Welcoming children into your home is a wonderful experience but not one without its stress. It’s easy for the activities of children to quickly collide with the design or integrity of a household, potentially causing harm to your little one’s health or even disruption to your own routine and work, the latter of which may not sound too troublesome but as a greater number of people begin establishing professional teleworking spaces within their property, it can become quite problematic.
The approach we take to find this balance within our home should be no different. In fact, with outdoor space being subjected to the elements, there can develop a great number of potential sources of harm for your children without you realising. As such, it is important that a homeowner take strides to not only design their garden with children in mind but to ensure it is maintained too. Here are the best ways to achieve this.
Curate Your Flora
Offering your little ones a portion of nature within which to play is a true luxury, whether that’s to imagine a safari, paddle in a pool, or enjoy their favourite sports. The environment, however, is not entirely their own and if there is any form of flora in your garden space, it needs to be reviewed.
Weeds, for example, should be identified as a number of common garden plants may cause harm to a child when ingested while others can irritate the sensitive skin of toddlers and even young adults. Some bushes and trees, those often used for privacy, design, and natural borders can also be problematic, such as the cherished yew tree, which is extremely poisonous to humans, even in small amounts.
Structural Integrity
Your outdoor furniture and garden sheds must be given review. Children, even when kept under close supervision, can quickly go from harmless exploration to potential danger. In the same way, large items of furniture are secured within the home, furniture and tools in the garden should be secured too.
An especially important aspect of this is power tools and sports equipment. If any access is given to a child, there becomes an opportunity for them to injure themselves or others. As such be sure to not only get into the habit of safely storing your garden equipment but also ensure it is secured and inaccessible to little wanderers.
Coming And Going
Is your garden totally private? There are a number of considerations to make here, namely the integrity of your borders and fence. If there is an opportunity for a child to find passage to the outside of your garden space, it must be assumed that they will inevitably take it. Loose or rotting fences can offer such an opportunity, while bushes can easily become moved or compromised during various seasons and should be monitored carefully.
Additionally, if your garden is open to others, whether neighbours or passersby, one should take this into account when designing their garden. Not only should a child’s immediate safety be considered but nearby environmental aspects, such as falling branches of neighbouring properties, noise pollution, and other environmental hazards can lead to issues for little ones.
