I have never had a nice garden

[Mumof3xox]

As the title says

In about 5 rental houses we have never been able to create and maintain a nice garden

I don't want anything spectacular just nice and tidy, weed free and safe for baby dd (15 months)

ATM our garden is largely that crazy paving stuff and weeds are constantly growing in between them, how do I stop them coming back once I get them out?

Our flower beds are full of long grassy stuff, I don't think I've ever seen flowers there tbh. What flowers could I plant now that need little attention and again how do I keep the weeds away?

Weed out all the cracks in the paving first. I use an old blunt knife to do this. And then refill the cracks with specially treated sand which contains weed killer or you could use plain sand.
Once the paving is tidy plant up some summer pots. Use the cheap £1 from b & q if pennies are short. You can still get some flowering summer bedding plants cheaply.
If you pop up a pic of the borders it would be easier to explain what to do. (I am a professional gardener by the way not some weirdo who wants to nosy at your garden borders ) !!
Seeds are really the cheapest way to go.
In your borders you could use wildflower seeds and have a fab display of colour.
Good luck.

Is weed killer sand child safe?

If not would play sand do?

Would stick to normal sand just in case really. Buy builders sand from b&q as cheaper.

Just do small jobs at a time and you will see a big improvement. But some larger plastic troughs and you still have time to plant up salads radish beetroot etc.

Buy cheap smart price salt and pour it down the cracks before you add the sand.

Salts keeping my front path free of weeds and moss at the moment.

Will be doing the salt trick. Also just seen that using bicarbonate of soda in water neutralises the soil so weeds won't grow :)

There's a patch of weeds growing through the visitor parking opposite the bungalows on my road, I'm so tempted to go and salt it but I worry the residents will think I'm a loon.

Guerrilla gardening !