Tips to Keep Toddlers Away From Houseplants

Having a little one in a house with lots of plants may seem challenging at first. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fill your house with plants and still make it a safe, fun place for your toddler. Here are some tips for how to keep toddlers away from houseplants and enjoy a home full of beautiful greenery at the same time!

How to Keep Toddlers Away from Houseplants

1. Keep them up high

This may seem like an obvious solution. However, there are so many creative ways to move your plants up high so that they are out of your toddler’s reach. Of course, bookshelves, tall cabinets, and dressers work well. In addition, though, you can also think outside the box and place plants on top of the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, and even wide window sills.

2. Hang them

If you don’t have furniture high enough to keep plants away from your toddler (or you don’t have enough furniture for all your plants!), hanging them is another great way to get them up higher. It doesn’t take much time or money to create a simple rope plant hanger and attach it to a hook on your ceiling or a dowel.

Depending on how much work you want to do, you can also create your own DIY shelves or wooden wall brackets.

You may even be able to hang planters on existing rods or other infrastructure in your home (think curtain rods, strong light fixtures, etc.). Just be sure to check the weight restrictions first.

3. Use a tall basket or pot

Another idea is to plant in tall, heavy baskets or pots that are too high for your toddler to reach into or knock over. You could use a wicker laundry basket, a concrete container, or anything else that your toddler won’t be able to reach his or her hand over. Place some rocks at the bottom before adding your soil if you want to add some weight.

Other tips for keeping plants with toddlers around

No matter how much creativity you have, you may not be able to keep all of your plants out of your toddler’s reach. Here are some more tips for keeping both your toddler and your plants safe.

Opt for non-poisonous options

For the safety of your child and your peace of mind, it’s just not worth having potentially poisonous plants in your home! Before bringing in new plants, do a little research to make sure that they are safe. Most of the time, kids won’t ingest much, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Let your toddler help care for the plants

Teaching your toddler to help care for your plants is a great way to help your child learn to handle plants carefully and respectfully. Let your toddler help with watering, and perhaps even teach him or her the names of the plants or any interesting facts you know.

Sharing your love of plants with your child will help him or her to see the value of treating them with care.

Teach them not to touch

Here’s another point that may seem obvious. Still, in many cases, toddlers can simply learn that your indoor plants aren’t for touching. Consider starting with just one or two plants that are within reach. As they grasp the “no touch” concept, you can slowly bring more plants down to their level.

As you teach, have something interesting – like a toy – to redirect your child’s attention to as you move them away from your plants.

How do you keep houseplants away from toddlers?

Have any of these ideas worked for your home? What other ways have you found to keep both your houseplants and young children safe?