furniture

Trust me, these tips aren’t similar to the ‘expert’ childproofing home tips you can easily look up on Google.

Those tips rely so much on locks and gadgets and honestly, you can’t count on them all the time. You can’t control the accidents that occur. It can happen anytime, anywhere and it harms the people we love.

Truth is, childproofing a home requires fostering our children’s behavior more than using protective gadgets. You should create parameters which are easily remembered by toddlers. I am not against the use of locks and gadgets, but it should only be used when you’re not looking after your rugrats. Here are different ways you can have a childproof home with fewer locks:

Use a leather sofa

We hate it when kids make the couch dirty because they forgot to wash their hands after eating or after playing outside. With a leather sofa, the sticky, dirty fingers won’t ruin the leather upholstery. The stains are also easier to clean. If they make a mess on the couch, talk to your kids until they understand what you’re saying.

Go for round tables

 Childproof

 

We hate to see our kids bump their heads on a sharp edge of the table. For a safe yet stylish look, use round tables. It can be made of any material—wood, plastic, or glass—as long as it fits you interior design. Now don’t worry about having fingerprints on the glass table. It’s easy to clean with cleaners and paper towels.

Invest in high-quality furniture

You don’t need to wait for the kids to grow up before buying good quality furniture. Unlike cheap furniture pieces, high quality pieces of furniture are manufactured and tested to be wear and tear.

Once, our Adelaide architects attended to the project with a single mother. The client wants a home where her kids can roam safely. We chose the the the best local furniture pieces in town for their new home. In addition, we checked if the furniture we used in their home is free from hazardous chemicals. Her kids enjoyed their brand new space.

Give them a dedicated playroom or play area

Provide them with areas where creative play is allowed. Most of the time, this area is located in the kid’s bedroom. When you give them a place where they can play, they’ll learn to keep their stuff in one place. Of course, you will need to talk to them about keeping all their toys within that area.

Don’t keep anything deadly in the low kitchen drawers

Kids always follow you in the kitchen. They will open the drawers, cabinets and take out the things that they can. Instead of locking these drawers, we suggest that you take out all the heavy, dangerous equipment and put them on the areas that they couldn’t reach. Store baby friendly items here—wooden, plastic spoons, containers, light cooking pots, etc. Let the toddlers to open the cabinets. As they grow up, train them to behave and avoid opening the kitchen cabinets until you instructed them.

Install baby gates

Baby gates, like the ones in the photo keep your young ones from the danger of falling from the stairs. As you can see, a kid can only climb on the first step of the stairs. That is enough for a kid to learn how to climb up and down from an elevated area. For an additional safety feature, add a soft, non-slip rug as a soft landing pad.

You can also install baby gates on the door of your kid’s bedroom so they can’t get out of their room when everyone’s asleep at night.

Childproofing a home is also about instilling discipline. As parents, we have to teach them to have self-restraint and self-control. It will be good for them as they grow old. They won’t be a nightmare when visiting other people’s homes and once they start their early school years.

Charlene Ara Gonzales is a design writer from Superdraft Pty. Ltd.. The Superdraft team consists of talented architects, building designers, draftsmen, and engineers. She feels proud to write for these artists in the construction industry. Follow Superdraft.