Garden Design for Children
Health and Safety for Children
Whatever you decide to incorporate into your garden, the health and safety of your children must be paramount.
It is worth reading our general section on Safety in the Garden, though this is aimed primarily at the gardener.
Children face additional hazards in the garden, partly because of their exuberance, which can easily lead to bumps, scrapes or falls, but also because of simple lack of experience. When it is a matter of health and safety, nobody wants children to "learn the hard way".
For starters, ensure tools and chemicals are locked away safely at all times when they are not actually being used. Garden chemicals in particular can cause serious illness or even death and some of them appear very attractive to young children. It is good practice not to buy more than you need for current use. If you do have surplus, keep it out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard within a locked shed.
In similar fashion, store your tools safely away, including larger items like ladders, which may not be sharp but which constitute a big temptation to adventurous children.
Forms of energy used in the garden can also present hazards for children.
Electricity can be lethal in an instant so it is good practice to keep children well out of the way when using any kind of electrically powered equipment. If you have power outlets in the garden or fitted in outbuildings, it is prudent to have a ready means of isolating this whole section of the electrical system so that it is only powered when it is needed and when there is a responsible person present to supervise how it is being used.
Other forms of energy include the likes of petrol or gas canisters. These should be treated in the same way as other potentially dangerous chemicals, ensuring there are no potential ignition points in the vicinity of where they are stored.
Some plants that are often found in gardens are poisonous, such as euphorbia and foxglove. Check on any new plants you are considering buying so that you avoid introducing hazards inadvertently. There are plants such as roses that have very sharp spines that can easily puncture the skin – opening up the possibility of infection from the soil or from animal excrement
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