Having plants in your house is a wonderful thing; they provide oxygen and beauty, and they are much easier to keep alive than a fish tank! But then, you have kids… How to keep kids from destroying houseplants is a commonly asked question, and one that we are here to help with.
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How To Keep Kids From Destroying Houseplants?
For children, most things are there to be played with. This is all well and good – until it comes to electrical cables and your treasured plants!
For kids (similarly to cats and dogs!), anything is fair game – from snapping off leaves to make “nests” to turning the soil into a sandpit.
Obviously your plants will not thank you for this treatment – so how do you protect your green babies from your human ones?
- Move the plants. The most obvious solution – place plants in spots where the kids can’t reach them.
- Use lightweight pots. Putting your plants in plastic pots will offer another level of protection – if your child pulls one off a shelf at least they won’t get hurt.
- Cover the soil. Placing a layer of cling film over the soil will stop your plant pots being used as a sandpit or as modelling clay.
- Get your kids involved. Helping them to care for the plants will give them a sense of responsibility, meaning they will be less likely to destroy them.
- Set clear boundaries. Kids seem to think that everything in the house is theirs to play with, so enforce from day one that plants aren’t toys!
This plant expert has shared a good article on how to protect your plants from your children.
How Do I Protect My Indoor Houseplants From Kids?
Kids have a homing button for the things they’re not supposed to have, don’t they? When these things include your precious plants, it’s time to take action!
- Place plants up high. Putting them out of little ones’ reach is probably the best option.
- Cover the soil. You can use a cloth or some cling film, or buy special soil coverings for this purpose.
- Enforce rules early on. If your kids know from day one that they are not to play with your plants, they are more likely to leave them alone. (This one is not guaranteed, however!)
- Ensure your plants are harmless. This is more about protecting your kids from your houseplants, rather than the other way around – but making sure there is nothing toxic in your house is a good idea with little ones around.
For a few visual instructions, watch this video on how to cover the soil of your plants:
How To Keep Babies Out Of House Plants?
Keeping babies out of your house plants is easier when they are smaller – take this as a warning!
When they are tiny and just starting to cruise around and put everything in their mouths, protect your plants by covering the soil with a layer of fabric.
It may also be a good idea to move your plants to a high position so they cannot be reached – just watch out for inquisitive little hands pulling pots down onto their heads!
Another very important thing to note is that you should research your plants thoroughly to make sure that they are not poisonous.
As we all know, babies and toddlers love to put things in their mouths, and the last thing you want is a trip to the ER!
If you have a plant that you know is toxic when eaten, it’s probably best to get rid of it when you have babies, just to be on the safe side.
Where Do You Put Plants For Kids?
Kids can be little whirlwinds, can’t they? Messes, breakages and spills seem to follow them around sometimes!
For this reason, it is always a good idea to keep your plants high up, where kids can’t reach them.
This will not only keep your plants safe, but will also protect your child from having a plant pot fall on their heads!
You don’t want to sacrifice having wonderful, oxygen giving plants in your home, but if you have kids then you should definitely place the plants out of reach.
You can either place them on shelves, or you can buy clever little hangers that can hold your plants from the ceiling – this is extra good for trailing plants.
Indoor Plant For Teenager
A plant for your teenager might be met with rolling eyes and a groan, but giving your teen a plant is good for many reasons:
- It will oxygenate their stinky bedrooms. Teens are well known for not tidying their rooms and for being smelly; a plant can bring some much needed oxygen into their pits!
- It will teach them responsibility. Plants don’t need walking, and many don’t even require feeding – but caring for a plant can help a teenager become less self centered.
- It can improve their exam results. Studies have shown that plants can improve cognitive function, so if you want them to do well at school then a plant will definitely help.
- It can help them be more resilient. Plants have been shown to increase resistance to pain as well as lowering blood pressure, so a little jungle in their room can help your teen become more rounded.
Teenagers are notoriously lazy and scatterbrained, so the best plant you can get is one that is low maintenance.
Try to find a plant that does not need a lot of regular watering, in case studies and a social life get in the way of taking care of plants.
Go for a plant that is rewarding – one that produces lots of leaf with the minimal care is the best bet for your teenage gardener.
A spider plant is a great option; they require very little input, are great at providing oxygen, and produce beautiful trailing leaves.
Final Thoughts
Now that you are armed with a few ideas on how to keep kids from destroying houseplants, you can hopefully keep your jungle flourishing!
Just remember to take a bit of time out from yelling at the kids not to touch the plants so that you have time to water them (the plants, not the kids!)
How can I get my kids interested in growing plants rather than destroying them?
Using something that will reward them is a great bet for helping kids get into looking after plants – try growing simple flowers with them, or growing your own easy vegetables and herbs, so that they have something to show for their efforts.