How to Baby proof your Garden
Transforming part of your backyard into a small playground is a great way to spend time with your little ones while creating a fun environment that they will be able to enjoy for years to come. However, toddlers can have a tendency to get a little bit too curious and end up accidentally hurting themselves in the process. While some accidents are unavoidable, there are some precautions that we can put in place to limit the risks to our little ones. Skip the Band-Aids and focus on smiles by following these helpful tips on how to baby proof your garden and back yard area. With a little work and forward thinking, you can make your backyard the ideal outdoor retreat that is safe for you and all of your little ones.
Add a Play Pen Area
Babies and toddlers in general are naturally curious explorers. They can work their way into the most unexpected places in the shortest amount of time. As a parent, it can be very stressful maintaining your backyard and worrying about your child’s safety. More often than not, we would rather just leave them in the house while we tend to the garden, but adding a play pen area can help to give them a safe area to play, while giving you the peace of mind when you need to clear those weeds away from the tomatoes. Adding a play pen can eliminate that unnecessary anxiety by confining your baby to a safe play space that will give them plenty of fresh air and room to play while you tend to your garden needs or just sit back and relax on a sunny afternoon.
Clearing the area
While a playpen is a sure-fire way to baby proof an area, your child will still need to stretch their legs. So before letting them run wild, make sure to clear out all the potential hazards that could injure your little munchkin.
Things to watch out for include:
Garden Hoses: Garden hoses can easily cause your rambunctious toddler to trip or a crawling baby to get run off water into their mouth. Secure your hose by getting a proper hose reel or a hose reel cart from your local hardware store and installing it properly to the house or in a secure box. It will look nicer this way and you will have one less thing to worry about while everyone is outside.
Gardening tools: Most gardening tools are very sharp and can severely injure your child. I have a hard time just preventing injury to myself while using them so you know a young child could hurt themselves in little time. These tools include hand forks, garden hoes, rakes, pruners, shears, loppers, saws, etc. Keep them in a locked shed or sealed storage bin to prevent accidents. Proper storage will also make the tools last longer and prevent rust and weather damage.
Furniture: Apply baby-safety padding to rigid edges on patio furniture to avoid unnecessary boo-boos. Babies will put just about anything in their mouths, so make sure your outdoor furniture is durable and resistant to snapping and tearing. If you need Industrial Task Chairs you can buy here at J&A Industries. Wood furniture that stays outside year round is also a prime place for children to get splinters! You may consider having them wear some type of glove that will give them an added layer of protection against the extra dangers that come with playing outside.
Pool Covers
Everyone knows about the dangers on an unattended pool, but how many people consider a pool cover dangerous? Crawling babies and toddlers alike can become trapped underneath and suffocate. They might think it is fun to play underneath the pool cover, but can quickly become disorientated and panicked. Always store your pool cover in a safe place away from where your children can reach.
Block off Garden Ponds
Never underestimate your baby. As soon as they’re mobile, babies can disappear like magicians. One minute they’re playing happily in the grass and the next, they’re making a beeline for your pond. Spare yourself the flood of fear that comes from just thinking about the potential of your child toppling into an open body of water by adding gates or other barriers to ponds.
If you have any barrels or other water displays that could be pulled over, make sure to block those off as well.
Toxic Plants and Shrubbery
Although they are pretty to look at, many plants, flowers and bushes are toxic if ingested. Keep your child’s play area away from potentially poisonous foliage or better yet try to just remove anything that you know is toxic from your yard. If you aren’t sure if a plant is toxic or not and you have an I-phone, you can now identify plants with the picture app. Just take a picture of the plant in question. Open the photo and then swipe up. A little pop up window will open underneath the photo and the very first thing it says is “Look up plant.” If you click on that it will tell you what the plant is and tell you all about it!
Safety Through the Years
Above all else, supervision is absolutely the best way to prevent accidents from happening. As your child grows, the backyard garden can become an oasis for playtime and bonding. Make sure that you always take precaution when installing new furniture, playsets, or anything that could pose a threat to your child’s safety. Try to do things together so then you are both focused on the same thing rather that putting them in one area while you work on another area. The more you can do things together as a family, hopefully the less you will have to worry although there is a certain amount of worry that will probably never go away.
