Designing an Outdoor Play Area

Now that warmer weather is here, you’ll be spending a lot of time outside playing with your children. But before heading out, make sure your children are safe by making your backyard as secure as possible.

Designate a play zone: Make sure children understand the boundaries of where they are allowed to play. Position this area well away from the driveway and preferably out of view from the road. Setting up bright orange cones or some other visual cues will help children recognize and stay within this area.

Alert drivers of children at play: Consider purchasing a retractable gate to fit across your driveway and posting signs to alert drivers that children are at play. Even if you have established play zone areas, it’s too easy for children to forget and run into the street or driveway after a ball or other toys. So always keep an eye on your children and frequently remind them to watch for cars. Your driveway could also be a danger zone! If you have a basketball hoop set up or ride-on toys, your children may be distracted from cars entering or leaving your driveway.

Secure your doors: As children get older and become more curious, they’re more likely to go outside without asking. Install safety locks on sliding patio doors and consider putting alarms on all doors leading outside to alert you if one has been opened.

Check your deck railing: Similar to your staircase banisters, the railings on your deck should be no more than 2 3/8” apart. If they are, there is a chance your child could fall through. Consider installing a railnet to secure the railings.

Inspect your swing set: Annually check that the S rings on the swing set have not rusted and are secure. Be sure all bolts are securely fastened and not protruding and, if needed, add another layer of playground mulch around the entire area. The mulch should extend at least 6’ in every direction and be 3-6” deep.

Installing and using trampolines: According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), hospital emergency room-treated trampoline injuries almost tripled in the last decade - from an estimated 37,500 in 1991 to almost 100,000 in 1999. Nearly two-thirds of trampoline injury victims were children 6 to 14 years of age and about 15% of trampoline injuries involved young children under 6 years old. Falls and somersaults off the trampoline often resulted in crippling injury and/or death including paralysis from spinal cord injury. So before you buy and install a trampoline, first decide if you want your children playing on one, and then make sure that every possible safety precaution (such as netting and spring covers) has been taken.

Play nice in the sandbox: Make sure sandbox toys do not have sharp edges and teach children never to throw sand. Cover the sandbox when it’s not in use to keep stray animals from getting into it.

Ensure a secure ride: Give your child’s bike a tune up (or have it professionally done) at the beginning of the summer to make sure it’s in good working condition. If the bicycle has training wheels, make sure they are secured properly and are in working order. Always make sure your child wears a helmet when using any riding toy including scooters and bikes. In fact, many states and communities, such as New York, issue fines to parents of children who don’t wear helmets while biking or riding a scooter. Always provide constant, vigilant supervision for young riders. Lastly, remember that bikes are treated like motor vehicles, always bike with traffic, not against it, and watch out for cars entering or exiting driveways. The leading cause of bike-related deaths is from people biking against traffic.