Safeguard your home from children

You do not have to give up beautiful home décor or a clean environment in your house altogether just because you have children. Instead, find ways of going round what is expected.

Olivia always wanted her home to be beautiful and lovely, and that is why she always chose her home accessories carefully, ensuring that all were classy. Some of the accessories she had dated back to her days at university.

The trouble, however, began when the children started coming into the picture. “Each day, I got home from work, I would find a broken item, and a few months down the road, my house was in shambles. They tore the curtains, broke most of my flower vases and even destroyed my most precious item, my photo frame with my wedding day picture,” she says sadly.

However, having children should not be reason to not invest in a love seat or flower vase that you cherish. The solution lies in choosing child-proof accessories and organising your home safe from them.

Opt for the less breakable items
One can choose the less breakable items like stone, wood, plastic and others. These will be hard for the children to break.

Choose washable décor
Many times the children may extend the damage to the sofa sets by spilling ink, drinks, and food on them, and in the long run, it becomes hard to maintain the accessories, specially if they are not washable.

Therefore, it would be advisable to opt for washable items where possible like with the sofa set covers, the cushions and wall paint. There are a variety of washable paints on the market to choose from.

Set trends
Many times, sofa sets and furniture will get ruined by spills especially if the children have their meals in the living room. To counter such, set the example by not doing the same.

Ensure that you make the dining area the compulsory place to have all meals, for instance. By so doing, the children will follow suit. Remember, children mirror what they see.

Train your child
The other cost friendly way of child proofing your home would be to train your children, right from the start. Make them aware of how dangerous it could be for them to ruin the home, and where necessary, apply light punishments.

For instance, teach them that furniture is for sitting, cuddling and not jumping onto. They can easily grasp that and will surely stay clear of destroying your precious furniture and accessories.

Hang them up on the wall
One can also decide to hang the accessories high up on the wall away from the children’s reach. This can be done with the help of wall hooks. Hanging them up makes it hard for the children to reach and break them up. This trick can work for photo frames, flower vases, and many others.

Make use of the new building styles.
Alternatively, you can decide to have the accessories permanently built. This works especially with flower pots.

You can have them permanently placed on the balcony and veranda, and by so doing, the children are unable to lift them and possibly break them up. The same can be done for the wall hangings.

fullwoman@ug.nationmedia.com