Children can be a difficult lot. They’re always looking for items to play with and their energy means they’ll also be running around the home all the time. Combine these two habits and it becomes difficult to maintain a safe, clutter-free home while at the same time keeping the kids happy.
Or, can you? The following are nine simple tips to help you create the perfect child-friendly home for your kids.
- Choose rounded furniture
The playing and running around we mentioned earlier can often result in bumps that may result in accidental injuries. To minimize the severity of any injuries, go for round-edged furniture as opposed to sharp-edged ones. Choose furniture with your children in mind and make it suit your home in this area.
- Bring in a lot of coat hooks
Children love coats. But, they love coat hooks even more. As long as the hooks are placed at a height they can reach, they will be more than willing to hang their coats there. You may not even have to remind them to do so.
- Consider fixed/attached cushions
If your kids find out that your couch cushions can be pulled out, they’ll pull them out at every opportunity. To avoid this problem so as to keep your living room orderly, consider fixed cushions that don’t come out.
- Have a kid’s counter
If you don’t want the kids to take over your space, build them their own counter. Keep in mind, though, that kids like staying close to their parents. So, place the counter at a location from where they can see you.
- Paint their walls with semi-gloss
Your kids will be drawing and writing a lot. So, most parents often provide a chalkboard in their rooms. If this isn’t a possibility, paint their rooms in semi-gloss. It gives them somewhere to write and draw and washes easily.
- Go for vinyl flooring
Some realtor firms such as www.roundtablerealty.com will always point this house when selling to families with young kids. The point is – it’s impossible to prevent kids from pulling items, including furniture, across the room. This can quickly damage your floor. To avoid this problem, replace your flooring with tough materials like vinyl.
- If going for a carpet, choose carpet tiles
We’ve already mentioned how kids will pull anything across the room. Dragging sharp-if edged objects over a carpet will quickly destroy it. So, avoid carpets where possible. If you have to use a carpet though, go for carpet tiles. They’re easier to clean and replace.
- Use closed storage to tuck away toys
First off, remember that kids’ items take up a lot of space. So, you’ll need ample storage. More importantly, you’ll need closed storage to tuck these items away. Otherwise, you’ll always have toys taking over your rooms.
- Nothing too precious should be left around
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have expensive jewelry and artwork in the home. You can. However, these items must be kept out of reach of children. The only items your kids should have access to are those that can’t break or those that won’t leave you crying if they’re lost or destroyed.
Don’t stop there
These are just a few tips. Make it your job to learn other ways to keep your home child-friendly without taking all the fun out of it.
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