A garden is a place everyone in the family should feel welcomed and safe. When a young child arrives, it is natural for parents to feel like they need to make changes to ensure that nothing can possibly go wrong. The good news is, just a few adjustments need to be made when it comes to renovating your garden to make it more child friendly. Here are some tips to consider.
Make walking areas soft
Cement, bricks and other hard surfaces should be avoided if it all possible in a garden where youngsters will frequent. That is because they are bound to explore on their own, and one fall can cause some significant injuries.
Steps and other tricky sloped areas are particularly challenging for children. The flatter the garden, the easier young children can actually navigate. If it is impossible to remove hard surfaces, look into installing rails for them to hold onto as they walk. Even rope can be beneficial for balancing in the garden.
Have plenty of shaded areas
Most people who have a garden already know where the shaded places are. It is especially important to have shaded spots in the garden for children. They can be a ball of energy at first, but in the summer months the heat can be exhausting. Children are also more susceptible to getting burnt by the sun, so it helps to have a few shaded areas to cool off. If you have a nice big tree to shade your hard, even better! Make sure that the tree is healthy and safe. If not, look into https://www.thelocaltreeexperts.com/ to safely remove a tree from your yard. One trend at the moment is summer houses, people have started to put them in to their gardens. They have multiple uses, from a place to go and read to a lazy spa storage unit. You can always find a use for a summer house. The cost of a summer house can range from £1500-£10,000 depending on the size and quality.
Have a special area for the children
Even those people with smaller gardens can mark off a very tiny area for children to learn about plants and grow some of their own. This allows them to gain some valuable knowledge on what needs to be done in order to have a beautiful looking garden in the future. They can pick out the plants they want to, design their own garden bed and more.
This also is helpful for those people who decide to mark off certain areas in the garden for children. Sometimes it is just impossible to make every area of the garden childproof, so making some areas off limits is the only way to keep them safe.
Research all plants before hand
There are some plants that are very beautiful, but they can be dangerous if a child does not fully understand how to identify them just yet. Lily of the Valley, foxgloves and various types of poisonous berries are just a few plants that need to be avoided if at all possible.
On the other hand, Monstera Adansonii, or Swiss Cheese Plant is a popular plant that is safe for children and can even be fun for them to look at. You will still need to take some time to learn about the care it will require but that can be done with your child and can be a great bonding experience.
This still leaves a lot of different plant options that are not poisonous or a true skin irritant. Planting tomatoes is a safe and easy thing to start children off with. Plenty of other grasses and flowers are also available.
Final thoughts
It is natural for children to be very curious about a garden. Have fun with it, and keep safety in mind. With the right direction, they will have a lifetime love for nature.
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