Use A Pool Noodle To Keep Little One's Fingers Protected On Your Backyard Swing Set

If you have little ones, then you understand the importance of keeping them protected, especially their tiny fingers. You can purchase door guards, shielding small hands from door jam injuries. But what about your child's swing set? Chains suspend most swing seats, and it's easy for little fingers to become injured in these links. While playgrounds might add heat shrink tubing, you need to reinforce your own backyard swings. According to YouTuber Glue Guns & Roses, the best way to cover swing set chains is with a pool noodle. Just be sure you use the hollow kind.

Pool noodles are a DIY favorite, and for good reason, so if you already own one or two, you can easily transform your backyard swing set into something perfect for little hands. If you don't have an extra foam noodle, Dollar Tree has everything you need. Available for $1.25, this popular retailer sells brightly colored foam noodles so you can easily — and affordably — transform your child's swing set into something that works to protect their fingers. You'll need to cut these pool noodles to size, so you'll also need a serrated knife and utility knife (or scissors, whichever you prefer). The serrated knife cuts your pool noodle in half (one noodle covers both sides of a swing's chains), and the utility knife allows you to cut your foam noodle length-wise. 

To carry out this hack, you just need one pool noodle per swing. You need to use hollow foam noodles, as you'll wrap your swing set's chains with them. When cutting a pool noodle in half, you should use a serrated knife. Once your noodle is cut in half, use your utility knife or scissors to cut it length-wise. If you're worried about cutting your fingers, consider wearing cut-proof gloves. Amazon sells a two-pack for $10. 

Once cut, all you have to do is slide your pool noodles over the chains on either side of your swing. If you want to include your child in this project, wait until an adult does all the heavy lifting, cutting included. But little ones can use decorative tape to add some flair to these pool noodles once they're attached to their swing sets. Duct tape is the best for this since it can withstand the elements. You can purchase it in every color of the rainbow and in different patterns. For example, Amazon sells rainbow duct tape for $12, making this a fun project that can add safety — and pizzazz — to your child's swing set. Duct tape will also help prevent pool noodles from popping off your child's swing set while playing. And if you want to remove these noodles down the road, it's as easy as cutting through a layer of duct tape.