the way of children locked in a shed, garage, or suitable storage cupboard. This is especially true for hazardous tools like hedge trimmers that can pose a considerable hazard to kids. Also, storing your garden tools away appropriately will help protect them from the elements and avoid rust, wear, and tear. 

Water Features

Water can be hazardous in the garden to children, so it's essential to be careful if you have a pool or other water features in your garden. If you have a pool or pond, the best thing to do is install a high fence around it so that your kids can enjoy the park without the risk of falling in the water. Bear in mind that even small water features can be dangerous to small children, so it's essential to ensure that they are suitably fenced off and ensure that they are always supervised when playing nearby. 

Toxic Plants

Young children often like to explore and get to know more about their environment through the senses of touch and taste and will often put things in their mouths. Because of this, if you have young children, it's essential to make sure that there are no toxic plants in your garden. It's crucial always to double-check before planting anything in your garden to ensure that it's not going to cause serious illness if your child ends up tasting it. This is also important if you have pets since many plants are toxic to dogs and cats, and it's often harder to stop animals from eating them. 

Ladders

If you use ladders regularly in your garden for trimming hedges and doing other jobs at height, they can become a safety hazard to kids if they are not stored away correctly. Most kids are curious and will want to climb up a ladder if it is there and available. Even if you're only using a small step ladder, that could be a nasty fall for a small child, so it's essential to ensure that you have somewhere suitable to store your ladders and that they are always put away when you are finished with them. 

Designated Play Area

One good way to ensure that your kids are encouraged to spend more time in the garden's safest area, and away from tools, plants, and water features are to create a designated play area that they will love. Ensuring that they have something that will keep them occupied and is more interesting than anything else around them is an excellent way to keep your kids safe when playing outdoors. Sandpits for kids are a great addition to your family garden and are sure to keep little children entertained for ages, or you could get a swing set or garden slide for hours of fun. 

Security

Finally, no matter how safe your garden is for kids, if it is not secure, there is always the risk that your little ones could end up getting out of the park, where they will face more dangers. It's essential to check the boundaries of your garden, whether you have hedges or fencing, to make sure that there are no gaps that your little ones could squeeze through and get out of if they get curious and decide to explore. Remember that small children can fit through some tiny holes, so even if it doesn't look like much of an escape route, it's always better to be safe. 

Spending time together in the garden can be a great way to bond and make memories as a family, but parks can have many hidden hazards for kids. Keep these tips in mind for a safe and child-friendly garden.