This is a follow up to my Four Best Ways to Baby Proof Houseplants blog that focused on blocking your baby from your houseplant’s soil. It’s not just the soil that’s tempting for your toddler, the leaves and stems are incredibly entertaining as well. Here are a number of reasons you may want to keep your toddler away from your plants:
- Toddlers aren’t known for being gentle on plants. Your houseplant may end up with ripped leaves or bent stems.
- Some plants are dangerous to touch or eat. Houseplants, like cacti or succulents, may have prickly spines. Other plants like dieffenbachia or varieties of euphorbia have toxic sap that is harmful to ingest and is also a skin irritant.
- A potted houseplant within reach of a toddler can quickly become a falling plant and pot. This is physically dangerous, not to mention a huge mess.
We all want to keep our children and plants safe. Ideally we want to preserve the visual aesthetic of our houseplants and consider safety at the same time. Here are some ways to baby proof plants.
Baby Proof Plants by Hang Them.
Okay, this is probably more of an idea for those of you that are looking to add houseplants to your home décor. Odds are if you have a vining plant it’s probably already hanging out of your toddler’s reach. There are so many great hanging plant varieties such as Pothos, Philodendron, Ivy, String of Pearls, Burros Tail, or Goldfish Plant. I especially love the vining varieties because they are typically fast growing. Everyone loves a new leaf! Really, an indoor plant doesn’t have to be a vining variety to be hung. Hanging is an excellent way to baby proof plants.
Use a Transparent Fence or Barrier.
I love this transparent fence. We have several and use them all over our house for baby proofing more than just plants. They are clear with clean lines so they still let you see your houseplants. The fence pieces snap together very easily, and they also come with zip ties that make the panel connections extra secure. The panels can be connected at a 90 degree angle or a straight (180 degree) line. In addition, the panels can be connected vertically to make an extra tall barrier. I use this fence around a bookshelf full of plants. I personally think it looks awesome.
Put Them Up and Out of Reach.
This one is obvious, but I still wanted to add it to share some pictures of creative plant placement ideas. The key here is to select a spot that still received sufficient sun. You also need the right plant. It’s unlikely you will be putting a large tree-like houseplant, such as a fiddle leaf fig, up on your mantle. This works best for smaller plants. If you’re going to be far from a window you probably want to select a low-light plant like a Snake Plant, ZZ Plant, or a Calathea.
I have a mantle near some windows. In preparation for our baby I moved some of my Pothos to sit on top of the mantle. Then I trained the vines to go up on to our windows. I don’t know if I would have even thought of it before the baby. I’m glad I did. It’s pretty neat.
Another option is floating shelves. These are nice because you can put them anywhere. You’ll want to be mindful of the weight of the houseplant and pot. On top of a bookcase or cabinet is another good idea. You will want to stick to smaller plants up high. Remember it will also to be harder to water those plants. Baby proofing made me rethink a lot of my plant placements. It’s always nice to have a centerpiece for your dining room table. Why not make your centerpiece one of your plants?
Baby Proof Plants With a Safety Gate.
If you’re like me, you have a really good window or two where a lot of your plants go. That is the perfect spot to collect plants and put up a safety/baby/pet gate. I say gate, but they’re more like corrals. I purchased this gate and use it in my dining room with the good window. These gates are very adjustable. You can configure the joints between the panels at nearly any angle. Gates aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing but they do make some pretty clean looking gates. With most gates you will still need to keep the plant out of reach. Kids can stick their whole arm though easily. I made sure to get a gate that had a door, but I find that I end up just stepping over it to water my plants. You may find cheaper options without a door.
Rehome Your Plant.
This is a heartbreaking option. You may have put years of care into your houseplant. There is a silver lining though. If you’re willing to post your indoor plant on a buy/sell platform like craigslist.org or Facebook Marketplace you’re likely to earn a few bucks, which softens the blow. My second tip is to prune yourself a cutting of your plant before your plant goes to its new home. Not every plant can be rooted from a cutting, but rooting a cutting is surprisingly easy for those that can. Check out my upcoming step-by-step posts on pruning your houseplants and rooting cuttings.
Get a Safe Plant that Can Take a Little Abuse.
It’s a great idea to teach your little one early on how to interact with plants. You will be developing a shared hobby and appreciation for plants. You might try leaving some durable or resilient plants to leave accessible to your child. It’s the best way to learn. Pothos aren’t really hardy, but they are extremely resilient. Snake plants are both hardy and resilient. I have a Norfolk Island Pine that seems to be very toddler resistant. My toddler pulls on the branches of my Norfolk Island Pine and she’s never been able to rip anything off. Granted, it’s fairly mature and four feet tall (the plant, not the toddler). Houseplants in general should not be ingested. If you are afraid of your toddler ingesting a houseplant, you’re better off not having one in reach.
Tell us about your unique baby proofing ideas for houseplants. Please share in the comments.
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I'm a long time plant lover on the quest to happily coexist with as many plants as I can. Let's grow!