How to make your garden safe for children
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Before you become a parent, your garden may not seem like a problem at all. If it looks tidy enough and you’ve got space for a barbecue and a place to sit in the sun, all is well. Yet once you become a parent everything changes, and you start to look at things differently. What once appeared to be a perfectly fine back garden suddenly turns into something dangerous and difficult to deal with.
So that you can make sure your little one is safe when they’re outside in the fresh air, there are a few things to do in your garden to achieve the right end result. Rather than panicking and keeping your child inside, some small changes to your garden can mean they – and you – can enjoy it to its fullest. Read on to find out more.
Fencing
When you’re in your garden, the likelihood of you running into a fence or trying to climb over it to see what’s on the other side, or even squeezing through a gap in a broken fence panel is small. Yet these are things that a small child will absolutely want to do. This is why checking out your fencing is the best move to make first.
You will need good, strong, high-quality timber fencing to surround your garden, ensuring that your child can’t escape out into the big wide world. This fencing needs to go around three sides of your yard (unless you have a brick wall acting as one or more garden barriers) and it needs to be well fitted without any gaps. A tall, six-foot fence is best, to ensure complete safety and privacy. If your fence needs to be repaired or even entirely replaced, this is a job that should be at the top of your to-do list.
The Lawn
Your lawn is the area where your children are likely to spend the most time. When they’re learning to walk it’s softer for their feet (and anything else that lands on it), and as they get older it’s a more pleasant place to play and run around in than the patio, assuming you have one. This means you will need to make sure your lawn is in the right condition to keep your children safe.
If the lawn has lots of holes in it, a twisted or even broken ankle wouldn’t be impossible, plus it won’t be a fun place to play. If it’s full of brambles, this is another issue. If the grass is rarely cut, here is another problem.
The best thing you can do is to check the quality of the lawn and, if it isn’t great, replace it. It’s a job that might take some time, but it will be worth it to have a smooth, green, safe lawn to play on. Then, if you don’t have the time for the upkeep, hire someone who does. That way, no matter when the kids want to go outside, there will be a nice place for them out there.
Other Hazards
The garden is full of hazards that adults might not even think about, but that children could be hurt by. Take a good look around and make a list of everything in the garden that might be problematic. Ponds are a big potential issue, for example, as are birdbaths and lighting.
Each of these problems can be dealt with, either by removing them entirely or covering them in some way, so make sure it’s done and the garden will be perfect.
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