How to Child-Proof Your Backyard and Make It Safer
A backyard is a place where you can relax with your family, host a barbeque or even create room for your children to play. This space is welcoming and also adds to the beauty of your home. However, accidents can happen in your backyard, especially to your children.
Sometimes you may not be able to prevent every accident from happening, and that is why it is essential to have some first aid skills, keep a first aid kit and have emergency numbers that you can call in case of an accident.
This is why it is crucial to know the potential causes of such accidents and how you can prevent them. This article highlights some of how you can child-proof your backyard to keep your children safe.
Pool
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If you have a pool in your backyard, it is vital that you child-proof it because it can be a common area where accidents can occur. The easiest way to ensure your children’s safety while they play in the pool is to always keep an eye on them and supervise what they are doing. You can also fence around your pool to prevent your kids from going inside the pool.
It is also essential to avoid putting toys or floaters inside the pool because they might tempt your child to jump inside the pool to get them. It is advisable to learn CPR and keep a rescue kit because it will help you offer first aid in case of an accident.
Rain and Sun
Sometimes there can be extremes of weather like heavy rainfall, hail, or a lot of sunshine. These weather conditions can put your child at risk of sunburns or extreme cold, posing health problems.
You can use shades or even awns to keep your child safe during such times. You do not have to cover the entire backyard, but you can choose only to cover a portion of it.
Deck
If you have an elevated deck in your New Jersey home, it is essential to monitor your kids while playing on it because they can easily fall and get hurt. One of the ways that you can prevent your child from getting hurt when they are playing on the deck is by placing a soft landing where the deck ends.
You can also put a guard on the railing to prevent your child from sliding. Watch out for any breaks on the wood that can harm your child while they are on the deck.
Also, you can add an awning in your backyard. These awnings from North NJ can help you settle while watching your kids. This will ensure you get to see what they do.
Protect Them From Toxic Plants
Plants in the backyard add to its beauty. You can have different types of plants in your backyard or even flowers. It is common for young children to taste other things, and therefore, they may try to taste different plants.
The Consumer Report reports that the most typical cause of poisoning in young children is tasting toxic plants. Some of the poisonous plants include Easter Lily and English Ivy.
To protect your child from such plants, you can fence off and avoid having the plants together. It is also essential to constantly watch your children while playing outside near these plants.
Another thing that can help keep your kids safe when they are playing close to the toxic plants is to teach them to avoid putting things in their mouths. It is also essential to prevent planting plants with sharp edges and permanently remove branches from plants in the yard. It is advisable to have a poison control number at all times as parents.
Insects
Insects can also pose a severe danger to your kids while they are playing in the backyard. For instance, your child can get a bee sting while playing in the backyard, which puts them at risk of getting severe allergic reactions. It is also common for mosquitoes to be flying in the backyard, and these can also bite kids. To keep your kids safe from insect bites while in the backyard, you can avoid dressing them in bright colors while playing outside and avoid using scented soaps on them because this can attract insects.
It is also essential to keep your child away from any stagnant water in the backyard because this is usually a habitat for mosquitoes and other bugs. If your child is above two years, you can use bug spray on them to prevent insect bites because children who like playing with insects can educate them to leave insects alone because they can sting them.
The Shed
Most people store their equipment and all the stuff they use to take care of their garden in the shed. These items can include lawnmowers, rakes, shears, and even products like fertilizer. These items can pose a danger to your child, and therefore, it is vital to protect your children from coming into contact with them. You can keep your child safe by locking the shed whenever it is not in use and baby-proofing the doors to the child to ensure that there is no space where your child can get into the shed.
Safety Gates
When you cannot keep an eye on your children when they are playing in the backyard, you can invest in safety gates. These gates ensure that your child can not access the backyard without your permission. You can build a wall around the backyard that your child cannot cross over. In addition to providing safety to your kids, safety gates and fences also ensure your privacy. They allow you to spend some time in the backyard and have peace of mind without interference from other people.
In summary, the backyard provides a space for your kids to play, a place where you can rest, and adds beauty to your home. However, the backyard can also pose some risks to your kids while they play. Such hazards include insect bites, tasting poisonous plants, falling in the pool, or even getting injured by the equipment that you use in the backyard. This article highlights ways in which you can baby-proof your backyard to keep your child safe. It is also essential to ensure that you learn some first aid tips to take care of your child in case of an accident.
