Smaller children love the outdoors, and they love going to new places and doing things because they’re easily amazed. Yet keeping your child safe while she has fun outdoors is a bit tricky because there are a lot of factors to consider. Don’t fret, however, if you’re aware of all these factors, it should be easy to prepare for them in advance. Here are some general outdoor safety tips you should keep in mind:

Car Safety

When taking your child from one place to another, practicing car safety is a must. Provided your child is over 4 years of age as well as over 40 pounds, they will be able to make the transition to booster seats. This is essentially a seat cushion that elevates the child so that the seat belt is able to fit snugly.

Fences

It goes without saying that you should never leave your kids outdoors alone but even when they’re right there under your noses, unforeseen circumstances can hit you within the blink of an eye or a single glance away. For example, if your kids are playing with a ball, you glance away for a mere second- the next thing you know your kids are chasing a wandering ball across the main road. This is why you need a fence guarding your property at all times. Fencing also applies to any electrical equipment in the child’s play area.

Stroller Safety

Parents use strollers whenever they head out, be it to the grocery store or on a long trip because it’s one of the most convenient ways of carrying a baby around. However, it can also be one of the most hazardous. If parents forget for even one moment to secure their child into the stroller with the safety straps, a wriggling child or a bump in the road can lead to plenty of injuries.

Playground Safety

Kids run into their fair share of playgrounds. It’s our duty as parents to make sure that every aspect of that playground is safe to use. Make sure you keep a beady eye out for worn-down, rusted or missing playground equipment. All nails and bolts should be secured and covered so that the jagged ends don’t scrape the children’s skin. Also make sure that the playground has enough shade, either using awnings or trees because these kids will be playing out in the direct sunlight for hours and they’ll get dehydrated pretty fast. If you notice the space doesn’t keep up to these standards, make sure to talk to the owner. Also, remember to teach your children about how far away to stay from swings that are in action.

Playground Surfacing

Children fall when they play- it’s inevitable. But we can actually minimize the injuries they sustain from falling by making sure the playground surfacing is soft. This can be obtained with materials like sand, pea gravel and wood chips. Unfortunately, grass and dirt don’t do the job nearly as well.

These are some general outdoor safety tips every parent should be aware of if they want to minimize the number of possible injuries their children are exposed to on a daily basis