It can be a delicate balancing act when designing a home that is to your taste and that is child friendly as well. The truth is that it doesn’t matter how much you monitor your child, once they are on the move they will create some chaos along the way! So whether you are planning a renovation, or simply de-cluttering a room, here are some practical ways to make the design of your home child friendly. Importantly, these tips can be used without sacrificing your own taste or preferences.
Allocate a specific child friendly space
Create a space that is specifically for your little one to use. It may be any size, from a corner of a room, through to an entire playroom. Make sure you have some storage for your child to put away their toys and equipment and encourage them to use the space. Spend time with them playing there and help them develop a sense of pride about their corner. Setting up a habit of your child playing in a specific space means that they are more likely to play there. This also means they will be less likely to use other areas of your home to play in where it may not be as safe or practical for them to do so.
Choose your furniture wisely
When you are choosing furniture or accessories, don’t feel you need to limit your choices because of your little one. There are lots of child friendly designs around. A practical tip however, is to select an outdoor rug for indoors. These tend to be hardwearing and far easier to remove stains and spills off of. You might like to go for darker furniture and choose some great light coloured accessories to go with it. Accessories such as throw rugs or cushions will tend to be out of their reach, at least for the first couple of years!
Aim for open plan design
During the early years of your little one, it is sensible to aim for an open plan design. This tends to make it easier to keep an eye on what they are up to, even if you are in a different area of your home. It will help create a more inclusive sense of space as well and, while your child may have a specific area for their toys, it means they won’t feel isolated or excluded from the rest of the living areas.
Include their artwork in your home
Choose a couple of frames and create a small gallery of your child’s artwork. You can rotate the pieces and it is a fun way to showcase their work, as well as being child friendly. It’s a practical way to add a splash of colour and to see your child’s progression as an artist at the same time.
