Garden and plant safety

These tips will help you create a secure garden environment for your child to explore and enjoy safely.  

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Gardening and enjoying the outdoors with your family offer many health benefits. It’s essential to be mindful of potential hazards in your garden. Here are just a few examples, tips and resources to help create a safe outdoor environment for your child or young person to explore, play and enjoy.  

Potential hazards in the garden can include:  

• Poisoning. Some plants and items we use for gardening can be toxic and lead to poisoning.  Ways to prevent poisoning include:  

• Learning about garden plants and teaching your child about the importance of not touching or eating any plants without adult supervision. The  Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) provides a list of ones that could pose a risk to children.   

• Use child-safe fertilisers and pesticides in your garden. Look for guidance on safe gardening practices on the National Allotment Society's website.   

Barbecues can be a good way to socialise, get outdoors, and enjoy some food. While this is fun, it's important to know the risks and how to minimise them:  

• Burns from the flames or heated equipment or food products. 

• food poisoning. 

• injuries from the barbecue, such as cuts from sharp edges or bumps from barbecues falling over. 

• fires. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has a helpful guide on how to be safe with barbecues.   

Trampolines are a fun way to get some exercise for the whole family to enjoy. Making sure your family can use the trampoline safely, and with the right equipment, can help prevent accidents.

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• Position the trampoline in a spacious area, away from trees and walls. This can help prevent injuries if your child falls from the trampoline.   

• Install a safety net around the trampoline and ensure it is zipped up when the trampoline is being used. This will help stop any falls to the ground.   

• Check the protective pads cover the springs, and there are no holes. Damaged protective pads could lead to spring-related accidents.   

• Replace any worn pads, springs, nets, or any other safety equipment that is damaged.   

• Supervise children when they are playing on the trampoline.  

• Encourage your children to be safe on the trampoline and not try to do any somersaults.

Paddling pools have so many benefits. They can help your child learn important skills while playing, keep them cool in the heat, and provide endless fun.   

To keep the fun flowing, you can:  

• Place the pool in a safe space. Try an area that is always in the shade or place a parasol nearby to keep it in the shade, to prevent sunburn. Keep away from sharp rocks, on a flat area away from trees. This can help prevent trips and slips and debris falling into the water.   

• Make sure children are always supervised at all times. It only takes a few seconds and a small amount of water for a child to drown, so it is very important they are always supervised.   

• Keep the water clean. Bacteria and algae can grow in water, which can cause infections, viruses, and other health problems. Use a pool net to remove any debris, remove any water when you have finished using the pool. Clean the pool before and after use.   

Knowing what to do in an emergency can help keep your family safe. 

Gardening tools, equipment, and structures are common in the garden.   

Garden tools are sharp and can cause injuries. Greenhouses made of glass can become very hot and lead to overheating, and broken glass can easily cut the skin. To be safe, we can:  

• Keep gardening tools out of sight when not in use.  
• Keep your greenhouse well-ventilated and make sure children to not enter unattended.  
• Choose toughened glass panes for your greenhouse. When smashed, toughened glass breaks into small pebble-like pieces and often stays in place. Other glass can shatter into sharp pieces.   
• Remove and replace any broken panes.   
• Keep children away when using garden equipment like lawnmowers.  
• Keep seeds and other substances in their original packaging and out of reach of children. Seeds can pose a choking risk, and things like pesticides could be mistaken for a drink.  

Bites and stings. Our gardens are home to a wide variety of bugs and insects. They may bite or sting us and can result in a red itchy rash with some swelling. Common stings can come from:  

• wasps and hornets  
• bees  
• mosquitos   
• caterpillar hairs  

Common bites can come from:  

• ticks  
• midges and gnats  
• horseflies   
• spiders  

Most bites will get better in a few hours or days, but sometimes they can become infected, cause anaphylaxis (severe life-threatening allergic reaction), or spread diseases. Find out how to check and what to do if you think you or your child has a bite or a sting.  

Gravel stones are found in the garden as they are low maintenance, durable and cost effective, and good at keeping weeds at bay. But for young children, they can pose risks such as:  

• Choking. Young children and babies often like to explore by putting things in their mouths. They may see gravel and want to put it in their mouth which could lead to choking. Keep children away from the areas with stones or use larger stones that are too big to swallow. Always supervise young children closely when near gravel.  
• Injuries/infection 
  • Like with their mouths, young children can get curious and put things up their noses. This can lead to injuries, infection, and difficulty breathing. If you think your child has put something up their nose, don't try to remove it yourself. This could push the object further in. Show your child how to breathe through their mouth and take them to A&E or minor injuries. 
• Tripping or falling. Gravel can be uneven, which can cause children to trip or fall, especially when running. Create clear, flat paths and stepping stones in areas they may access to reduce the risk of tripping.  
• Throwing stones. Children sometimes like to throw things. It helps them learn about their physical capabilities and can be fun. Throwing gravel can cause injuries to themselves or others. Teach your children not to throw stones, and why. Give them alternative safe things to throw, such as a ball.   
• Cuts and grazes. Falling on gravel can cause small cuts or scratches, which could get infected. Encourage your children to wear shoes and protective clothing when playing near gravel. Treat any scratches promptly.  

  Other useful links for outside safety:  

• Teach your children to respect nature and garden safety. Explore wildlife-friendly gardening with RSPB.  

• Regularly inspect your garden for potential hazards. The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) website offers advice on creating a safe outdoor environment for children  

• Refresh your knowledge of basic first-aid procedures. 

You can also watch this short video (1min 8sec) on how to prevent accidents in the garden.

Remember to always supervise your child when they are in the garden.  

Free first aid workshop for adults | British Red Cross  

Child Accident Prevention Trust have useful ages and stages of development safety reminders.  

NHS Baby and toddler safety   

ROSPA has lots of further safety information for parents to keep your child safe.