Choosing to buy outdoor toys in your garden, such as children’s swings, children’s slides, kids trampolines and even a pirate sandpitw, can be not only fun but also keeping them active. You may not know this but outdoor toys not only look great in the garden but can play an important role in your child’s development and social skills. All this sounds great, but we can’t ignore are the safety aspects to when buying outdoor play equipment.
Both you and your family have some common sense and already know some of the basics on safety in your own back garden i.e. making sure your garden has a surrounding fence, no sharp garden tools laying around, ponds are covered up and you can see the children at play clearly from a distance. By following these important safety measures you will minimize the risk of injury to the little ones you care about.
In order to satisfy the British Toy and Hobby Association, all outdoor play equipment such as kids trampolines, kids sandpits etc, for use at home or private use, must have the safety standard number EN71 and lion mark. By seeing these you are guaranteed that it has been tested and passed the safety test which shows that it’s passed strict tests and should be safe to use.
Play Equipment Surfacing
Outdoor play equipment such as children’s climbing frames, garden slides and anything that stands at a height will require play equipment surfacing. A concussion can result from a fall of just 12 inches if the child falls onto concrete. Never place equipment over hard surfaces like this. Although grass and dirt seem like a good safe surface, they don’t have a good ability to absorb shock. A fall from a height of 8ft can have the same impact as hitting a brick way at 30 mph! Shock-absorbing materials, such as pea gravel, wood chips, or tripple-shredded wood mulch, will help cushion falls when installed sufficiently deep. 12 inches of mulch under and around your plaground equipment will provide protection.
Inspect your play equipment
Keep your play equipment rust and splinter free. Broken or missing equipment pieces are accidents just waiting to happen. keep children off broken equipment and repair as soon as possible. Over time, protective surfacing get scattered, decomposes and needs to be replenished. But with some looking after you can prevent this. Look out for equipment that say:
1. They used non-toxic and low lead paint.
2. No bolts sticking out.
3. All outdoor toy equipment can be secured to the ground securely.
4. Have caps on the ends.
The sun
Check for hot surfaces, especially on metal, before allowing the children to play on playground equipment. Sunlight has the potential to make playground equipment hot enough to burn. Metal slides can be the worst of them all. Very young children are most likely at risk as they don’t have the coordination to quickly to pull their hands away or get off hot surfaces. You should also limit the time the children spend in the sun. As the sun move higher in the sky, the sun rays become more intense and can do more damage to the skin and eyes. Playing in shaded areas helps reduce the amount of sun exposure. Bare in mind protective clothing, hats and sunscreen lotion, and drink plenty of water.