Tips for Making Common Home Renovations Child Safe



Every parent knows that a baby or toddler will poke their noses into anything they encounter, and if they're not being adequately supervised or kept away from potential hazards, the result can be disastrous to say the least. That doesn't mean your entire house has to look like a padded cell though, as it's easy to designate a child-safe play area that keeps your little ones from destroying your valuables and getting into mischief. With that said, consider the following tips if you're preparing to do some common home renovations:


1. Opt for Non-Toxic Products
This is especially a concern if you're going to be painting indoors, as the aroma that lingers for days after is not only unpleasant it's also bad for babies to breathe in. Consider using a milk paint alternative like the one sold by Real Milk Paint at www.realmilkpaint.com. They also have oxalic acid for sale, which is known to be far less dangerous than some of the other wood bleaching solutions on the market.

2. Use Corner Guards and Outlet Covers
If you're planning on adding new components or are looking for ways to increase the overall safety of a room, consider using edge and corner guard cushions. These can easily be attached to the hard and potentially dangerous areas of furniture pieces and walls, and in many cases they can be true lifesavers by preventing serious injuries that are sometimes incurred due to the common slips and falls that children are prone to. Likewise, be sure to use outlet covers to keep little fingers from poking at electrical sockets.

3. Avoid or Secure Heavy Furniture
Heavy furniture items like dressers, night stands, tables, and entertainment systems should be avoided altogether or adequately secured against the wall. There have been cases where children have pulled over large objects onto themselves. This is especially concerning if you have multiple children in the toddler age group or if you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes or storms.

4. Use Powerful Fans for Air Circulation
Regardless of what kind of home renovation you're doing, chances are there's going to be a good amount of dust in the air throughout the process. Open all the windows and doors, and strategically position high-powered fans throughout the room to facilitate strong air flow. Let the room air out for a day or two in this manner before letting children return to the area.

5. Keep Movable Items Out of Reach
If you're going to be adding a built-in fixture or feature like a fold-out table, armoire, or rotating TV stand, be sure to put anything movable out of the reach of children. This will ensure that the kids don't knock things over at the cost of your belongings and/or their personal safety.

6. Don't Forget to Cordon Off the Area
Finally, regardless of what kind of renovation you'll be doing, it will probably involve tools, chemicals, and other products that are not child-safe. Thus, be sure to cordon off any work area and preferably have children play outside or visit the babysitter while the dirty work is being done.
- This is a PR collaboration 

4 comments:

  1. Very good points. There is usually a lot of dust when renovation work is done so it is important to dust and clean daily.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vital to ensure the safety of our little ones
    Thankyou

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great points. Especially about the paint

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd forgotten about this with the 8 year gap between Connor and Megan, then Megan started our growing the "I want to play with dangerous things" and now Mollie is on the case xxx

    ReplyDelete