Welcoming a new addition to your home is always exciting. As soon-to-be parents, your lives are about to change in many wild and wonderful ways. If you’re expecting a baby in the near future, you’ll be responsible for ensuring your child’s safety in your home. Lots of common furniture items that adults use safely every day can be hazardous to young children once they start to crawl or walk. That’s why it’s important to Kid Proof your furniture before your baby boy or girl joins your family. Here are a few great ways that you can make your sofa and other furniture safe for the whole family.
Buying a New Sofa? Opt for Dark Colors and Soft Materials
If you’ve decided that you want to upgrade your current sofa before your child arrives, there are certain styles of sofa that you’ll want to look for. Keep in mind that as your son or daughter grows, he or she will undoubtedly learn to crawl, then walk, then run around your home – potentially crashing into furniture in the process. You’ll want to invest in a sofa that is made of extremely soft material, so your little one won’t get hurt by running into it.
Also, there will be spills. Think along the lines of string peas, milk, spit-up, etc. You’ll want to invest in furniture with darker tones that don’t show stains as easily – and in a material that is easy to clean like leather, or microfiber.
Sticking With the Old Couch? Baby-Proofing for Your Current Sofa
So you’re not ready to buy a new sofa yet, but with Junior on the way you know that your current sofa just won’t do. There are several simple things you can do to childproof your sofa that don’t involve upgrading to a new one. Investing in a thick, durable linen slipcover for your sofa means that when spills and stains happen, you can simply wash the cover and it will look like brand new. When choosing a slipcover, you’ll want to pick something that doesn’t show stains – so dark colors or patterns – and something that is thick enough to take some punishment. The right slipcover can tolerate almost anything.
Kid-Proofing Your Other Furnishings: Don’t Forget About…
The coffee table. Glass and wooden coffee tables both present safety hazards – they tend to have sharp edges and are quite dense, and for toddlers running around the house, they’re right at forehead level. There are two ways you can go about child-proofing your coffee table – either wrap the edges in foam pipe insulation (the budget-friendly solution) or replace your coffee table with a microfiber Ottoman and tea tray (the design-friendly solution).
Glass and porcelain decorative items. These items often act as great accents to a room’s décor, but for children they’re a potential cutting hazard – and if they’re sitting on tables at kid-level, your child may end up using them to explore the science of gravity. Invest in some floating shelves and use them to display all of your breakable decor items somewhere that is out of your child’s reach.
Televisions, bookcases, and large appliances. It doesn’t matter how large or high you’ve positioned these items – if your child can somehow knock them down, they present a serious crushing hazard. Invest in large, sturdy furniture brackets that will keep these items anchored to your walls.
A new baby often adds a wonderful sense of joy to many parents’ lives. If you’re preparing to welcome the next generation of your family into your home, give your child a safe environment in which to grow with these child-proofing tips. With the right furniture, you can have a stylish home that even the baby can enjoy.