If you’re a parent, chances are you want your home to be as child-friendly as possible. This can be a challenge, but it’s definitely not impossible! This blog post will give you some ideas on how to make your home more accommodating for children. Keep reading for some great tips!
Use Rounded Furniture
If your furniture has no edges, it’s less likely that someone will get hurt bumping into them. We currently have an oval coffee table and a leather couch with well-stuffed arms and a rounded back. You can read more about the shapes of furniture and how they can be a lot of help when you have little kids running around the home all day. This small change can make a big difference in the safety of your home.
Rounded furniture is also a lot easier to clean. There are no nooks and crannies for the dust to hide in, and you won’t have to worry about using harsh chemicals to get rid of bacteria. This is especially important if you have young children who like to put everything in their mouths.
Put Up Baby Gates
Baby gates on staircases and in doorways are a great way to keep kids safe while they’re exploring their homes. By properly installing a few of these, you can child-proof your home and give your little ones the freedom to roam a specific area.
For example, you can be absolutely sure that they won’t dive head-first down the stairs if you have a baby gate at the top and bottom. The same goes for dangerous areas in the kitchen or anywhere else in your home.
Use Locks and Covers
You need to hide everything your kids may get hurt with. This includes the following:
- Electrical outlets
- Cleaning supplies
- Medications
- Knives
- Firearms
- Small kitchen appliances
You may be able to hide outlets by strategically placing furniture in front of it. Our living room outlets are currently behind the couch and bookshelves. Medications go up high so that kids can’t reach them. And I’ve installed baby locks and covers where necessary.
The kitchen drawers and cabinets are the main area to baby proof. When Joey began crawling, he loved pulling open the kitchen drawers. That was fine for the drawers with the stainless steel bowls and not so fine for the drawers with the Corningware. I installed magnet locks on all the drawers, as they were easy to install and didn’t damage the kitchen cupboards. You can find a variety of baby locks at your local hardware store and many don’t even require tools.
It’s also a good idea to install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. These devices can save your family’s life in the event of a fire or gas leak. Be sure to test them regularly and change the batteries as needed.
Secure Tall Furniture
It’s also a good idea to secure tall furniture such as bookshelves to the wall. This can be done by screwing an L-bracket to the top of the bookshelf and then to the wall behind the bookshelf. If you have carpet furniture, this is especially important as the carpet can make the furniture less stable and more likely to tip. Narrower furniture (such as DVD / CD shelves) are also more likely to tip or wobble.
I always thought it would be my son who would be more likely to climb the bookshelves. However, the first one to attempt climbing the shelves was one of my daughters. There are plenty of Youtube videos of kids climbing all variety of furniture, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. Of course the funny Youtube videos are the ones in which no one gets hurt and we can all laugh at the kids’ creativity, but the truth is that a dresser or bookshelf falling over on a child could kill or cause a lot of damage.
Remove Tripping Hazards
Clutter can create a lot of hazards in your home, especially if you have small children. Remove any tripping hazards by decluttering your home and keeping cords and wires out of the way. You should also make sure that there are no loose rugs or carpets that could cause someone to trip.
If you have stairs in your home, be sure to install gates at the top and bottom to prevent falls. And always keep an eye on children when they are playing near staircases or other areas where they could fall and hurt themselves.
For example, improving your storage solutions in the home can help to reduce trip hazards. Something as simple as removing obstacles from hallways and high-traffic areas can make a big difference in preventing falls.
Set Rules
House rules will prevent your kids from acting out and will give them a sense of security. By setting rules, you’re showing your kids that you care about their safety and well-being.
Some general rules to set are:
- No running in the house
- No climbing on furniture
- Keep hands and feet to yourself
- No hitting or biting
- Use kind words
You can also create rules specific to certain activities, such as:
- No TV during homework time
- Reading for 30 minutes before bedtime
- Eating at the table during meals
Enforcing these rules will help keep your kids safe and create a peaceful environment in your home.
Your kids need to be a top priority which is why it’s essential to make the house accessible to them. Get some rounded furniture so there are no edges to bump into and put up baby gates in crucial areas. Use locks and covers for everything potentially dangerous for them and put up some surveillance to ensure everything’s fine. Make sure to declutter your home and remove tripping hazards and set house rules everyone needs to respect!
Photo credit: Depositphotos.
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