With a new baby comes soft cuddles, lots of coffee and special memories… and it also comes with patching up your lovely home with bumpers and locks to prevent that adorable baby from getting into too much trouble. But I promise you, just because your little one is now crawling and discovering every square inch of space in your home, you don’t have to say good-bye to style for the foreseeable future.
I recently had the opportunity to share some of my baby-proofing tips with The Hub Today (check it out here!!) and while yes, I don’t recommend leaving anything fragile out and about within arm’s reach (isn’t it impressive just how much babies can grab ahold of?!), your home’s design aesthetic can still remain intact.
From simple tweaks to smart alternative options, here are my go-to tips for baby-proofing your home without compromising style:
- Neutral is Key: Strive to keep new safety gear as neutral as possible so it doesn’t become the new focal point of the room. Colors don’t affect the safety of an item so neutral will serve the purpose just perfectly and look a whole lot softer and more stylish than other options on the market. Extending this approach to all baby items in your home really helps the overall aesthetic as well. For example, if you are going to have toys out in the main area of your home, try to pick the most attractive options and pair them down so they can be organized easily (the others can go in cute containers in the playroom or nursery!).
- Gates and Gadgets: Keep all barriers and any sort of protective gadget as neutral (see above) and as SIMPLE as possible. You don’t need crazy gate systems, you just need a solid barrier and simple is always chicer. This way they won’t scream “baby!” as soon as you enter the room, and are more likely to blend seamlessly into your home overall.
- Soft Edges: Ottomans and any furniture with soft edges are your new best friend! They are baby-proofed to begin with so no need to tweak a thing! I can’t stress this point enough: just after Evie turned two, she fell and hit her head on our coffee table and had to get six stitches. It was a TERRIBLE situation all around. At the time, we had a rounded edge coffee table, but it was thick glass. When I ordered it, I thought it was acrylic but once it arrived, I figured it would still be okay since the edges weren’t sharp. Well, turns out, they are sharp (and dangerous) if you fall onto them.
- Performance Fabrics: It’s just not the time in your life to choose fabrics that are difficult (or even impossible) to clean. This is something that’s just better to accept and embrace instead of fight. But fear not, there are tons of gorgeous options when it comes to fabrics that perform well with kiddos (and pets) and most retailers are offering them now.
- Outlets: When it comes to outlets, Legrand makes ones that are tamper-resistant and attractive, I always recommend them! The simple outlets that slide are another great option instead of those old tooth-colored plastic plug-ins that kids figure out how to take out anyway.
- Easy Cleaning: Keep a cordless vacuum near the kitchen/main area of your home. This is an absolute game-changer as the crumbs are ENDLESS. We all know that the first step to a well-designed home is a clean and organized one. 🙂
- Washable Flooring: Rugs like Ruggable are amazing, easy to wash, giving you peace of mind when you have kids and everything that comes with the territory. Spills, spit-up, throw up? No problem. Just throw it in the wash! Wool is also a good option when selecting a rug as it’s durable, a better option for people with allergens, and is comfortable. You can also layer a play mat over an existing rug – I love Toki Mats, we have the striped one.
Keep in mind that everything is a stage and you will get to have nice things again… well, maybe? Evie is now four years old and I feel like we just might be finally hitting an age where she understands the act of caring for things and not spilling… as much? But then again, Harvey is just getting started…
PS. More tips and tricks here for all you busy mamas out there!