Outdoor Wooden Playhouses: Safety Must Come FirstWhile the kids are entertaining themselves, as parents you need to have peace of mind that they're 100% safe. Top of your list of priorities when building an outdoor wooden playhouse has to be your child's safety. The structure needs to be stable, adequate protection is required if your child falls over and there shouldn’t be anything protruding or sharp that could seriously injure them. Location is also a key safety consideration and you should position the playhouse where you can keep an eye on them while they play. Don’t tuck the playhouse away behind a large tree or garden fence. Here’s a practical guide to creating an outdoor wooden playhouse that ticks all the safety boxes: What's so good about wood?Wood is a natural material that is fairly good at cushioning a fall. If properly maintained, it will stay strong for many years to come.The other really great thing about using wood for a playhouse is that it's much easier to adapt to grow with your child. Toddlers quickly grow out of the common plastic playhouse, in terms of size and suitability. Wooden playhouses on the other hand can be repainted and redecorated, inside and out, to provide an outdoor living area that's safe and fun for toddlers to teenagers. Child safety guidelinesEvery country has its own safety guidelines for the manufacture of toys and playhouses. If you’re buying a pre-assembled or kit playhouse, check it is built according to the safety guidelines in your country. This should give you a guarantee that the product you’re buying is as safe as possible for your children.Do remember however that it’s your responsibility to keep checking the equipment. An outdoor wooden playhouse will last for years and years if it’s properly looked after. Make regular checks, at least a few times per year, to ensure everything is still safe. Create a durable structureCedar is one of the best types of wood to use when creating an outdoor playhouse. The red variety is naturally rot and insect resistant, and you can add to its strength by treating it with oil-based stain or non-toxic paint. This will really help to protect the wood and keep its character, as well as creating a colourful playhouse your kids will love.You can also get the kids involved in the painting stage, so they feel part of the project and pride in the finished job. You’ll need to recoat every couple of years, which is the perfect time to change the style of the playhouse to suit your growing child. Finished for safetyIt’s very important when building a wooden playhouse that any corners are rounded off. A kit or pre-assembled house should already have this feature as standard, but it’s worth checking every corner before you let your kids start playing.All timber should also be planed and finely sanded, to prevent injury from splinters. It’s recommended that even if you buy a pre-made playhouse kit, a few splinters may have been missed and it’s worth giving it a final light sanding to be sure. Hardware should all be made from stainless steel, to increase strength and prevent any rusting. Make sure all screw heads are fully flush with the timber, to prevent injuries from scratching or during a fall. Access in and outEasy access, in and out, is vital for child safety. If your little one is injured, you need to make sure you can get to them quickly. Accidents do happen when children are playing and sometimes there’s nothing you can do to avoid it. But you want to make sure you can help them as quickly as you can.Doors should never be lockable and it’s essential they won’t get stuck by pieces of furniture or poor fitting. Soft Fall AreasOutdoor wooden playhouses are created with action-packed designs, from rope ladders in tree houses to bendy slides out the back door. Playhouses that are built off the ground need to have a soft fall area to cushion a child should they fall. Soft impact materials include bark chippings, sand or cushioned matting. Adequate strong railing should also be put around any high edges.If you ensure your child’s wooden playhouse is finished with safety in mind, you’ll be free to enjoy some peace and quiet while they entertain themselves in the great outdoors! Click Here to return from Outdoor Wooden Playhouses
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