Houseplants are amazing to have around the house!
However, when you have pets or small children, you have to pay extra attention when buying plants.
Many houseplants are toxic to your pets and young children, so you need to be careful when choosing plants to bring indoors.
Luckily there are still a lot of amazing plants that are completely safe for your kids and pets.
All plants on this page are safe to have around pets and children.
Calathea's are notoriously tough plants to keep happy. They love all the humidity you can give it and then some. However, there are a few plant tips you can use to keep even this plant happy and help it thrive in your favorite room in your house.
The Sedum Morganianum is the ideal houseplant for beginning plant owners, plant owners that prefer to not spend too much time on their plants, or plant owners with pets and/or small children! The Sedum Morganianum, also known for it's two similar varieties (Burro's tail and Donkey tail) is a very easy-going houseplant that does well in direct sunlight, but also low-light spots.
The Hoya Kerrii is a beginner-friendly and pet-friendly houseplant that grows beautiful heart-shaped leaves. It makes any of your living spaces feel like a jungle, while also adding an almost fantasy-like leaf shape to your collection.
The Areca Palm is a beautiful and large houseplant that can turn any room into a tropical paradise. It's the perfect large plant for those that have pets and/or small children. It's the perfect plant for pet owners, because this plant is non-toxic and won't harm your pets when they chew on its leaves. If you accidentally don't give this palm the care it wants, it will let you know quickly. This helps you to change your plant care routine quickly, before it's too late.
The Maranta Leuconora, also known as the Prayer Plant, is a close cousin of the famous Calathea. Unlike the Calathea, a Maranta is actually quite easy to take care of. The Maranta Prayer plant is a beautiful tropical plant from the jungle floor that can brighten up your space significantly.
The Calathea Triostar is a beautiful and colorful tropical houseplant that's great for those plant owners who like a challenge. Like other Calatheas, the Calathea Triostar is not the easiest houseplant and has very specific plant care needs.
The Hoya Carnosa is a beginner-friendly and pet-friendly houseplant that grows flowers when you take great care of it! It makes any of your living spaces feel like a jungle and grows colorful flowers as an added bonus.
Orchids are colorful houseplants / flowers you can keep in your house for many years! With the right care, you can enjoy the beautiful color and the jungle-like roots for multiple years.
If you're looking for other plants, including those that could be toxic to your pets and children, you can have a look at all plants we've written about. You can still get these plants and keep them in places your pets and children can't reach them.
Frequently asked questions
You can add a few ingredients to your soil to improve water retention: vermiculite, sphagnum (peat) moss, and coconut coir.
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that's heated until it expands and forms into lightweight particles. It's a material that's naturally resistant to mold and other diseases and can hold a lot of moisture.
Sphagnum moss retains a lot of moisture, so you can mix it with soil to keep it moist for longer. This helps your moisture-loving plants thrive.
Yes, Calathea plants can grow in Leca. The water regulation properties of the Leca make the air much more humid than soil would, so it also helps to keep your Calathea happy.
You have to make sure that the soil stays moist all the time. This plant loves humidity and likes to be in moist soil. So when it starts to dry out, it's time to water your Calathea.
The Calathea Ornata needs bright indirect light. A perfect spot is close to a south-facing window where it gets indirect sunlight. Make sure the Calathea doesn't get too much direct sunlight, otherwise the beautiful leaves will start to fade.
To get rid of pests like spider mites, you should wash the leaves with soapy water on both sides. This will drown the spider mites and kill them.
The most important thing to look for is proper drainage. Succulents are easy to kill when overwatered, so proper drainage is essential. The material and size of the pot is also important.
The material of your succulent pot depends on the kind if succulent and where you're going to place your plant. If you place the succulent in a very warm area, a terracotta pot is best. If you place your succulent in a dark place, a glass pot with proper drainage might be your best option.
You need about 2.5 cm (1 inches) between the edge of the pot and your plant. If you add more succulents, then you need about 2.5 cm (1 inches) between the different succulents as well.
Succulents need very little water. Watering them too often, more than once per two weeks in the summer or once per month in the winter, could kill a succulent. So it's best to water it only once per two weeks in the summer and once per month in the winter.
Most succulents are very easy to propagate. So when you have a succulent cutting, there are only 3 things you have to do: 1. wait until your succulent has grown a Callus on the section that was cut away from the parent plant. 2. Plant your succulent in the soil. 3. Water your succulent.
Most succulents, like cacti, grow in warm regions in the blazing sun. There are a few succulents that require less sunlight, but most of the succulents require all the sunlight you can give it. Make sure to check if your specific succulent needs a lot of light and if so, put it on a windowsill with full sun exposure.
The Sedum morganianum thrives in a dry environment. It loves to be dry most of the time, so you should water it no more than once every 14 days to allow it to completely dry out.
The Sedum morganianum thrives in bright and direct sunlight. You can help your Sedum morganianum by giving it the brightest spot in your house where it gets a lot of direct sunlight exposure.
The best type of soil for the Sedum morganianum is soil that drains moisture quickly. The Sedum morganianum loves to be in dry soil, so the soil should be dry again in a day or so.
Yes, a north-facing window is great for plants that can't survive in bright environments. If you're in the southern hemisphere, this window gives you a lot of direct sunlight, so choose your plants accordingly.
Yes, the east-facing windows get (weak) sunlight in the mornings. This is a great place for plants that love a low-light environment.
Yes, a south facing window is great for sun-loving plants, like succulents and cacti. If you're in the southern hemisphere, the south-facing window doesn't get a lot of sunlight and you can use this window for low-light plants.
The Hoya thrives in a dry environment, so you should let the soil dry out before you water your plant again. On average, you should water your Hoya once every 14 days in the spring and summer and once every 3-4 weeks in the winter.
The Hoya loves indirect sunlight. You shouldn't put it in a spot where it gets direct sunlight as too much sunlight will turn the leaves on you Hoya yellow. The bright sunlight helps your Hoya to grow flowers.
The soil for your Hoya should hold onto moisture for a few days and then dry up completely. Your Hoya loves to the soil to dry out before being watered again, so the soil should drain the excess water. This soil contains things like pumice or perlite for drainage.
No, the Areca palm is safe for pets and small children. You won't have to worry about them being harmed by chewing on this plant.
The best light is bright indirect sunlight. The Areca Palm needs plenty of light to grow so doesn't do well in low-light places. Direct sunlight will burn its leaves.
No, the Areca Palm needs plenty of bright indirect sunlight to grow. The Parlor Palm is a better palm for low-light places.
Your Maranta leaves are turning yellow for one of two reasons: It's getting too much sunlight or the leaf is aging and has had it's best time.
Your Maranta Prayer plant leaves are drooping, because that's what it naturally does. It's not a plant that grows up straight, but it's a trailing plant. This means it grows horizontally and can hang down if you hang it up.
Yes, the Maranta prayer plant is non-toxic to your pets. You can safely keep it in the same room as your cats and dogs.
The Orchid thrives when it dries out in between waterings. On average, you should water your Orchid once per week. This helps it to dry out for a few days before you water it again.
The Orchid loves bright and direct sunlight. You can help your Orchid by giving it the brightest spot in your house where it gets a lot of direct sunlight exposure.
Your Orchid grows best in wood chips, rather than soil. You can also plant your Orchid in Leca, which helps to drain the moisture quickly and prevent root rot.
