Having a house with a yard is such an advantage, especially when you have little children. Outdoor play is crucial for your child’s proper development, but you also need to think about safety. While your yard can be a source of endless fun for your child, it can also pose some safety risks. Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize these risks and make your yard a safe haven for your child. In this article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about childproofing your yard for the outdoor safety of children. But first, let’s take a look at the list of potential outdoor hazards:
Evaluating Outdoor Hazards
If you think it is hard to think of each potential outdoor hazard, here are some of the most common risks:
- The proximity of the nearby streets
- Unsafe playing equipment
- Free access to garden tools, vehicles, and chemicals
- Potentially toxic plants and dangerous insects
- Pools, ponds, and other water sources
Of course, this doesn’t mean that your yard is filled with all of these dangers. And that’s why you should assess play areas to determine which parts of your yard are potentially dangerous. Then, when you find those potential hazards, you can work on minimizing or even eliminating them by childproofing your yard.
Securing Boundaries While Childproofing Your Yard
We all know how fast children can run. Blink once, and your child already ran out of your yard directly onto the nearby street. This can happen to everyone, but it can also be very dangerous due to cars driving by. To prevent this from happening, here are some things you should do while childproofing your yard:
First, installing fencing and gates should be your number one priority. These fences/gates should be high enough so that your child can’t skip or climb them with ease. Also, avoid fences/gates with horizontal slats, as they are basically acting like ladders.
You should also always closely supervise your child when playing in the yard, especially when they are still little. If you have to go inside while your child is still playing outside, make sure you can still see them.
Playground Equipment Safety
If you fill your yard with various playing equipment, such as swings and slides, you need to ensure they are safe for your child. This includes choosing high-quality equipment and installing it properly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Make sure that you choose only age-appropriate equipment. For example, if your child is still a toddler, you shouldn’t choose the equipment intended for school-age children.
Finally, through regular maintenance and inspections, you will make sure the equipment remains in its best condition. You don’t want to risk your child’s safety by letting them play on broken equipment.
Lawn and Garden Safety & Childproofing Your Yard
If you have a lawn or garden in your yard, you probably use some tools and even chemicals to maintain them. Additionally, you probably own a lawn mower. You should keep all these things out of your child’s reach to avoid physical and chemical injuries.
Also, some plants growing in your garden or lawn might be toxic to humans when touched or ingested, so make sure you remove those from your yard. Teach your child to identify such plants and not to touch them.
Insects and other animals will probably visit your yard from time to time, and some will even make their nests there. This is another thing to watch out for because some of these animals can be dangerous, venomous, or have nasty bites. Keep your yard free of ants, hornets, snakes, and other animals that could harm your child. Check your child for ticks regularly.
If there are some play vehicles or all-terrain vehicles in your yard, your child is probably thrilled about driving them. However, you should only allow your child to play and be around these vehicles when you are watching them. When you are away, take the keys out of these vehicles so that your child can’t start them when unsupervised.
Pool and Water Safety & Childproofing Your Yard
If you have a pool or a pond in your yard, lucky you! It is a great way to have some fun during the summer months, but again, things get a bit complicated when you have a child. That’s when the pool goes from a fun place to hang out to a drowning hazard.
You should only allow your child to enter the pool or even come near it when you are around. Consider installing a fence around the pool to keep kids and pets away when you are not around. Additionally, you can install some alarms that will prompt you that someone has entered the pool.
Teaching your child how to swim is another way to keep them safe around pools. Finally, having some life-saving equipment around the pool will make the whole area much safer for everyone. And, of course, don’t forget to supervise your child when around and in the pool, even if they know how to swim!
Educating Your Child
As with many other situations, no matter how much you child-proof your yard, you still need to educate your child on how to stay safe outdoors. Depending on your child’s age, you can start with some simple language and concepts while they are still toddlers.
As they grow up, you can teach your child more safety tips and rules. Knowing the best safety practices will keep your child safe not only in your yard but also in many other places. After all, you can’t childproof the whole world, but you can teach your child to stay safe wherever they go!
It’s a Big World Out There for Our Children
Overall, your yard is a perfect place for your child to play and explore the outside world. However, it also comes with some dangerous spots, such as pools, nearby streets, playground equipment, lawn and gardening equipment, various plants, and animals.
Childproofing your yard isn’t a one-time task. By continuously keeping your yard a safe place for your child, you will ensure your child can play carefree and create some precious memories.
Finally, don’t forget to child-proof the inside of your house!
Be aware, and stay safe!
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