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Seven Easy Ways to Make Your Home Child Friendly

With kids in your near future you’re going to change things to make your home child friendly. Remodeling and redesigning needs to be practical for safety, while simultaneously offering kids the freedom to be themselves.

After you’ve got down on your hands and knees to see what your home looks like from a child’s perspective, call trusted SoCal design and remodeling professionals. You might be amazed how many remodeling ideas to enhance child friendliness are simple and take little time.

Flooring

Little children will bring spills and footprints. No matter how much you think “My child won’t do that”, it will happen. Multiple times. Wood floors may be a good idea – either solid or engineered hardwood – because cleaning is simple. Carpet is softer but will also stain. We recommend against tile because it’s unforgiving when a child falls.

Apart from being more practical, wood flooring is more hygienic. The best vacuum cleaner in the world won’t remove all the germs, dust, mites or allergens out of a carpet.

If in doubt, go with wood flooring and add a layer of padded play tiles for the first few years.

Living Areas

In remodeling to make your home child friendly, go open plan in the living areas as much as possible. This will make for fewer hazards as children move around and open sightlines for you. Knocking out a wall sounds major but takes mere minutes in demolition and a short time to refinish the area. While you’re at it, create new windows or enlarge existing ones, for more light. Even consider removing some ceiling and wall area around stairs so you can see your growing little ones better.

Mudroom

With children, a mudroom is essential. There’s no denying it. When you come in from adventures (even at the park) with dirty feet, wet clothes, even a soiled diaper, a mudroom allows you all to remove and store footwear, socks, coats, hats, umbrellas, you name it, with no concerns because the floors and walls are made for easy cleaning. An essential buffer zone to prevent dragging filth inside and for storing gear.

Built-Ins

Toddlers are always looking for something to grab on to. Anchor tall free-standing furniture items so they can’t topple over. (That just makes earthquake sense.) Better yet, switch them for custom fitted built-in shelves, cabinets, window seats, nooks, crannies and closets.

Bathroom

Making your home child friendly must include the bathroom. It’s the most used room of all. At least two sinks in a bathroom is essential and have dedicated storage space for each child designed and built in. Make sure that items kids need for their ablutions are within easy reach and leave room to put a step stool away.

Playroom

A playroom can give children the freedom to do what they want – paint, draw, sing, dance, play, read, you name it. Take a section of basement or a guest room. Some people create a playroom using half the living room for a few years, so kids can enjoy themselves close by mom and dad, then convert it back later. You’ll need floor pads, shelves and drawers of assorted sizes, white boards, bean bags, etc.

Accident Protection

Electrical sockets should have more than childproof plastic plugs because kids can be so resourceful. A little remodeling can relocate sockets out of reach of toddlers. While you’re at it, creating wire conduits (i.e. “tunnels” or “pipes”) inside walls will remove cords and cables as grabbing or tripping hazards, while making your home much neater.

See? Remodeling to make your SoCal home child friendly doesn’t have to be complex. But good advice is to get on it sooner instead of later. When kids are on the way, you want it handled long before birth is imminent.

Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to RWT Design & Construction.