For lovers of home interiors, the prospect of childproofing the home can be a daunting notion. However, creating a home that is safe for your children to grow up and learn within actually gifts the opportunity to explore new colours and textures. Gone are the days of big plastic tools that ooze childishness; these days there are plenty of ways to ensure you can create a safe environment for your child, without sacrificing style.
First thing’s first, set some ground rules.
When your children start getting to the age where they’re crawling and toddling about, it is advantageous to teach them the main dos and don’ts of the household. Obviously, this means discussing items that are dangerous, reminding them of things they ought to look out for (such as hot drinks), and where it’s safest for them to play. Your children may not understand these things at first, but with consistent reminding, they’ll soon learn about their home and where they can play safely.
Stair gates don’t have to be boring.
Stair gates are an essential part of childproofing your home. As they’re unavoidable, you may as well have fun with them. You could try building your own stair gate using hinges and a lock that only adults can reach. There are plenty of styles for you to try out, and you could even create stair gates that are larger than the usual store-bought finds. Alternatively, stair gates can be tailored to suit your home interior, so look out for interesting styles such as wicker stair gates and plexiglass gates that can be custom made to fit your needs.
Keep furniture low and choose hard-wearing fabrics.
Children have a lot of tumbles while they explore. To keep injuries to a minimum, keep your furniture as low as possible while they’re still learning how to walk and climb. It’s a good idea to ensure your sofas and armchairs are upholstered with tough, hardwearing fabric. Mucky hands felt tip pens, baby sick and a whole host of other messy liquids will inevitably find their way onto your furniture, so ensure that you’re able to clean the area efficiently.
Is your coffee table safe?
Tables should also be low and have mats or coasters on them instead of a tablecloth. Children often use tables to pull themselves up while climbing and learning to walk – this means that tablecloths are a big no-no. If your child were to fall backwards or slip whilst pulling themselves up on a coffee table with a tablecloth, they could pull the cloth off and everything that was on the table with it, including hot drinks and other dangerous items.
Covering the corners of your table with padded protectors is essential to prevent nasty injuries due to falls. Silicone corner covers are a brilliant way to give these sharp edges some extra padding without sacrificing the style of your home.
Make sure EVERYTHING is strapped to the wall.
Children like to climb – that is a well-known fact! I’m sure that when we adults see a bookshelf, children see a multilevel, super inviting climbing wall instead. Ensuring all your furniture, including wardrobes, bookshelves, and TVs, is securely bolted to the wall is a vital part of the childproofing process and could save your child’s life.
Search for electrical output covers and cord concealers that match your decor.
You don’t need to have white plastic protectors in your plug sockets anymore, which is especially good news if you have brushed metal or non-traditional coloured sockets in your home. These days you can find childproofing tools for your electrical components that come in a variety of styles, all intended to match various decor themes.
You don’t need to sacrifice your interior style when childproofing your home.
Hopefully, this blog post has proven helpful and provided assurance that, although childproofing is a necessary part of parenthood, it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your home’s style. Nowadays there are plenty of childproofing tools available that have been designed to either blend in with existing household features or be discreet enough to go unnoticed by many. If you have any childproofing tips to add to this list, please leave them in the comments as I’d love to read them!
