Making Your Hammocks Safe For Children
Kids often take an instant fancy towards hammocks and they love to spend their time swinging on and out of them. At times you may find them lazing endlessly on their hammocks and you may even need to drag them off from their hammocks. Hammocks for their all benefits can at times be risky for your kids. This may sound surprising but a weak hammock is a recipe for disaster as your kids can fall of them and get injured. So it is imperative that we make the hammocks safe for kids by taking care of few points that we have discussed below.
To begin with, one needs to exercise discretion in purchasing hammocks for kids. Always go for hammocks that are made of quilted material or fabric and never buy rope or cord based hammocks. Even though cord and rope hammock may be more comfortable they bear the risk of getting twisted around the neck of your child, which may lead to a serious accident. Toes and fingers of your children may also snag in the rope weave. In addition you can go in for mini-hammock chairs that are specially designed for young children in the age group between 2 to 5 years.
While installing a hammock for children, tie it in such a way that it is closer to the ground. However one must also note that it should not be too close that it becomes uncomfortable for adults. Place it at an appropriate height so that it is comfortable for everyone in the family with special care to make sure that kids can get on to it and get down without any hassles.
Do not forget to buy tie-down safety straps and install it in your hammock so that it keeps the hammock from tipping over during use, especially when the weather is windy. You can get tie downs for your hammock from local warehouse chains, such as Home Depot or from specialty hammock sites, where you can get longer period of warranty than the warranty offered by the manufacturers.
Before buying a hammock, you should carefully inspect it to make sure that there is no sign of wear and tear or weathering. This examination is required even after you purchase it, at frequent intervals. Therefore, it is essential that your child also understands the basic checks he is required to do on a routine basis before swinging on them.
It is very essential that you lay down ground rules of using the hammock for your children. Tell them that you want to see them safe and sound and why they need to follow certain safety measures to avoid any mishap. If you have very young kids then they should not be allowed to climb or get down from the hammock in absence of any elder member of the family. Once you have installed the hammock, call a family meeting in which you must teach every kid in the family about the appropriate way to use it correctly and safely. Demonstrate them how to sit in the hammock and tell them that the best way is to sit squarely in the centre of the hammock and never sit with your feet first in it.