Keeping Your Children Safe Outdoors
Keeping your children safe while they play outdoor or even in a custom-built playhouse is as easy as following four simple rules, provided here by the Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project.
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Supervision
It seems to go without saying you must supervise your children at all times, but the rule is the most basic, important rule for maintaining your children's safety. Make sure playhouses are constructed well within view from inside the grounds' main home, and keep a door or window of your main home open while little ones are in the playhouse; you'll be able to hear any calls or sudden, unnatural sounds. Two-thirds of playground deaths occur on home turfs; take the simple, necessary precautions required to ensure yours is the safest in the neighborhood.
Age-appropriate Equipment
This rule, perhaps, is one most applicable to playhouses; while all hard edges or sharp-corners should be sanded or softened during playhouse construction, all playhouse furnishings should be suited for the age of the children to inhabit the house. Make sure furniture has no small, sharp or detachable parts, and don't hesitate to update furniture as children get older. |
Fall Surfacing and Proper Depth Under Equipment
While you might not immediately think of it, keeping the ground soft and balanced in outdoor play areas (logically) reduces injury in the case of falls. Also make sure structures that stand more than 4 feet tall have a proper, solid foundation, denoted by your own state's playground guidelines.
Equipment Maintenance
Be sure to inspect, clean, and otherwise maintain your children's play equipment on a daily basis, particularly in months during which a playhouse is used more than once a day.
