Parenting is a full-time job whose expertise grows with experience. But even for the most experienced parents, it is never easy to master. Before or soon after welcoming a newborn into the household, one of the first things you will need to do is to make the environment safe, healthy, and friendly for the baby. This means minimizing hazards and creating conditions that will help your baby grow strong and healthy. It means factoring in that they develop really fast and will soon start playing around with everything and anything around the house. With this in mind, this piece provides a few helpful pointers on making your home baby-friendly.
Ensure Baby Safety
Kids can be playful, and it gets intense as they grow. Their level of curiosity heightens, and it becomes dangerous when they are under low supervision. As they crawl their way around the house, it is not unusual to find a baby touching hot things in the kitchen or playing with dangerous stuff like household bleach and kitchen knives. The last thing you want is to be called by the screams of your baby after they fell down the staircase in just a few seconds of your absence. To keep your baby from such dangerous situations, a baby gate is an essential element. It helps give you peace of mind knowing your baby is safe from potential hazards around the house. Apart from installing a safety gate, some things you can do to baby-proof your home for safety include.
- Cover electrical outlets
- Stabilize items they can pull over
- Place breakable and dangerous items high
- Lock medications and cleaners
- Lock toilet doors when not in use
- Ensure all cabinets have locks
- Get trash bins with covers
These are a few among an endless list of things to look out for regarding kids’ safety. Additionally, besides taking all the necessary safety precautions, you must ensure that your kids have someone to keep an eye on them.
Incorporate Their Masterpieces
Kids love to feel appreciated for the little efforts they make. That is enough to build their self-esteem. Now, imagine how much love they can feel when you mount that piece of artwork they doodled colors? That would bring a smile on their face, anything they see their work displayed in their room, how you have that Bob Marley portrait mounted on the staircase wall. However, it will work best when your kid attains school-going age.
Be Creative on Storage
Kids can be messy sometimes, but when you teach them well, they can begin to be tidy and organized at a very tender age. And for that to come into existence, you have to find storage spaces that are attractive and interesting for them to enjoy organizing their toys and other items. You can choose to have an animation themed basket at the corner of the room where the child will be storing all their toys. Allow the kid to scatter them all over the house but teach them to get them back in order, perhaps in their favorite Tom & Jerry basket. Notably, ensure that the toys have different colors and textures to get the baby interested in tidying and organizing. Have chest drawers in low levels to make them pick and drop by themselves.
Incorporate Nature in Their Spaces
Kids love to play outside because what they find out there is not what they get in the house. And when the weather changes, the kids may not understand why they are not allowed to play outside. So, why not bring the outdoor feeling inside the house?
Go to the garden with your child and pick a plant they love. Plant the flower in a pot together and take it to their room. Give the child the duty to water the plant till it grows. Now that will make them learn responsibility. You can also bring more plants into your living space to give more oxygen and glamour. Aquariums are an awesome way of connecting with nature and can help the child learn to appreciate nature at a low age. Can pets be classified under this category? Well, why not? If your kids love the dog, consider getting them a pet to keep them company when they need a friend.
Respect Their Space
As small as they are, they also need their space. That is why you find that houses with kids have playrooms where everything is nice, bright, and attractive. They can have toys they can explore and get creative without getting harmed. Allow them to have that room where they can build and break all their imaginations. Please give them space where they can make mistakes without being judged or pinched.
Create an environment where they can bite anything and everything without fear of getting harmed or poisoned. With such an environment in the house, the parents can go about their duties and chores without getting worried about the child’s well-being and safety. Kids are amazing, and everything about them should be amazing, so be that amazing adult who lets them be in their playroom.
Create a Chill Spot and Read Space
After a long day of games and play, the child needs a comfortable space to rest. Encourage your child to find time to sit down and chill. You can have a bean bag with floor rugs to jump and lay on when they are tired of playing and maybe want to watch SpongeBob. Allow them to be kids enough to have a variety of animations to watch and learn. Besides all the fun and play, create a great environment for them to read and write. Get the child animated themed stationery to give them the interest to learn. You can have a corner in the home library to have it themed with their favorite color.
The joy of any parent is to see their babies grow into fine kids, to teenagers, to respectable adults. However, the earlier stages of this journey are usually the hardest. The above few tips can help make your home friendly for your kid from toddler age to the first few years of their lives.
