Planning to pave over our lawn - wise move with a 10-month-old?

[Alva]

Our lawn is looking dreadful after a summer of hosepipe ban; doesn't help that it's planted on clay. It's never bean beautiful, and we were going to lay new turf. Over the last few days I've been thinking the unthinkable and itching to pave over it.

There are only a few square meters of very uneven lawn at the moment. It's a little town garden, and would still look quite green if paved (has wide, mature borders, raised beds and trees).
My only reservation is my ds, who is crawling and will be walking soon. Will a paved surface be OK for him? Maybe we can use a playmat while he finds his feet? Any thoughts welcome!

[moondog]

Decking?
Slightly less grim.

[SueW]

It will recover. Just give it time.

Too many people paving their gardens these days

[Alva]

...that should be "been" beautiful!

[Alva]

Wow, that was quick! I like decking but the garden is shady (all those trees) - is there a way to keep it from going slimey? Also - have heard stories about rats and foxes. Urban myths?

[Katymac]

What about Calamine - that makes a nice lawn (I think?)

[Mojomummy]

Ooh, sorry, but I would keep with the grass - it'll soon pick up with all this rain & think of all those potential grazed knees etc when DS gets out there next year.

On the resale as well, buyers do prefer grass

[Alva]

Lots of votes for grass/alt greenstuff - will have a serious think! What about pebbles tho - are they better than paving for unsteady small people?

[Katymac]

No - He will eat them (honest)

[southeastastra]

our garden was half grass and paving, when my son was a baby there was no problem with either areas really

[Olihan]

We've just done the opposite!! When we moved in (childless) we had the garden paved. Along came the dcs and it was a nightmare. They couldn't just 'play' because it was so hard on their knees when they were crawling and too solid when they were walking unsteadily. We put up with it for 2 years until this summer when dh ripped out all the slabs and turfed the whole thing. It has made such a difference to our summer. They have been out there constantly and we don't have to worry about them. They love it too.

Could you throw some lawn seed over it in the spring if it still looks tatty? Otherwise lift off the turf, add a couple more inches of topsoil and grit then put new turf over the top. It wouldn't cost any more than paving it. Besides, no one with kids has a lawn that looks like a bowling green. Kids wreck it playing football etc anyway.

Stick with the grass - it will make your life so much easier next summer.

[JennyLee]

also with pebbles as well as eat them babies and toddlers throw them! up to about the age of 5.

[foxtrot]

katymac - were you thinking of camomile?

[Katymac]

Almost certainly ....have you noticed I can't spell?

[liquidclocks]

stick with the lawn! we just moved from a concrete back to a lawned one and it's been great - softer landing for slides/climbing frames etc (baby ones). Also they can't ride their trikes/wheely things on gravel.

[foxtrot]

Vote for lawn, essential with kids. On clay you could try laying a few inches of sand under the turf to help with drainage. If you want seed i can recommend this quick lawn . I seeded an old vegetable patch the day after the hosepipe ban started so it has never been watered. The new grass stayed green all summer while the old lawn curled up and died - mind you it's made a startling recovery now so there is pprobably hope for yours. Try a dose of 'weed and feed'?

[HyacinthB]

You can get lawn irrigation put in using 'brown' water...

[threebob]

Pebbles are awful - you can't play soccer on them and your can't ride a bike over them.

Only positive for paving is if you have a tricycle you can go around and around, but I guess you can do that on a dry lawn too.

Paddling pool on paving - too awful to think about.

[Furball]

We in our old house paved over our back lawn. We found it sooo much better - ds (then 3) could ride his bike, play football etc etc in all weathers rather than getting all boggy on our muddy lawn. We had problems selling the house beacuse of it and the people who bought said they would lift it and put grass down. They haven't, they said they thought they wanted grass but since living with the slabs they much prefer it.

[ann1361]

Hi
i found that paving was great for my kids, they could play on it and not get muddy, but we still have some grass, but it is really up to you what you prefer, if you want a garden that you don't have to maintain to much then go for paving but if you want a garden to maintain then go for grass.
i like both,

[Alva]

Thank you all for these suggestions. Sounds like we need to keep some lawn, and stay away from the pebbles!