As the weather gets warmer and our thoughts turn to the summer, parents will be looking to spend more time in the garden with their little ones. The garden is a great place for your infant to explore and learn about their environment. However, while it may be a place for adventure, there are some precautions you must take to keep your tot safe.

Keeping baby safe in the garden

Don’t let them out of your sight
Children aged 1-2 are at most risk in the garden but babies and toddlers of any age should never be left alone in the garden – not even for a minute while you grab the washing from the machine or answer the phone.

Never leave a baby or toddler on their own in the garden, especially when visiting friends who may not have child safety in mind at their homes.

Secure your garden
Take a walk around your garden and check the fencing or perimeter walls are secure and there are no sharp points or exposed nails that your child could catch themselves on. Ensure there’s nothing your toddler could climb onto as falls in the garden account for eight deaths per year for children under the age of four.

There will of course be corners and edges in your garden on steps and walls that are unavoidable but that doesn’t mean you can’t protect your toddler. Corner protectors and corner guards provide a protective cushion on sharp corners in the garden to help reduce the risk of an injury should your little one trip or fall.

Garden Corner Guards

For gardens with lots of raised areas such as patios, concrete steps or decking steps, guard strips provide longer cushioned protection and can also be attached to walls.

Corner Guard Strips (available in grey, brown and beige only)

Toddlers will wander in and out of the home during the summer and this usually means they have to climb a small step to get into the house. Their natural instinct is to grab hold of something to maintain their balance and this often results in trapped fingers in the hinge side of an external door.

With over 40,000 injuries to children resulting from trapped fingers in doors, a child safety hand rail can significantly reduce the risk of harm. A support rail helps support your toddler while entering or exiting an external door when a 2-10 inch step up is needed.

Child Safety Hand Rail External Doors

Some trips and falls are inevitable but you can protect your toddlers head with an infant safety hat. Designed to absorb impacts to the head from a fall, it can significantly reduce head injuries and is suitable for children from seven months to 2 years-old.

Thudguard Infant Protective Safety Hat

Keep garden equipment out of harms way
A garden requires an array of equipment, tools and machinery to keep it looking at its best but strimmers, lawnmowers, secateurs and washing lines are dangerous items for your infant to be around. Weed killers and pesticides alone account for over 30,000 children being treated in hospital every year.

Keep all chemicals, tools and equipment in a locked shed. Chemicals should be stored in their original containers and never in fizzy drink bottles which your child could mistake for a drink. If you have a washing line keep it out and above head height – a rotary washing line should be kept open because when closed children are likely to play with it and risk strangulation.

Barbecue (BBQ) safety
The summer months give us the opportunity for eating outdoors and in particular having friends and family round for a barbecue. When cooking on a BBQ, ensure your child is aware of the dangers and explain that they must not go anywhere near it. Be vigilant when a toddler is in the garden and a barbecue is lit and make sure any cooking utensils, lighters and matches are out of reach. If you’re buying a new barbecue, go for one with lid that can be down when the barbecue is unattended.

Pond / Pool / Water safety
If you have a pond or pool in your garden, water safety for your infant should be uppermost in your mind. Babies and toddlers can drown in less than 3cm of water and a third of all accidental deaths are from drowning, typically during in the summer months.

Never leave your child unattended near water - even near a paddling pool or bucket of water. If you can, empty the paddling pool of water each time you’re finished with it. For permanent pools, ensure a safety cover is fitted and across the pool when not in use. If you have a pond in your garden, buy a pond safety cover.

If you’re going to be near water with your baby or toddler, ensure you’ll be alerted should they enter water by attaching a water alarm system around their waist. These tamper-resistant units activate on contact with fresh or salt water emitting a loud sound that alerts you instantly.

Dolphin Aquasonic Water Alarm

Plants and Poo
A garden is a sensory place for everyone, the colours and smells from plants are what make it such as pleasant place to be. However, even some of the harmless looking plants can result in skin rashes if touched and their leaves, bulbs, flowers and berries may be poisonous if accidentally ingested by your toddler. Encourage your toddler to leave the plants and flowers alone and not to touch them.

If you are pet owners, check the garden for dog or cat poo before allowing your child to play in the garden. Tots love to put things in their mouth and dirt from the garden could contain faeces. Cat poo can contain a parasite that is dangerous to pregnant women (causing birth defects) while dog poo may contain toxocariasis which causes flu symptoms.

Clear up after your pet and ensure your child washes their hands after playing in the garden.

Sun safety in the garden
Your tot is at the same risks from the sun in the garden as they would be at the beach so make sure they’re properly protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sun suits, hats and sunglasses and sun cream are essential to protect your infants delicate skin.

To keep them away from the sun but safely playing in the garden, a UV tent is the ideal product. Providing UPF 50+ protection and simple to assemble, a UV tent offers shelter from the sun while in the garden.

Mini UV Protector UPF50 Shelter

Insect safety in the garden
The summer sun brings out the bugs and some of them bite. Mosquitoes, midges and other biting insects can be safely repelled using a smoke coil. This product provides 8 hours of protection and is an effective way to repel irritating flying insects.

LifeSystems Mosquito Smoke Cells

By taking these simple precautionary steps and staying vigilant at all times, you and your child can have a safe and fun time together in the garden.

Related articles:

Child Safety in the Garden

The Importance of Child Safety Gates

Travel with Baby in Safety this summer