Baby-friendly outdoor space ideas!

[Wobble1234]

Hello!

My little one will turn 1 over the summer period this year and as we have a small paved courtyard back garden, I’m after some different ideas as to how we can make it a suitable outdoor play space for him. As I say, it’s completely paved so there’s no sort of ‘soft’ play space... thinking those interlocking foam mats might be an idea?

Our budget is quite small but I was hoping that with a few clever ideas it could be a nice space that’s safe and fun for him whilst also a lovely place for us to enjoy with family/friends. All we’ve got out there at the moment is a shed, table & chairs, BBQ and a few pot plants.

Would love to hear your ideas!

Thank you in advance

i think those interlocking mats would be great. if you had room, maybe something like this would be fun? it is an investment as it grows with your child. or maybe something like this would be fun, and it is a cheaper alternative to a traditional play house.
if you have a fence, you could get a bucket, fill it with coloured chalks and hang something like this up on the wall for your ds to draw on.

all the best x

forgot to say, you could fill the play house with some balls and use it as an outdoor ballpit with shade while he is so young x

How about some fake grass?

I have a large piece of fake grass. I got it when my girls were 1 and they still use it now years later (currently has their teepee on it). I also recommend getting a storage box for outside toys. There are lots of ones that look nice and can double as a seat.

Those interlocking mats are a good idea, or you can get thicker rubber tiles designed for play areas. They're more cushioned but would need fitting.

As he grows up you could use a wall to make a play space, maybe put a mud kitchen in. My kids loved 'cooking' with real ingredients like sugar and flour - it all washes away (ish). A water table is fun and doesn't require much clean up. You can add bubbles. Sand OTOH is the work of the devil and lasts forever.

A little workbench could be used as a mud kitchen but also repurposed as tool bench as your child gets into different things. At this age just a little ELC one would be nice but here are a couple of ideas for when they're older:
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/647729515/mud-kitchen?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=mud+kitchen&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&frs=1#

Sorry I meant just a basic water table for a little one NDoaCxEtXlSzMNlSf6hWiHsekBdA4aAhDAEALwwcB (don't play full price, they're often 50% off) and a bench for when they're bigger

Honestly!! Sorry can't do links today

sand and water table

Definitely a water table. My dcs spent hours and hours with them.

As he gets a bit older, have a big pot where he can make a dinosaur/animal/fairy garden with soil, plants, rocks and pine cones (which you can collect from trips to parks)

Foam floor mats:
softfloorkids.co.uk/category/plain-mats/soft-mat-30/
Water and sand tray:
www.argos.co.uk/product/3891151
Fake grass mats:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/tools-fittings/outdoor-floors/runnen-floor-decking-outdoor-artificial-grass-art-50313131/
Pop up tent:
www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/outdoor/play-houses-and-tents/kid-active-pop-up-combo-playset/p/154303

Ooh thank you all for the lovely inspiration!

Especially love the idea of chalkboard, thinking of painting a wall with some of that chalkboard paint. A water tray sounds a good plan too!

With that fake grass, do you leave it out permanently? As in does it stand up well against the weather? Just thinking it might be more convenient that the foam mats that I was originally planning!

Thanks again for your replies.

Also! Re. the fake grass: is it quite cushioned? I’ve never really seen it before or felt it to know how thick it is. Just hoping it’d be padded enough to protect from little tumbles!

i don't know how expensive it is, but you can get padding to put under artificial grass like this. it makes the surface shock proof x