Providing a Safe Yard for Children to Play - Continued

Lawn mowers of all types can be dangerous to children who don’t know not to touch or start a lawn mower. Children are curious. The lawn mower that starts with just the flick of a switch or the turn of a key should be kept in a shed or locked up without the key so children don’t have any type of access. The lawn mower can cut off fingers, feet, hands and cause death. Keep your lawn mower put away when the children are going to be in the yard. 

The pool is supposed to be a fun place in the summer months. During the summer you will need to keep, your pool locked up when you are not outside. Children of all ages can have accidents near the pool. Set rules and make the children stick to them. Never allow children in the pool when you are not outside. Having a gate or fence around the pool will help prevent accidents. Small children can fall in the pool and drown. Bigger kids can try to swim and get tired or have a cramp causing an accident. Prevention is the best method. 

While every person’s back yard is different, you will need to look at your own backyard and ‘fix’ or ‘set rules’ that the children will have to follow while out in the backyard so you can do other things. You might only be going out front to work in the garden, but the child’s mind is always working on overtime with curiosity. 

Some other examples of the things in your yard that could cause problems are: the neighbors dog, your dog, the trees they climb, the fence that opens to the road, the roadway that is right next to your backdoor, sheds, old appliances in the yard, the barbeque, hillsides, streams, water gardens, and so much more. Just use a little precaution in cleaning up and protecting your yard and your summer will be safer!