Most homes are not constructed or designed with kids in mind. So if are due and will be having a baby coming home soon, or you are planning a festive party, and there will be family members who will come with their kids, then you will need to make your home kid-friendly.
Even though making your home child-friendly is not as easy as creating a questionnaire, it can be achievable with a few simple tips. Here are a few helpful tips:
-
Choose Double-Duty Furniture
When you have a new baby or babies coming over, you tend to have more stuff. From diapers to toys, to baby clothes, to everything else you think your kid will need. Therefore, it will be easy if you opt for double duty furniture like side tables with drawers, storage trunks, or dressers as changing tables.
Double duty furniture will help you hide away unwanted clutter in your living space. It will also make arranging stuff more functional, and your space doesn’t have to look like it has 20 babies because things will be neater.
-
Use Stain Repellant Fabric
Having kids in your house means more and more stains by the day. Kids are messy no matter how much you try to control them or be careful; they will end up spilling all over your velvet sofa or rub their little fingers all over you linen curtains.
To avoid having messy stains, get fabrics that are cleanable and stain repellent. There also other options that are forgiving. For example, Ultrasuede, leather, and performance velvet. The aim is not to limit your kids’ activities and avoid messy stains at the same time.
-
Look for Furniture that is Heavy, Chunky, and Not Too Leggy
The minute the kids realize that they have the strength to move things around, they will start to push over the furniture and end up destroying things in the house. Look for furniture pieces that are heavy and well grounded.
Rather than buying tulip or leggy based piece, opt for chunky coffee tables. This will also prevent the kids from intentionally or accidentally knocking a piece over.
-
Buy Forgiving Rugs
The last thing you want is your toddler to spill milk all over your unique rug that is not easy to clean. Since you can’t stop kids from random spilling, the only way you can make your babies and kids happy is by getting forgiving and cleanable rugs.
Opt for quilted hides instead of silks and viscose. Persian rugs are the best option because they have busy and dark patterns that can hide spots and they are natural fiber rugs which means that they are very easy to clean.
-
Opt for Safe Accessories
Having accessories with kids around can be very difficult. They tend to grab and break any small or shiny object in their sight. So instead of having your precious mementos thrown about, stick to safe accessories like pillows, books, and blankets.
Keep your lower shelves filled with books, baskets, or keep them empty until your kids can learn proper vintage etiquette skills and manners like their mother. Also, move all your fragile accessories from the coffee table to shelves that are high so that your kids can’t reach them.