Garden safety

Advice on keeping your baby safe in the garden with information on securing garden ponds, machinery, chemicals,fencing and barbecues to ensure they pose no danger.

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While the garden can be a fantastic place for your baby to play and learn about the world, there are some basic precautions you must take to ensure that your baby is kept safe.

While your baby is in the garden you should never leave them unattended and should be extra careful when baby is playing on a raised area (such as a patio or decking) or near any kind of water (including ponds, paddling pools and even buckets of water). If there is a pond in your garden you should build a sturdy fence around it and place netting or wire mesh over the top to avoid any accidents.

You should make sure that your garden is securely fenced and that the fence is smooth without any nails or sharp points that baby could catch themselves on. Additionally, if you have a loose stone wall in your garden you should make sure that all the stones are firmly held in place and cannot fall or be pulled out of place.

When not in use all garden tools, machinery and chemicals should be kept locked away, prefereably in a garden shed so that baby is unable to access them. You should also ensure that any poisonous plants you have in your garden are removed - with a good gardening book you should be able to distinguish the poisonous from the harmless plants in your garden.

Barbecues (whether gas or charcoal) should be kept out of baby's attention, especially whilst they are being used as they can pose a big safety hazard to infants. Barbecue utensils, lighting materials and grill racks should also be kept away from baby. It is also important to bear in mind that barbecues take several hours to cool down so baby should not be allowed near them even after use and as soon as it is safe to do so they should be stored out of harms way.

You should make sure that you thoroughly wash your baby's hands after playing in the garden, especially if you have pets that mess outdoors.When in the garden, your baby should wear a sun hat and sun cream and if possible play mostly in the shade even if the sun doesn't feel very hot to you. It is also important to remember that baby's loose heat a lot faster than adults and so should be dressed accordingly.

You should always make sure you take sufficient measures to protect your baby from the sun, even on days when the sky is overcast. During the warm months of the year you should ensure that your baby wears a sun hat and long sleeved t shirt when playing outdoors, you should also regularly apply a high SPF suncream. Parasols and mesh covers provide additional sun protection when your baby is in their buggy or pram and mini tents provide a portable shelter to protect your baby from the sun in the garden or at the beach.

By taking a few simple precautions and by keeping a close eye on where your baby goes and what your baby touches in the garden both you and your baby will be able to safely enjoy your time together outdoors.