How To Child Proof Your Home Without Sacrificing Your Interior Style
When it comes to decorating your home, preparing for the arrival of a new addition to the family can be one of life’s most exciting (and daunting) experiences. The truth is, as a parent, ensuring that your home is safe and conducive to a child’s health, learning and development is always a top priority. However, keeping your little one safe at home doesn’t mean you have to resort to unsightly plastic furniture covers or ugly corner guards forever. Although you probably will have to make a few interior design sacrifices, there are still many ways to keep your home looking stylish without ever exposing your child to potential risk.
Here are 7 practical tips on how to childproof your home without sacrificing your interior style.
1. Get Creative With Your Coffee Table
By far, one of the most important things to consider when designing your space with a child in mind is your coffee table. Unfortunately, many coffee tables on the market come with sharp edges or dangerous glass tops that can pose a serious risk to your little one. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to throw in the towel and say goodbye to a stylish coffee table for the next 3 to 5 years. In fact, take this time as an opportunity to get really creative with your coffee table options.
One of our favourite alternatives to a traditional coffee table is an ottoman. Ottomans serve the same function as a table, with the added bonus of zero sharp edges, ample storage space (something you can never have enough of if you have a baby or toddler) and a variety of different textures, colours and upholstery styles that can be used to complement the rest of your space.
2. Eliminate Low Hanging Fruit
Small, shiny objects that are stored in places accessible to your little one are always going to be fair game to being grabbed, thrown, or broken. To get rid of this dangerous (and annoying) occurrence, one must always remember to eliminate low hanging fruit. Instead of waving your white flag and giving away all your precious items of decor to loved ones or charity, we recommend displaying them somewhere out of reach, such as on the very top of a display cabinet or shelf. Once you have gotten all your fragile items out of the way, we suggest populating lower shelves, tables and tv stands with child-friendly items such as pillows, books and throws. This way, you don’t have to sacrifice style while keeping your little ones safe.
3. Stain Repellent Is Your Best Friend
No matter how careful you are, grubby little hands are bound to leave stains, marks and handprints all over the house. Instead of resorting to unsightly plastic couch covers for the entirety of the next few years, we suggest making stain repellent your best friends. Thankfully, there are plenty of products on the market in 2022 that will help prevent you from seeing applesauce handprints on suede sofas or stains on the expensive curtains your toddler chose to use as a bib or napkin. Just be sure to check that your stain-repellent is suitable for whatever type of material you are using it on and you’ll be as good as gold.
4. Anchor Everything
If you have bookshelves, dressers, drawers or any other item of furniture that may pose a risk of toppling over, the best thing you can (and should) do is to make sure you anchor literally everything to your walls. Preventing a serious injury from occurring in your home is easy and affordable with the help of a simple anchoring kit which you can purchase at any hardware or furniture store. Safety aside, anchors are great because they are practically invisible and allow you to hang on to all your favourite items of furniture without worrying about a potential tragedy.
5. Soften Your Flooring With Rugs
Kids are kids and chances are they are going to fall on their faces often. This is why softening your floor with rugs and carpets can be a great way to not just soften a fall, but also inject some of your personal style into your space. Rugs also offer a soft and comfortable spot for children who love playing on the floor and can prevent scuff marks, scratches or stains from ever coming into contact with your flooring. One thing to note, however, is that you’ll want to pick a rug that is forgiving. This means passing on that pure white faux-fur rug that is guaranteed to end up with unsightly juice stains and opting for more durable, patterned options such as persian, animal prints or geometric designs.
6. Invest In Stylish Outlet Covers
The truth of the matter is that no article about keeping your little ones safe is complete without mentioning the risks of exposed outlets or wires around the home. Power outlets and electrical wires are incredibly dangerous to a child and the effects of electric currents passing through the body can range from discomfort all the way to permanent organ damage.
As such, it is absolutely paramount to invest in a variety of outlet/cord covers to ensure that kids are kept safe throughout the home. Although some outlets (depending on how recently your home was built) are already in essence child-proof, it is always advised that parents install them anyway. Thankfully, there are a ton of different colours, designs and models to choose from in 2022, many of which are meant to look cute or modern in addition to being functional.
7. Opt For Cordless Window Treatment
Last but not least, when it comes to window treatments for homes with children, cordless is always the best option. Unfortunately, the dangling cords you use to operate your blinds or neatly tuck your curtains away pose a significant risk to children, as unsecured cords can lead to strangulation. Although there are a variety of curtain and blind cord safety kits available on the market today, the safest option is always to opt for cordless window treatment.
But how exactly do they work? Well, cordless blinds are built with an internal tension mechanism that allows you to adjust your blinds. As such, there are no exposed cords to trap your children or household pets. As an added bonus, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of stylish cordless blind options to choose from, allowing you to pick a perfect style to seamlessly integrate into your interior design.
By following these 7 practical tips, you’ll be on your way to a kid-friendly home that will last far beyond the toddler years. What are some of your top tips for child-proofing your home without sacrificing style? Be sure to leave a comment and share your thoughts!
