How to Create a Safe Outdoor Space for Your Kids
By Sam Bowman
During the pandemic, many families moved away from urban areas in favor of rural or suburban life. This means that families who are used to city parks now have outdoor areas of their own—often for the first time. Having an outdoor space of your own is wonderful—especially during this time of lockdowns, school closures, and quarantines—but it’s important to make sure your outdoor space is safe for your kids.
With spring now around the corner, you need to consider making sure your outdoor space is a safe and fun. Kids learn by exploring, and they are unlikely to respect the boundary between lawn or play areas, and flowerbeds or water features. As a parent, it’s your job to prevent disaster.
However, before you get stuck digging, planting, and landscaping, check out our tips below to ensure everything you do prioritizes your kid’s safety—so you can all live a healthy, happy life.
Pests
Even the most manicured of gardens is still open to nature. This means that everything from bugs to small animals might roam into your garden. Sometimes this interaction with nature can be nice — we all love to see bunnies hopping across the lawn. However, not all animals and insects should be welcome as some can be hazardous to children.
You can control pests in your yard by staying on top of cleaning, and by applying child-safe pest treatment in areas that get a lot of bug traffic. Typically, you should focus your attention more on areas like doorways, grills, and woodpiles, as these areas attract the most bugs.
You can usually use a generic cleaning spray to control pests in these areas, but there are other options available if you feel the need to step up your pest control efforts. If you want to maintain a “natural” look, then consider planting pest-repellent plants like basil or marigolds, as these deter mosquitoes and other bugs. Alternatively, you can install insect repellant lighting or fire pits to keep the bugs away at dusk.
Poisoning
A typical yard or garden contains a surprising amount of hazardous materials, poisonous plants, or harmful chemicals. As a parent, you have to play the “what if” game and just assume that your child will be magnetically attracted to the bed of foxglove or the bin where you keep fertilizer.
You should start by taking care of the visible hazards in your outdoor space like flowers, garden chemical stores, and soil bags. Following this, you need to consider hidden poisons that might be lurking beneath the surface, like lead poisoning.
Lead poisoning is one of the leading causes of poisoning in children. Lead poisoning typically occurs when children play with older equipment like climbing frames or swing sets, as many goods used to be painted with lead paint. So, while the old see-saw you found on Craigslist might be a great deal, it’s probably worth opting for newer goods that haven’t been decorated using lead-based paints.
Water
A water feature can do so much for an outdoor space. The sound of a trickling fountain is deeply relaxing, and a pool can provide a much-needed respite from the hot summer months. However, if you have young children, then water can present a serious hazard to their health.
Water safety is all about taking precautions and remaining vigilant while your kids play in or around water. If you have a pool, you absolutely must install a fence around it or find some way to ensure that your child does not have the opportunity to fall in. If you have a water feature, you need to make sure that it is either raised away from children or is enclosed so kids can’t climb on it or play in it.
Play Areas
Creating a bespoke play area is a great option if you have a large outdoor space or just want to keep your child’s play separate from the rest of your yard. These play areas can take on any form and can include anything from classics like sandpits, to newer tech like rubber playground mats in case they fall.
Regardless of how you fill your kid’s play area, you will need to create boundaries that keep kids safe while they play in the backyard. You should also supervise children whenever they’re playing, even if you think they’re safe from harm in their play area. Things can change quickly, and mishaps can be prevented if you’re around.
Creating an outdoor space for your kid is a great way to help them burn off energy and connect to the natural world around them. However, outdoor spaces can also contain hazards and, as a parent, it’s your job to reduce risk as much as possible. Start by removing any hazardous materials or poisonous plants from your garden and should take extra care to ensure that water features and pools are fenced off so your child stays safe while exploring your outdoor space.
