Backyard safety tips
Categories: Babies, Toddlers, Fun & activities, Health & safety, Environment, Mommy musts, Pets
I envy those of you with a backyard. Really, I do. Some of you have cookouts, some of you have pools. Some of you engage in a random game of horse shoe or lawn bowling. For those of you with kids, though, have you thought about just how safe your backyard really is?
This list provides not only a list of things that are potential disasters waiting to happen right in the back of your house, but also quick fixes to make life easier, and safer, for everyone. Things as simple as knowing where to properly place your grill can make all the difference between safety and accident, not to mention charcoal that isn't fully extinguished.
And, did you know that more than 68,000 people are poisoned by plants every year? Some plants, if ingested, can be fatal to pets and small children. For a quick scan of the inventory in your backyard, and whether or not it poses any sort of health hazard, visit prevention.com/links. Then there is perhaps my biggest fear of all: The pool. Unfenced pools have led to so much sorrow over the years it's a wonder people still have them. According to the Home Safety Council, a quarter of the drownings in the United States each year occur near home. Pools can be a lot of fun, but only if taken care of and managed properly.
For more information on these and other helpful tips, including how to deal with pesticides, ladders and decks, check out the article. Then, check out your backyard and see if any of these tips apply to you!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Judy 6-03-2008 @ 9:51PM
We just cut down the oleander that had been growing in our backyard. I knew it was toxic, but I hadn't realized until I looked it up just HOW toxic it was. Scary stuff!
Other than that, I think we're okay on that list. We might have some standing water - we sometimes forget to empty the little kiddie pool (and once had a toad almost get stuck in it), but where we live, mosquitoes are a problem no matter what, year round.
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Debbie Morgan 6-05-2008 @ 3:04AM
I agree with you regarding pool mishaps. Over 900 children between the ages of one and fourteen die every year from drowning. In California alone, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4. I'm glad to say there is a product available that will help reduce these numbers. The pool alarm will alert you while in the house if your pool water is disturbed. It's available on my web site and because I feel strongly about putting these products in the hands of those who need them most, I have made it available at a reduced price with free shipping so parents who need this protection can afford to have it to help keep their family safe.
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Debby Chastain 6-07-2008 @ 10:27PM
I agree that you can't be to careful when it concerns water safety.
I have a large in ground pool in my yard and even though I was a
lifeguard and a water safety instructor i still take NO CHANCES .
I have 5 grand children ages from 17 to 3 they all swin like fish
except for the 4yr old and the 3 yr old which I am working with them now.
I have taught my 17yr old and my 11 yr old life saving and today it was a good thing the 4 yr old took one to many steps and was in over her head there were several people in the pool and her 11 yr old brother saw her and pulled her out , she was scared but I took her right back in and it is all good again she is coming over tomorrow with my 3 yr old for more swimming lessons .
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