Keeping Kids Safe This Summer
Whilst it’s not unusual for gardeners to come a cropper occasionally, (and we don’t mean in the horticultural sense!) in the course of the gardening year, it’s the little ones who are most at risk. It takes 5 years for a child to develop any real appreciation of danger and begin to show any kind of responsibility for themselves. And that’s just the start! With little more than time and common sense you can make your garden safe this summer with our handy tips:
Danger One: Old wood in the garden.
Imagine yourself as a toddler once more. Suddenly, that broken old wooden ladder underneath the apple tree looks far more intriguing than most things Pepper Pig can muster. The secrets that lay beyond the cobwebs in that run down old shed could lead to treasure of undreamed proportions.
Solution: Build a storage box with the old wood (if big enough) or find an alternative storage box, like a log and tool store to keep all broken off wood together.
Danger Two: Water
Water is of course one of the greatest dangers to kids in our gardens and is the 3rd largest cause of accidental death within our homes to the under 5’s. More disturbing is the fact that eighty percent of child pond drowning occur in somebody else’s pond, be it a friend, a relative or a neighbough. So if you are a pond owner with no children, think very carefully about what you can do to prepare for even the most unexpected of little guests.
Ponds are not the only risk as far as water is concerned. Open-topped water butts present a real risk as they would be very difficult for a small child to climb out of, if full of water.
Solution: Fence off the pond, with a small fence this will discourage children from playing around the pond area.
Danger Three: Escape Routes
One great love of children, being inquisitive creatures, is to learn the art of escaping, and it doesn’t always have to be via a route as obvious as an open gate. Low fences can often prove too irresistible, not to mention that hole in the boards nestling behind the delphiniums leading into the enchanted secret garden of the next door neighbours. Whilst you may feel there’s little harm that can be done, when was the last time you checked for the odd rusty nail sticking out from last year’s Catherine wheel?
Solutions: Grow a climber on low fences, have extra locks on gates and make sure all holes in fences are bordered up. There’s no way they can escape now.
Danger Four: Chemicals and Fertilisers
Over 30,000 children are treated in hospitals every year with suspected poisoning; garden chemicals and fertilisers can frequently be among the causes.
Solution: Always make sure that potentially harmful substances are kept secure, preferably stored in a locked container, or at the very least on a high shelf.
Danger Five: Garden Tools
Don’t forget to keep tools secure too, no matter how innocent looking. The world is full of little boys who want to play with big toys just like Dad! And let’s not forget to mention how much fun it would be to wake Tigger the cat from her afternoon nap in the greenhouse, with a surprise haircut with Granddad’s best secateurs.
Solution: Make sure all tools are put away in sheds and storage spaces and make sure to keep them secure with locks.