If you’ve got a passel of rugrats, you know that they tend to get into everything, and that includes trouble. And kids love nothing more than to play outside, running and jumping and frolicking as children do. How do you keep your kids safe out there, especially when the most intrepid youngling can easily scale your backyard fence and hurt themselves?
The first and possibly the most important step is to make sure your fence is safe for your kids. What kind of materials should you use, and what potential hazards should you consider? In this article, we’ll discuss a few important things to think about when looking at replacing or building a fence that will be safe for your precious little bundles.
Materials to Avoid
It’s important to choose the right fencing material to keep your kids safe. A wood picket fence may look nice, but if your kid can climb it, then it’s no good. Likewise, a chain link fence might be an affordable and efficient choice, but chain link is also eminently climbable. Basically, if your kid can get a foot into it, then they can climb it, and they probably will.
Wood
A lot of homes have solid wooden fences around the backyard, and on first inspection, these fences may look to be pretty safe for your kids.
Assuming you’re looking at a flat wall of pickets, and not the other side of the fence with the crossbeams that your kids might try to climb, a wood fence seems to be a reasonable choice.
However, there are some pretty significant dangers with regard to wood fences. Wood is a natural material, and it’s prone to damage such as splintering, cracking, and wood rot. Wood fences are also generally attached with nails, which can rust and deteriorate. If your kid gets ahold of a loose picket and starts messing with it, they risk injury from splinters, puncture wounds from loose nails – which could land you in the ER waiting for a tetanus shot – and worse.
Chain Link
As discussed above, a chain link fence is a terrible choice for yards with kids, because they have these nice little holes in them that are perfect for a kid’s foot to gain purchase and climb.
Additionally, chain link fences tend to have spiky bits on the top of them that can lead to puncture wounds or scratches. And like a lot of materials, chain link can deteriorate and rust over time, leading to other hazards and potential for injury.
Wrought Iron
A wrought iron fence can be a beautiful and stylish choice for your yard but look at the structure of the fence carefully. Wrought iron fences tend to have sharp, decorative spikes on top. Again, this sort of situation is just waiting to injure your child.
The bottom line with all of these materials is: Think like a kid. If it’s at all possible for your child to damage a fence, or to damage themselves while playing with or around a fence, then that fence is not a good choice.
Better Material Choices
The best fence material to keep your kid safe is one that gives your child no opportunity to climb, break, or damage it, and one that has absolutely no way to break or damage your child. The best fence is a flat wall, made of sturdy materials, tall enough to flummox even the most intrepid climber, and not prone to deterioration or damage from the elements.
Vinyl
Vinyl fences can be a great alternative to wood. Vinyl is more durable, stronger, and more flexible than wood, and it’s not as prone to rot or deterioration. A flat, tall, vinyl fence can prove nearly impossible for even the most determined climber to summit, and vinyl doesn’t splinter or break like wood does. True, it’s more expensive, but there’s a serious savings on maintenance costs over time, and the peace of mind of knowing your child is safe in your yard can be worth the extra cost.
If you’re concerned with the aesthetics of your fence, then be sure to choose a vinyl fencing material that looks more like natural wood. Some vinyl fences can look pretty artificial and maybe a little bit tacky compared to their wood counterparts, so it’s critical to be choosy.
You can also look for composite materials – mixing wood fibers with some plastic and other artificial materials. These fences can look more natural, but of course, you’re the only one who can determine whether you like the look.
Aluminum
An aluminum fence is a great alternative to a wood fence. Aluminum fences can be painted in a variety of colors and finishes and provides a safe barrier for your child. Aluminum doesn’t rust or deteriorate as wood fences do, and an aluminum fence can be virtually maintenance-free for years.
Make sure the fence is solid and tall enough so that your kid won’t be tempted to attempt a climb, and trim back any low-hanging tree branches that might be near your fence so that your kid won’t try to climb a tree to escape and find adventure.
Other Considerations
When building a child-safe fence, it’s critical that you think like a child. Remember back to when you were young. What mischief might you have gotten into? Did you climb? Did you try to break things to figure out how they worked? Did you dig holes? Did you throw rocks?
When considering your best fencing choice, take a mental inventory of every possible kind of mischief that your precious bundle of joy might get into, and make sure your fence can withstand all of them. Make the fence tall enough that it can’t be climbed, durable enough that it can’t be pried apart or otherwise damaged, and avoid any fence that has any kind of protrusions, spikes, or any other pointy bits that might snag a shirt or a finger or worse. Having the peace of mind that your child will be safe in your yard is worth any amount of money and time spent thinking carefully about the right choice.
Once you make that choice, contact the experts at Fencing Direct! We’re here to help you find the right fencing materials for your needs and budget.
