As your family grows, and you welcome the arrival of your little one, you will be making sure your home is ready for the pitter patter of tiny feet by redecorating. While earlier you may have decorated your home to reflect your youth and modernity, now you think about the elements of safety and want to provide a space where your little one can flourish in terms of their development through each stage of their young life.
Safe foundations
Although your newborn will not initially come into contact with the ground, as they grow and learn to crawl and walk, you will need to think about the material from which the floor is made in order to prevent against them hurting themselves when they fall, which they sometimes will. Select a non-slip type of tile or a flexible wood floor covering. If your flooring is already in place, consider buying floor coverings, such as rugs or mats that are made from kids friendly materials, and offer a good grip to prevent against your child slipping over.
Barriers
Aside from creating a space that caters to the specific needs of your child, finding ways to block off stairs, the kitchen or surfaces of differing heights is one way of ensuring parents can feel safe in the knowledge that their child is not going to wander into any dangerous situations. Also, when your newborn(s) first returns from the hospital, his/her cot should be equipped with a barrier to stop him/her from falling out of bed.
Plug sockets should be kept away from children
Check the height levels of your plug sockets as it is in the nature of young children to poke and prod new things they come across. If there is a plug socket within a child’s reach, find a plug adapter which closes off the socket completely.
Washable toys
Ensure that the toys you buy can be washed with water as this will keep them clean and free from dust. Toys should be cleaned daily, and stored in a cupboard or sealable box, only being brought out when the child wants to play with them.
Avoid allergens and other irritants
From where a child sleeps to the toys they play with and the cleaning fluids used around the house, irritants and allergens should be kept away from children because of their sensitive skin and internal organs which are not yet at full strength in terms of their immune system.
Create a spacious and airy environment
Your newborn(s) is bound to receive gifts in abundance from friends and family, which is likely to include soft and furry animal toys. Keep in mind, these stuffed toys can become places where dust can accumulate, hence when not in use, should be stored in a cupboard and washed regularly. Carefully select which toys to bring out for your child to play with each time. Also, make sure that furniture, such as cupboards, beds, tables and chairs that have pointed edges, are not bunched together, or that there are not too many of them around the house.
Install mosquito guards
Children and mosquitoes go together like bees and honey so you should go around your house, checking that there are no openings in doors, windows and mosquito guards for mosquitoes to enter through. You may even want to install extra protection to prevent against bugs disturbing your little one.
With all this in mind, setting up your home to welcome your new arrival should be carried out in the stages corresponding to your child’s growth. You can begin by ensuring the safety of your newborn by providing effective protection against mosquitoes, bugs and falling out of bed. Then, you’ll want to ensure your child’s safety as they grow and begin sitting, crawling, walking and running. Finally, focus on providing them with a home environment whereby they can develop both mentally and physically in a way that gives your precious child a bright and happy future.