If you have infants or young children in your home or are about to have a baby, then you should consider child-proofing your living space. This reduces the risk of accidents or tedious clean-up tasks and transforms the home into a safe place for children. However, if you have invested a lot of time and effort into planning and furnishing a modern home, then you may not want to completely ruin the interior design with numerous child locks. In this article we give 7 practical tips on how to make your apartment childproof without sacrificing design.
Can you childproof a modern apartment?
Exposed electrical outlets, fireplaces, and tables with sharp corners can be dangerous for infants and young children. So keep this in mind if you want to childproof your home. Anyone who has children knows that eating and playing almost always gets messy. Therefore, it is a good idea to choose easy-care materials and fabrics when furnishing your living room. However, you should not ignore the interior design. Although you may have to make a few small sacrifices, you can make your home a safe place for your children without sacrificing design. We'll show you how to do this using 7 practical tips.
Consider soft flooring
When babies are learning to walk, they often fall. It can still happen that in a moment of inattention the little one falls off the sofa. In this case, soft floor coverings or carpets can help cushion the fall and prevent injuries. Also, when choosing a floor, consider darker colors and patterns, which can help make stains less obvious.
If you don't want to part with your wood or concrete floors, consider a soft, thick and textured rug. You can place this where the children usually play. If necessary, place a non-slip pad underneath to prevent them from sliding around.
Pay attention to the right choice of materials in the interior
Materials such as glass and metal are hard and can cause serious injury in an accident. Items containing lead or toxic paint can also be harmful to a young child who puts everything in their mouth. So make sure you are aware of these factors and know what your furniture is made of and where it comes from.
Be careful of sharp edges and corners
Since sharp corners of coffee tables and chairs can be dangerous, choose furniture with rounded corners and edges. A soft ottoman is onegood alternative for the coffee tablein the modern living room.
ThePanton Chair by Vitrais an iconic and colorful seat that won't hurt too much if your child comes across it. The reason is that all of its edges are rounded and the chair has a one-piece construction. You can combine the adult size with the children's version, the Panton Junior Chair. This great design solution is a good example of how to make your home child-safe and modern at the same time.
Tidy up the living room
Keepsakes and trinkets from your last vacation certainly add character to the living room, but when the kids are running around or getting their first teeth and want to chew everything, the small items can pose a big danger. The little ones can stumble, suffocate or cut themselves. So, if you live with small children, it is recommended to remove clutter from the floor, tables and anywhere a child can reach. This is the only way to make your home childproof. Furthermore, such disorder doesn't fit into the modern interior anyway.
Give wobbly furniture new support
If you want to childproof your home, you should shake the furniture, especially the chairs and table, well to ensure that they are stable and do not tip over easily. This also applies when you buy new furniture. Little ones are always pulling and pushing different objects and furniture, so there should be no tables, shelves or chairs at home that are wobbly and could fall on the child.
Make the fireplace and power connections in the apartment childproof
Exposed electrical outlets and power strips can pose a potential risk as your child could be electrocuted if they insert a metal object into one of the openings. Avoid this by ensuring power strips and cords are hidden. To do this, equip all sockets that the child can access with oneappropriate parental controlsout of.
Open fireplaces are not recommended in a child-proof living room because small children can burn themselves on the fire. Even a closed fireplace or stove can pose a danger if the glass pane becomes hot. If you are also worried about a closed fireplace, you can simply install a barrier in front of the fireplace. Ideally, this should be heat-resistant and serves as a good fireplace protection not only for children, but also for pets. Also make sure that the fireplace lighters and the fire extinguisher are out of the child's reach.
Rely on easy-care furnishings
Feeding a baby or your toddler returning home with muddy hands will inevitably leave marks on your furniture. It is therefore a good idea to avoid high-maintenance fabrics such as silk, linen or suede. Instead, choose carpets, wall coverings, floor coverings and textiles that are stain-resistant. Many people have chosen to cover their living room furniture in outdoor fabrics because of their sturdiness, durability and easy-to-clean properties. For flooring in the dining room, however, there are even special carpet tiles that can be individually adjusted and put together. They are bright, colorful and resistant to stains and moisture - perfect for a child-proof home.
