Parents are now more eager to get kids moving and playing in their backyard. There’s an epidemic of sedentary lifestyle among children today as more of them spend most of their time slumped in the couch, tinkering on tablets and phones.
However, while you may be fighting obesity, you could be exposing your children to other risks. Make sure to protect your kids from these common backyard hazards:
Swimming Pool
Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries and deaths among children. The more alarming reality is that it happens in a matter of seconds. It could be at that fleeting moment you forgot to close your backyard door or flicked your phone to check on social media notifications. It’s important to keep kids off the pool when they’re unsupervised.
Close off that area with a gate and fence installation. Tampa specialists remind homeowners to comply with state and local regulations on height requirements to ensure children’s safety. It will also be beneficial to restrict access to the pool itself by installing a cover on it.
Note that even with supervision, you may miss out on a kid drowning. That’s because drowning doesn’t look like what you see on TVs. It’s not with flailing hands or loud calls for help. It’s usually just silent, so you have to pay extra attention to your kids.
Garden Tools and Chemicals
It’s far easier to start work in your garden when you have your toolbox just lying around. Remember though that that box is a treasure chest in your children’s eyes. It holds stuff that provokes curiosity among kids. That spells trouble, of course, increasing the risk for choking, wounds, cuts, or worse, dismemberment.
As much as it’s extra work for you, make it a priority to tidy away your tools and keep them in your shed every after use. Place the toolbox at a higher rack and lock up the shed. Never leave huge equipment, like lawnmowers, especially. Your kids may not know yet how to turn it on, but it’s still a safety risk.
Tidying away applies to garden chemicals, too. Keep pesticides, fertilizers, pool cleaners away from kids’ reach. Kids may ingest these chemicals and get poisoned as a result.
Recreational Equipment
‘Fun’ could also be dangerous. There’s risk involved as well in the actual play area of your children. Kids going up on equipment that is too high for them increases their likelihood of injuries from falls. To avoid this, discourage kids aged five and below to climb equipment higher than six feet. School-aged children, on the other hand, shouldn’t be reaching for those at 8 feet.
Beware of the possible dangers from trampolines, too. Your kids may fall to the ground from the equipment or crash into other kids jumping. Put your trampolines on a flat surface and provide cushioning mats. Avoid having a lot of kids jumping at the same time. Keep the younger kids from doing stunts as well.
Playing outside and exploring the outdoors are beneficial in improving children’s health, more so in curbing obesity. But know that there are risks out there. Limit the dangers by staying alert and equipping your space with safety gear.