any safety concerns for city kid comes to the farm

[yellow-horse]

My grandson is 4 and he's coming to stay with me for a couple of weeks, he lives in a city, in fact he's never been here to visit me as he's out of state. I don't think he's ever even pet a dog let alone horses and goats.
So my husband and I have been trying to take care of the obvious safety issues. So what disasters have you avoided with your kids that I'm not thinking about, especially new to a farm kids.

[username]

outside of the normal things like wood stoves, accessible ponds, wells, deep holes and dangerous machine implements the most obvious difference I noticed in my NYC-bred child visitors (4 and 6) is their total lack of awareness that our animals are not stuffed toys and they can and will step on the children if they don't stay clear, or nibble on them if body parts are offered for tasting. all of our animals are well-behaved generally but a screeching child has occasionally caused a rection that surprised the child. I insist that visitor kids stay glued to my hip and I am always hyper-aware of what they are up to. oddly, these deficits in judgement are shared by said children's parents, neither of whom are able to conceive of a dangerous reaction by my horses, etc. they are almost worse than the children!

[silver2]

Tell him not to pick up snakes. Or bees. Or turtles.

My mother told us that anything birds ate or drank would kill children if they tasted it. I was 10 or 12 before I realized that wasn't true but it definitely kept stuff out of our mouths as small kids.

[amdfarm]

One of the obvious, don't walk right behind a horse and even if you make a wide berth, announce to the horse that you're there. Doing that has gotten me kicked at, but he missed cause I was out of range and he got in serious trouble for it, too.

Horses are generally amazed w/ little people. My horses, in general, love everybody, but little people are magnets and they "flock" to them. Sniff hair, clothes, bodies, etc...

Don't play in the horses water or food. I used to tell my son, "how would you like it if the horses put their feet in your water and food and you were expected to drink/eat it?" He got the idea real quick, after he got caught standing in the stock tank on a hot summer day.

Common sense, you'll be fine. Just watch him closely.

GL

[Sakura]

Wrap him in bubble wrap and send him out to explore :)

But seriously... A four year old child is actually quite astute... Make a list of simple/basic safety rules and make sure he understands them... Things like... he is not to go into paddocks/barn area/or other potentially dangerous locations with out an adult present... He is not to go near the horses without you present... etc. But make sure he has some place he can play with a measure of freedom so he doesn't feel like his every move must be monitored... not to mention it will give you a bit of sanity too if you don't have to watch him all the time.

[Frank B]

He got the idea real quick, after he got caught standing in the stock tank on a hot summer day.
Party-pooper! :lol:
Pick him up a pedal tractor to ride around on, and maybe a little trailer to pull behind it. He can "help" with the chores.

[JSwan]

Everything a kid needs to know about goat encounters. :lol::lol::D

http://www.goat-trauma.org/victim.shtml

[texang73]

Everything a kid needs to know about goat encounters. :lol::lol::D

http://www.goat-trauma.org/victim.shtml

OMG! Thanks for the laugh!!! :lol:

[JSwan]

Don't forget - they have Goat Gear!!!

http://www.cafepress.com/cgtf


I love this site. Anyone who has goats will understand. :D

I told my niece not to turn her back on that goats.

I told her the cute little white one was mean.

She did not believe me.

She now owns a "dont be a victim" T-shirt.

[twofatponies]

My experience with the nephew that age is that they are very curious and want to approach the animals, but they are very skittish and will jump or run away instantly if the animal moves towards them or moves quickly.

Also, they love tractors. My nephew was entertained for hours sitting on the seat of the tractor pretending to drive.

Also, they love to climb - fences, gates, ladders, hay bales, saddle racks. So keep an eye on what they are climbing, in case it is something that will fall down on them or break.

Also, they love doors and the concept of opening and closing. They might not be able to open gate clips/locks at that age, but they can use doorknobs, so be aware of there are areas where the door needs to stay shut or where there are dangerous/breakable/pharmacy items in a room, like the tack room/office/bathroom, and be careful they don't go in there by themselves.

And they love to play in dirt/sand, so making sand castles in the round pen or digging "moats" in the arena footing can be endlessly entertaining.

[danceronice]

If he's like my little cousins, put him on the tractor and he'll be entertained for HOURS. Go for a ride and it's even better. The kids come up in the summer I think specifically to ride "Uncle Eugene's tractor!" Up and down the field once or twice makes their day. (And the cats because it means they're not bugging them.) Take 'em to the county fair, what do they want to do? Play on the tractor displays. (In fairness I remember doing this as well. Though my real lure was the baby animal barn.)

In fairness, mom and dad only have the cats and the dog. Back when we had horses there was definitely more "You do NOT go in the corral without us."

[merrygoround]

Those old fashioned kiddie harnesses come in handy, unless you are available 24-7 to maintain containment. Just think, no chores for th duration. If it isn't the pond, it's the pony, and they are fast. :sigh:

[goodhors]

Don't touch the electric fence, it bites.

They can fill water buckets if you don't mind some splashing. Otherwise, just don't take your eyes off them. Seriously, they can cover MUCH ground VERY QUICKLY and be in places to get hurt before you can blink.

Toys in the yard, fenced yard if possible. Yard will come in handy later, use for a puppy pen! Kids can accept "play inside the yard fence" fairly easily.

My kids went outside to yard, barn area, ONLY with supervision. Farm settings are just dangerous. They sat someplace safe when i was dealing with the young horses, OUT of the way. Get a plan, if you yell RUN, where they should go, what to do. No time for questions. Practice a couple times. We had safe places for those times.

Kid is beside you or holding your hand, if someone is driving a vehicle in or around the barn. Get kid in hand, BEFORE anyone enters the vehicle at the house or barn. This is a requirement here, for kids under 10yrs old. We lose a local kid or two on farms, driveways every year, because no one saw them behind the vehicle. Didn't check before driving the vehicle. Know where they are, again holding hands, sitting on seat beside you in vehicle, before turning vehicle on. This is so you are not sorry later.

As already mentioned, the biggest problem is child's oblivious attitude to danger. They never even see a problem because they have not been in these situations. At home they get warned about strangers, other things there, many times. Farm is all new territory, have to tell them a few hundred times to be careful.

If you MUST do farm work, ride a horse, train, maybe a local kid can babysit for an hour or two during that time. Their only job is watching the kid, playing with child, no TV, games or TV distractions. Make it very clear to older child. Worth the peace of mind for you. You can't ride with divided attention.

Good luck, hope the visit goes well.

[Frank B]

Everything a kid needs to know about goat encounters. :lol::lol::D

http://www.goat-trauma.org/victim.shtml

Ever notice how many times in art and literature Satan is represented as goat-like? That should tell you something!

[amdfarm]

Party-pooper! :lol:
Pick him up a pedal tractor to ride around on, and maybe a little trailer to pull behind it. He can "help" with the chores.

I know, I'm such a horrible mom. But seeings how he wasn't supposed to be in w/ the horses w/out an adult present, even if right next to the fence line, along w/ standing in the stock tank, he committed two crimes at once!! :lol:

JSwan, OMG, that was hilarious!! :D