How to Make Your Garden Child Friendly*

Transitioning to parenthood is a complicated process.. not only do you need to think of the immediate things a baby needs, but you also need to think of the future. And on part of that future, it’s about making your home and garden child friendly and child proof. Today, I’m thinking about the garden.

These days your children can’t really go roaming the streets, in fact it’s not even really safe to let them play on your own street at least not without constant parent supervision. Even looking back only 20 years ago, I was allowed from a young age to walk 10 minutes to the park, or cycle around the village without any fear. This day and age, you can’t do that so ensuring you have a garden for your children to play in is something that a lot of parents look for when buying a house. Gardens themselves without any sort of intervention can be unsafe. From insecure fences, gravel or worse case, a pond, your garden will probably need some TLC before you can set your children loose in it. And here are a few ideas how to make that happen;

Lay a Lawn

A lot of modern houses don’t have a lawn these days. Why? The upkeep can be difficult with the fast pace lifestyle (and the rubbish weather). However grass is the best thing to have in your garden if you have children. Thankfully those upkeep worries can be a thing of the past with the growing popularity of fake grass. I’m not kidding, it’s a real thing. An artificial lawn that is all weather proof and low maintenance is something you can now have in your garden. It’s both child and animal friendly and not only that you can choose a type to your liking, be it closely mowed or something a bit more rugged. No more worries about skinned knees on that pesky gravel, artificial grass is perfect for your kids of all ages to play on.

Before getting started with laying a fake lawn, you may have to remove your real lawn. Thankfully there are great schemes to help you figure out how to dispose of soil on your property. Once it’s been removed you’ll be able to follow instructions on laying your fake lawn.

Check all Fences and Walls are Secure

When I worked a hotel one of my co-workers told me of a total horror story about the wall in their garden collapsing when they were playing football outside and someone kicked a ball at the wall. It must have been a week spot as the whole thing fell down and it was just pure luck no one was hurt. Like with the pond, it’s not worth the risk that your child could get hurt. Before you use your garden recreationally check all fences and walls are secure and encourage your children not to climb on them. You can actually get professionals to come in and check that a wall is structurally sound. My garden is surrounded by a large wooden fence, after every storm I get my dad to give it a good shake to ensure it won’t collapse on Little Miss while she’s out playing.

You might also want to make sure the wall of your house and garden and looking their best, especially if you’ve moved into a new house or live in rented properly. Graffiti can be a nightmare to remove and it really does bring down the look of your home and garden if it’s present. However Slime and Grime Cleaning have you covered, they can easily get that graffiti off your wall and have your place looking it’s very best and well fitting in the community.

Invest in Some Garden Toys

Now we’ve done all the ways to make your garden safe for children, how about making it enjoyable? Lets face it, kids get bored easily so getting some garden toys or activities will encourage them to stay out long. I have a pop up house (as I could never afford a Wendy house) which LM loves, along with a scooter, some balls and a little table with chairs. Some families have a trampoline or if you have a big garden with a tree, a tree house could even be an option. If you’re looking for a great time to buy garden toys, especially the big stuff, wait until the end of season when stores put everything on sale!

Encourage Them To Help Grow Things

My kid loves to help my mum in the garden. She loves to help grow things, flowers, herbs, veg, anything. The thrill of seeing something come from her effort definitely fuels this. If you want your child to help keep your garden look nice, encourage them to take part in the gardening process. I don’t mean with any dangerous tools, but the planting and watering is a good start. You never know, they could have a natural green thumb!

We may not get much in the way of a British Summer Time these days, but if you have your garden catered to your children, you can instantly enjoy what little we do get!