What does your toddler like to do in the garden? Need advice on garden/yard

leftofcentre · 14-02-2016 11:03AM #1

Hi folks, our baby boy is nearly 9 months old. Soon he will be crawling and walking and doing all the usual things expected of him.

With spring coming I am trying to work out how to revamp our garden to make it baby friendly. At the moment we never use our garden as we have a conservatory and spend most of the time in that. But it is quite a large space and I need to think what to do with it.

There is also a small garden at the front of the house which is grass.

I have taken some photos of how it currently looks:
https://goo.gl/photos/zdHCkZaKoDaPSW5h7

I have a few ideas:
Put down grass - environmentally friendly, but then i have to mow etc
Put down fake grass - easy maintenance but not great for the environment
Put down some play mats
Extend the conservatory or put in a garden room
Do nothing and go to the park ;-)

I am thinking of some kind of play area, swing/slide etc.

Any suggestions? What does your toddler like to do in the garden? Should I stick in a playhouse? Any ideas?

He is likely to be our only kid but I am sure he will have other kids round for playdates etc.

Any advice is appreciated.

Brian

Roselm · 14-02-2016 11:21AM

leftofcentre wrote: »

Hi folks, our baby boy is nearly 9 months old. Soon he will be crawling and walking and doing all the usual things expected of him.

With spring coming I am trying to work out how to revamp our garden to make it baby friendly. At the moment we never use our garden as we have a conservatory and spend most of the time in that. But it is quite a large space and I need to think what to do with it.

There is also a small garden at the front of the house which is grass.

I have taken some photos of how it currently looks:
https://goo.gl/photos/zdHCkZaKoDaPSW5h7

I have a few ideas:
Put down grass - environmentally friendly, but then i have to mow etc
Put down fake grass - easy maintenance but not great for the environment
Put down some play mats
Extend the conservatory or put in a garden room
Do nothing and go to the park ;-)

I am thinking of some kind of play area, swing/slide etc.

Any suggestions? What does your toddler like to do in the garden? Should I stick in a playhouse? Any ideas?

He is likely to be our only kid but I am sure he will have other kids round for playdates etc.

Any advice is appreciated.

Brian

Grass is good (is fake grass rough?Im thinking about when your kid falls!)
Leave some pathway as it's easier for riding a trike on!
Playhouses are good but not essential as kids will make their own anyway with chairs and blankets!
I wouldn't rely on going to the park-if you have your own garden, when your child is older they can play out without you having to be right there beside them.

looksee · 14-02-2016 11:32AM

Tidy up the stuff lying around, put tools etc into shed. Powerwash the paving and invest in a playmat for the next little while. Don't get any equipment until you find out what your child might be interested in - a mad climber isn't going to be interested in a playhouse, while a quieter child might enjoy a quiet space of their own.

cyning · 14-02-2016 01:08PM

I wouldn't do much to be honest. Power wash, tidy up, buy a few balls (you already have a little tikes car!), wait and see on swings slides etc for this year. A small paddling pool for the summer is nice too. Or a sandpit. Which I don't have as sand being trekked into the house would make me crazy! I have grass and concrete and bar picking daisies and flowers they play on the concrete (3.5 & 22 months). Also means during the winter you can open door and let them run around without getting covered in mud.

fro9etb8j5qsl2 · 14-02-2016 01:52PM

I have a lawn garden that I've been thinking about paving like yours. The way I figure, the paving is easier to keep clean and easier for small kids to get around on their trikes and ride ons than grass. Also, you never know what is lurking in the grass that a toddler could put in their mouths :eek:

I would just power wash the paving for now and tidy up the tools etc. We have been looking at some outdoor rubber mats and swingsets/playhouses but your little one is a bit young for these so I would hold off on buying anything big yet if I were you.

leftofcentre · 14-02-2016 03:06PM

Thank you all for your responses. Maybe I will just tidy it up then see how it goes.

pwurple · 14-02-2016 11:49PM

My toddler mainly likes jumping in puddles and digging. The digging is even more fun if I'm trying to plant something.

Your garden would be fine for that, just put away anything pointy.

What does your toddler like to do in the garden? Need advice on garden/yard

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