How to Keep Your Deck Safe for Kids and Pets?

Kids and pets are very curious species. They keep roaming here and there in the backyard or deck. But if not under supervision, their activities on the deck can be dangerous to their well-being. Therefore, you need to know tips to make the deck/backyard safe for your pets and kids.

The steps are easy. Read them explained below. 

Steps To Make The Backyard And Deck Safe For Your Kids And Pets:

Lock the door at appropriate times:

While babysitting your kids and pets, take notice of the timing. Check when they are most active and curiously crawling around. Specifically, during that time, you lock the door that connects to the backyard or the deck at the back of the house. 

This way, you limit their entry and exit to the deck. It’s one of the safest ways to defend your kids and pets against the deck that’s not cleaned or fully prepared yet. Here are some kids-friendly custom patios services.

Ensure not to use and put toxic plants in the backyard:

Even if you allow kids and pets to roam around on the deck, make sure there are no toxic plants. That’s one of the smartest ways of preparing your backyard for spring when kids and pets love to spend time outside. 

One reason is that toxic plants can cause various illnesses to kids and pets. They can even fall ill for a long time if they touch or eat anything growing on these plants. 

But when spring is here, limiting kids and pets indoors is not healthy. So, you have to adjust and remove toxic plants from the deck and backyard for their safe playtime outside. 

Check for sharp objects or protruding nails from the damaged wood:

Give your backyard or deck a careful go-through. Ensure there are no sharp objects before you let your kids and pets out. This also includes you checking for broken objects and protruding nails from the wooden flooring. 

If there is any, either get it removed or cover it with thick carpets. This way, the roaming of kids and pets on the deck floor will be safe and smoother. But don’t let sharp objects lie around unnecessarily when you know it’s time for your little ones to play outside. 

Otherwise, they can end up hurting themselves. And no parent wants that accident to ever happen to their little ones. So, it’s best that you carefully check the deck/backyard once. 

Check the temperature of the deck and backyard floor:

Make sure that the temperature is not too hot in the spring. Do that by touching the deck floor every five minutes or so. Otherwise, hot flooring can hurt your pets’ paws. They would be in utter pain and have difficulty roaming around to enjoy the summer heat. 

The same could be for your kids when they are toddlers and want to explore the backyard of your house. If you think the deck is too hot at the moment, try cooling it down a bit with cold water. 

But remember to rub off the standing water properly before letting your little ones out in the back. 

Clean the grease trap of the grill if there is any:

If you have a griller or BBQ system at the deck, make sure to clean it properly. No greasy or hot meat or food marks/remains should be there. Otherwise, your little ones might end up touching and consuming the same. 

At times, the grill might be hotter. If pets and kids touch it, they will get hurt – with a scar or mark. You don’t want that to happen to them ever. So, avoid using the grill when kids and pets are out there on the deck. 

Or, just verify that the BBQ is cool and there is nothing wrong with the system. 

Get down periodically to check the deck from your little ones’ POV:

Don’t let your little ones meander on the backyard or deck. Crawl a bit sometimes to check if you missed a spot, speck, dirt, or object. Crouching down to their level gives you their point of view. Checking the deck and yard from that point is utterly essential/necessary.

This way, you won’t leave out a single spot where your kids and pets can reach.