Children need to be playing outdoors. Just because it gets a little bit colder doesn’t mean that our children should stop benefitting from playing outside.

Choose a playground that has soft playground surfacing that can prevent an injury during a fall from the monkey bars or while running on the surface. In addition, the material should permit the proper drainage of rainwater or snowmelt so that there are no slippery puddles underneath the swings or the jungle gyms.

Tip 3: Watch Your Children Carefully

It is essential to watch your children carefully at a playground to notice any problems that can occur. Some of the issues that can happen include older children bullying younger children or having strangers in the area who don’t have children. For optimal playground safety, remain alert and walk around while your children are playing to avoid any problems, such as a kidnapping.

“The important thing is that we find ways for our children to be outside no matter what the weather is like. When the weather is poor, we will need to find creative solutions to help them be active and stay healthy.”

Tip 4: Unusual Dangers While At a Playground

Check your child’s clothing for any problems that can occur while playing on the equipment. Your child’s garments shouldn’t have any dangling strings that can become caught on the components of the playground equipment because it can lead to a choking hazard or other type of issue that can cause a serious injury.

Tip 5: Check the Playground Area for Broken Glass or Sharp Objects

If there are trees around the playground, then the falling leaves may cover the safe playground material. This may seem okay, but it is possible that there is broken glass or other sharp objects underneath the leaves. When you are preparing to visit the park, bring along a broom to sweep away the tree leaves to find any potential dangers.

Tip 6: Watch for Dropping Temperatures during the Autumn

Remain alert about the changes of temperature during the autumn. If the temperature drops, then the moisture on the soft playground surfacing may begin to freeze, making it difficult to walk and play on. This is when it is time to go home to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa and chocolate chip cookies with your children

The playground surfacing can save a simple fall from turning into a trip to the emergency room.

1. Fall Protection From 25 Feet

While playground equipment isn’t always tall, there are a few pieces of equipment that can reach quite a height. Although the railings are built in a way to keep the children inside of the structure, you can be sure that some clever child is going to attempt to climb over the railing to go even higher. If that child should fall, a hard material like cement or even stones can severely injure them.

A soft playground surface like wood chips can help cushion their fall. It has fall protection from up to 25 feet. Should a child fall, their injuries could be dramatically reduced if they fall on wood chips as opposed to harder surfaces.

2. Non-Toxic

Young children will put anything and everything into their mouths. While cement may be harder to chip, when it does, you can be sure that children are going to want to put the pieces into their mouth. The same goes for pebble stones that are used. For many children, the circular pebbles look like various forms of candy. They’ll quickly discover that this isn’t the case when they put it into their mouths, but the damage has already been done.

Wood chips are non-toxic. While their appearance alone should dissuade children from putting them into their mouth, if they do, at the very least, it’s non-toxic. It won’t harm them. It also means that when they’re playing in the wood chips, toxic material isn’t being rubbed into their skin. They’re not breathing it in, and they’re not playing in it.

3. Non-Flammable

Another reason that wood chips are a safe playground material is that they’re non-flammable. A lot of thought goes into fall safety and other dangers, but not that much goes into flammability. Children aren’t the only ones who use the playground. Older teenagers and adults sometimes hang around the area, too. If those individuals smoke, they might set fire to the playground accidentally. If a child happens to be playing on the playground as it happens, it could result in a dangerous situation.

Wood chips from Soft-Fall are not flammable. They won’t present a fire danger to the playground where other soft materials might. This is just one less danger that parents have to worry about.

4. Great For Cost

Outside of playground safety, those who are in charge of maintaining the playground will find that wood chips are cost-effective, low maintenance, and affordable. This allows them to spend their budget on other safety features for the playground. Wood chips allow for the foundation of playground safety to be built. From there, further additions can be made to ensure safety.

Minimizing the amount of force that a child’s body takes on as they fall is the best way to improve playground safety.

Wood Chips

Wood chips are mostly used in dry climates because of its tendency to hold onto moisture. It has the same problem that sand has when it gets wet. The chips become heavier after a rain, and they are less efficient at spreading out impacts from falls. Wood chips can stay damp for days after a heavy rain, and you should check to see if the chips are wet underneath the top layer before letting your children play.

An important thing to note here is that we are referring to actual wooden chips. Not Sof’Fall’s Engineered Wood Fibers.

“The bigger concern is not educating the child on playing safer but teaching the people who build the parks what safety is supposed to look like.”

Cement

Understanding playground safety is very important when the play area uses hard surfacing materials like cement. Falling from standing-height can cause severe injuries on cement. Smooth concrete can become slippery after rain, so you should avoid running on it. Cement can also freeze very quickly in cold temperatures. Be sure to check for leaves, and look out for any other debris that could become a slip hazard while running.

Asphalt

Asphalt usually has more grip than other hard surfacing materials, but that doesn’t make it slip-proof. This material is mostly used in skate-parks and running tracks. Wet debris in an area after rain is the real hazard. Always wear a helmet when riding a bike, and look ahead to avoid any slippery obstacles. Even running shoes can easily slide if you step on wet grass clippings, so remember to keep your eyes open when enjoying recreation in rainy weather

Rubber

Loose rubber found in play-areas is almost unaffected by the rain as far as impacts go. It will not absorb extra water, and it stays relatively the same. Rubber padding for running tracks is another story. You should never run on rubber-padded walkways when they are wet from rain unless you know for sure that they are slip-resistant. You can easily lose your footing on rubber padding, and you’ll probably get hurt. If you get caught in a storm while jogging, then you should move off of the track into the grass. Always use your best judgment when determining playground safety hazards.

You’re Safer on Soft Playground Surfacing

Everyone wants to have a blast on the playground, and everyone can have a safe experience while enjoying their day. Use the helpful information you’ve read to ensure the safety of your family when you head out for fun