You know what they say: it’s not possible to have a childproof home that is also beautiful. But guess what? It is possible to have a home that is both beautiful and safe for the kids. Here are 7 simple tips to dress up your home.

1. Think Round and Soft

Repeat after me: round edges are good, sharp square edges are bad. Oh no, you might think, there goes my sleek edges but don’t despair just yet! Round furniture is just as capable of bringing out the stylish factor you’re aiming for. Think rounded Ottomans and sofas sets. And while you’re at it, invest in plenty of soft furnishings for your home as well. This means tasteful poofs and cushions (with no detachable small parts!) that run with your theme.

2. Ditch the Coffee Table

Coffee tables are great for resting the legs after a long day or holding your movie snacks, but they are really quite the hazard to your still-happily-oblivious-to-danger-zones child. So instead of coffee tables, why not go for poofs instead? They are not just soft and stylish, they fulfil a double function as a mini table as well. Oh and forget about leaving things like remote controls and beverages that your little one can pounce on gleefully. If you don’t want your child to touch it, then it shouldn’t be anywhere they can reach at all.

3. Do a Switcheroo with your Heavy Decorations

To ensure that nothing heavy falls onto your child as they run amok through your home, there are some things that you have to put away until your child is older. This means that breakable items such as the hefty statue from Bali or that prized antique vase will have to be stored elsewhere. Replace the heavyweights with lighter décor accessories, at least until your child is mature enough to know that not everything is their plaything or can be put into their mouths.

4. Secure your Rugs

Rugs are a good thing to have because they provide a nice soft area for your kids to play on, especially if you have parquet or tiled flooring. But do remember to secure them to the floor with an anti-slip guard in case your child trips over it and falls.

5. Mount the TV to the Wall

Remember what we said about replacing heavy accessories in your home with lighter ones? Ditto for the television. Instead of putting it on the console, why not mount it onto the wall instead? This will not only make things look sleeker, it will also prevent the very unfortunate event of your child pulling down the television onto themselves. The same goes for other pieces of furniture in your home. Have them anchored to the wall if you can manage it, so the furniture doesn’t fall on your children when they attempt to show off their climbing skills.

6. Go Down to your Child’s Level

Okay, you’ve removed everything that is a potential threat to your little one’s well-being. Your home now has a softer and rounder look so your child doesn’t accidentally injure themselves in the course of their wild playtimes. In fact, all your furniture pieces and rugs have been securely locked down so nothing is going to fall on or trip your children. You’re as childproofed as you possibly can be. But wait a minute. Have you gotten down to their level to see what other places that can lead them to mischief or grief?

This includes trailing wires on the floor, window dressing cords, stray pills, power sockets, coins etc. They are all potential disaster zones so make sure you do the necessary to keep such things out of your child’s reach. Think of it as part of the important de-cluttering process. After all, a cluttered home doesn’t look good on any occasion. Don’t want your little one to fly down the stairs or enter a certain room? Then have baby gates installed to block the way.

⇒ Related Read: How I Decluttered My Home The Marie Kondo Way

7. Invest in Slip Covers for your Sofa

Your relatives and friends might have advised you this: never buy sofas in white because they will never stay that way with kids. The bad news is they are probably right, but the good news is that you can preserve your sofa’s dignity through the use of slip-covers. IKEA Singapore has plenty of those for sale so you can choose from a wide range of colours to spice things up. Or you can get them custom-made to switch things around whenever you want a change.

The key thing to styling your home to be a safer place for your child is this: never lose yourself in the process and end up with a functionally boring looking home that you hate.

Creativity is the mother of innovation so if you have other inventive ideas, don’t forget to share it with us!

By Lilian Wu, Renonation.

This article was first published in The New Age Parents e-magazine.

Enjoyed reading this or learned something new? Click the Like and Share button below!

Want to be heard and seen by over 100,000 parents in Singapore? We can help! Leave your contact here and we’ll be in touch.