Whether you are just starting to expand your family, or you are moving into a home with a garden for the first time, there are a lot of things you need to think about here. As is ever the case with being a parent, one of the primary concerns is safety. You need to make sure that you are doing all you can to keep your family safe, and that means paying particular attention to the garden. Here are some top tips for making sure that your garden is much safer and more family-friendly.
Create & Secure Fences
If there are not already fences around the garden, you might want to think about creating some. There are many good reasons to have fences around your garden – the main one being that it simultaneously stops people easily wandering into the garden, and your children wandering out of the garden. It also gives you a feeling of privacy, which can be important when you are raising children. If you have fences, make sure they are kept in a good state of repair, and secure any that need work.
Use Lighting
If you are going to allow your children to run around in the garden in the evening – and there is no real reason not to – you should at least make sure that there is ample lighting throughout the garden. As long as you are using enough outdoor lighting, it is going to be easier to see everything in the outdoor space, and that will make it much less likely that your children suffer any injuries, while also ensuring you can keep an eye on them more easily as they play.
Be Careful With Water
As a general rule, you are going to want to take care with water in the garden, especially if your children are going to be unsupervised even for a second. You can easily avoid a tragedy by sticking to this rule. That means no ponds, no water butts and troughs, and you only get out the paddling pool when you are able to supervise them easily. If you can do all that, you are going to be keeping them so much safer.
Make It Fun
With all this talk of safety, it’s important that you don’t overlook the importance of allowing your children to have fun in the garden. You should be actively encouraging them to use their imagination and explore the outdoor space. When you are young, the garden can be one of the most exciting things in the world, and it’s essential that you allow your children to explore it openly and freely. As long as you have taken care of the safety essentials, you can do this without having to worry about it. You might even actively encourage their curiosity with bug hotels, play spaces, sand pits, and so on.
As you can see, it only takes a few changes to make any garden a more family-friendly and much safer place to play. Bear these points in mind and you should be on your way to a better family garden.