Yard Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Kids and Pets Safe

It’s that time of year again– with spring-time rolling around and the rainclouds slowly fading away, it’s time to spruce up your outdoor living space!

But with young kids and reckless pets, it’s not as easy as just going to buy some flowers and some furniture to get the job done.

So, what can you do to keep your kids and pets safe in a yard that you can be proud of?

As it turns out, we have a few simple-to-follow tips that will make your house the life of the neighborhood and keep your kids entertained, happy, and most importantly, safe– you’ll just have to keep on reading to find out!

Make Any Necessary Repairs or Upgrades

Take a look at your backyard; is there anything that seems out of place, broken, or just plain old?

• Are any tiles out of place?
• Is your lawn patchy, overgrown, or so out of shape that it’s barely even a lawn?
• If you have a patio or deck, are any of the floorboards loose, nails/screws exposed, splintering, or sharp-cornered?

If you have kids, you know good and well that they sure are rambunctious little ones most of the time. With all the energy they have, you want to be able to provide the safest environment possible.

A sharp or broken down deck can cut or scrape up an unsupervised child, they can trip on an overturned tile or stone, and holes or muddy patches of grass can be slippery and dirty– and the last thing you want is for your kid to bring mud into the house!

Because of this, it is important to make sure that nothing in your yard can serve as a danger zone.

Contact your local contractors and masonry experts to find a time that you can have your deck, tiling or other layout design work repaired and stay up to date with your yard maintenance. P.S. If you are a contractor yourself, these simple tips can help to boost your business.

Keep Any Plants, Flowers, Fruits or Vegetables in Raised Pots or Barrels

Pets love to run around and play in the dirt, grass, and other plants, but for any garden, it is important to keep your plants safe so your fruits and veggies can properly grow.

A simple solution to this is to raise any of your produce or herbs so your pets can’t get to them. In order to keep your backyard stylish, you can try large, wooden planter boxes, wine barrels, or anything that would fit in with the style of your yard.

This doesn’t just protect the plants, it also keeps your furry companions out of reach of anything that can be dangerous to their wellbeing.

A Space Just For the Kids

In a backyard full of furniture, gardens, and other “adult” things, it’s important to have a contained space where your child can have all the fun they want.

LuvMiHome’s “5 Steps for Making Your Backyard Staycation-Friendly” tells it’s readers how to make their backyard a paradise, take a look.

There’s really something for all kids, and, depending on the amount of space you have, you can create an at-home amusement park! Here are a few ideas to make your kid’s summer days a blast:

• Buy a portable basketball hoop, a volleyball net, or some smaller soccer goals to keep your family active and healthy.
• Install a swimming pool or purchase a fiberglass, inflatable, or plastic pool that your kids, and pets, can cool off in on a hot summer day.
• Have some money to spend? Splurge and invest in a family hot tub, trampoline, backyard swing, or play structure.
• Give your child a corner of the yard that is “theirs”. Perhaps buy a playhouse where they can keep their things or even just give them a cardboard box so they can let their imagination run wild!

By giving your child a space of their own, you can both keep them safe and away from danger while playing, have a smaller area to maintain, give them a sense of freedom, and allow them to be as creative as they want.

Adjust Your Landscaping

Kids and dogs alike love to explore, and if your landscaping is low to the ground and easily accessible, your child or pet may be exposed to danger.

Thorny plants and bushes like roses probably aren’t your best bet unless they are planted out of the way. If you are a gardening buff and have to handle thorny plants do not forget to add proper gardening gloves to your arsenal.

Large rocks and stones can badly injure your child if they slip and fall onto them, so limit the use of these during landscaping.

Research which plants are toxic to dogs and cats so you don’t accidentally poison your beloved pets.

While you may have to make some sacrifices while you are landscaping your yard, some easy adjustments to yard maintenance can be made in order to protect your kids and pets.

Moral of the Story Is: Keep Your Kids and Pets Safe in Your Backyard

Clearly, with kids and animals, it’s important to do whatever you can in order to keep them safe.

Whether you decide to make their own space for fun, keep your plants and landscaping out of reach, limit the use of dangerous plants/decorations, or update your backyard, keeping your yard maintained is vital in order to safeguard your backyard for your kids and pets.