As any parent knows, the truth is that you can’t have an impeccable home for kids— you just can’t. Unless you have a 24-hour maid there’s a 99% chance your home is no stranger to crayons on the wall, stains on the carpet, and McDonald’s toys stuffed between the couch cushions.
Yet, statistics show that the happiest children are the ones who are able to explore freely in their homes! Believe it or not, a happy medium can be reached if you can manage to kid-proof your house in just the right way. Here are some of the ways you can protect your house from the destruction of curious little hands— without raining on their parade.
Choose The Right Flooring
As much as you might love the idea of gorgeous wood floors, or white carpets, these are not very realistic options when you’ve got kids around. You should consider stain-proof low maintenance flooring that will allow your kids to be— well, kids!
Installing vinyl flooring is a great choice because not only is it easy to clean, but if your child falls, which most children do approximately 10,000 times a day, it makes a nice soft surface compared to something like marble or tile. And let’s be honest, kids aren’t the only ones who spill things around the house. Vinyl flooring is a practical solution for everyone in the family to protect against drops and spills.
Block Off “Forbidden” Areas
From the stairs to the garage, most people have an area of the house where children are better off not going. Whether it’s for their safety, or for the sake of your own peace of mind, block off these areas so they can’t get in.
You may not always have the time to watch them like a hawk, so you want to make sure that if you look away even for a moment that they’re not getting into trouble. A lock-it-and-forget-it system is a great way to have peace of mind knowing that everybody’s safe and out of harm’s way.
Add Baskets Everywhere
As much as we might love the idea of having a pantry like Khloe Kardashian, the truth is that children aren’t natural-born organizers. Getting kids to put their toys away let alone pick them up off the floor can be a headache. Instead of driving yourself crazy reorganizing toys over and over ten times a day, make life easier and add baskets throughout the house. Baskets make it easy to clean up a pile of toys in a few minutes and get them out of sight.
Hide Arts and Crafts
Not only is it great for your kids to engage in art projects, but it’s also recommended! However, depending on their age, it may be catastrophic to let them engage in art projects alone. You could find yourself with marker on the walls, or Sharpie on your favorite pair of shoes.
Do yourself a favor and keep your art supplies under lock and key. Have them ask you permission when they want to do an art project. That way, you can keep an eye on what they’re using as a canvas.
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