Babies are certainly delightful but they can create havoc in the house as soon as they start walking or crawling. In all our houses, the living room is the one where the family will usually spend most of their time. If you are someone who likes to chill in front of the television with an eye on your child, you are not alone. It is imperative that any room the child spends most time in will be the room you will have to make the safest. It is important for most parents to babyproof their living room either by modifying the current layout or redecorating it.
It is not necessary to redecorate the entire room, you can place a coffee table or a rug and get babyproofing in the mix. If you want to give the living room a new look while keeping the safety of your child in mind, here are a few tips to help you child proof your living room.
- Make the room softer
Babies fall often and the falls are not avoidable, but where and how the baby falls is on you. It is important to identify areas in the living room that can be softened up. Start with a soft rug as it will cushion the fall against the hard floor and also double as a play mat. Try to choose a dark color that will hide the sticky prints and the use of a rug pad can prevent the rug from sliding. Metal coffee tables are dangerous for toddlers but if you have one at home, you can place it in a different room for the time being. If you want to redecorate the room, you can add an ottoman as it is an ideal babyproof center table anyone can ask for.
2. Buy furniture anchors
If you are looking for new furnishing, you can consider investing in furniture anchors. Your little one will always be pushing and pulling the objects and you do not want them to fall on your child. Furniture anchors can save lives. They consist of a strap and two anchor points. It keeps the furniture intact and can be installed on any furniture that can fall on your child.
3. Go on the knees
The best way to identify unsafe spots in your home is to get down on the knees and into the perspective of the child. What might seem like a safe place to you could become a death trap for the baby. You must get down on the knees and examine the furniture from the perspective of your child. Try to look at hard pointed edges and covers that can harm your little one in case of a fall. Identify the pieces that could catch the clothes of your child. You also need to take a look at the footholds of the furniture. If you have to, crawl around the entire room and identify the hazardous areas. Being a parent isn’t as easy as it may look.
4. Ease and convenience
When you are a parent, you will always have to look for ways to remove the dirt and spots from the furniture. Eventually, you will not be surprised at finding such spots. If you are investing in new furniture, you need to be mindful and avoid choosing materials like suede or linen as it will cause a lot of grief and trouble. Functional is always better than fancy. Even if it looks good, but is not helping babyproof the living area, give it a miss.
5. Remove the trinkets
Many families like a minimalist interior design but there are also many who have many decorations in every corner of their home. You should reconsider your thoughts about trinkets and decorations when there is a baby in the house. Any decoration will draw the attention of your child and you do not want your child scaling furniture only to reach the flower vase on the table. Additionally, decorations are not designed for play and could be extremely harmful. They are small in size and could be a choking hazard for the little one. It could also hurt your child if they fall on a decoration. Hence, it is best to remove all the decorations and put them away until your child is older.
Coffee tables, side tables as well as some couches have sharp corners and they are not an issue on their own but when a baby is trying to walk, they can add to the danger. The best way to stop an injury and fall is to soften the edges and corners with padding. It will not only protect the corners but also works on the edges. If you do not want your baby to reach the decoration, put it away.