Starting a family and moving to a new home is such an exciting period in life. However, this comes with many obligations and worries.
Parents need to think about different ways to keep their children safe but also happy and healthy. After going through the moving process, you need to unpack and adapt your new home to its residents.
And if you have young kids, such as babies and toddlers, this might be a bit more demanding. To help you not forget something, we’ve devised a list of ways to make your new home child-friendly and eco-friendly.
This checklist will help you do everything to maximize the safety inside your new house but also make it a pleasant and playful place to stay with your family.
1. Start with big items first
Like in every adaptation process, you need to have a system. We advise starting with the most oversized items on the list – the furniture pieces. If you’re renovating the house and buying new furniture, pick pieces with rounded, soft edges. This will minimize accidents and help you worry less about play sessions. However, if you already have pieces with sharp edges, you don’t need to get rid of them. Edge-protectors can help you protect the edges until your kids are old enough.
Another thing you need to consider is if some of the pieces can be easily tipped over during play. Running, grabbing, and pulling are common in homes with kids, which is why you need to be extra careful with shelves, armchairs, and similar items that can turn over and hurt somebody. Make sure these are fixed and sturdy to ensure no accidents happen in your new home.
2. Mix playful and practical
If you want to make your new home child-friendly, you need to let the colors and creativity in. However, parents often worry about the mess and stains this may cause. One way to mix creativity and practicality is to paint the walls with semi-gloss paint that can be wiped down easily. You can even let your kids pick the colors for their rooms.
This way, you will give them a feeling of importance, teach them how to make long-term decisions, but also keep them cheerful and playful. Another thing you can do is to use chalkboard paint and paint a shape on the wall – this will serve as a board for future art pieces.
Alt-tag: blue wall paint used to make your new home child-friendly
3. Choose the right flooring
Anything that stains or gets easily scratched is not great for a home with kids. That’s why you should play it smart when picking floors and carpets for your new home. To save you time and nerves, it’s best to go for the floors that are not easy to destroy – one of them is the vinyl floor. And if you like carpets, avoid expensive pieces in light colors.
A much better option is installing carpet tiles. They are easy to replace and wash if stains appear on one or two tiles.
4. Go for hidden storage
When living with kids, you can expect breakage and curiosity touches to your valuable or fragile items. That’s why it’s best to go for shelves or cupboards with lids – covered storage will protect your items but also keep your home tidier.
5. Don’t forget the outside
When trying to make your new home child-friendly, don’t forget the outside. Encouraging outside playtime will make your kids spend more time in the fresh air. It will be healthier and more fun for them, but it will also minimize the number of accidents inside the house.
Talk to your kids and see what items they want in their backyard. A tent, trampoline, sandbox, or even a treehouse – there are numerous options to make your backyard child-friendly and a perfect place to create childhood memories.
Alt-tag: a child playing with sand
6. Safety gates
If your kids are babies or toddlers, installing safety gates on critical areas such as stairs is necessary. There are retractable solutions too, so they don’t take up a lot of space. However, this will maximize safety and help you relax, knowing your child won’t get hurt.
7. Locks
One of the common pieces of advice you get when improving the safety of your home is to ‘lift’ dangerous items on shelves and keep them away from kids. However, that’s not always possible to do. That’s why you should go for special locks you can install on cabinets that contain breakable items, cleaning supplies, or other items that kids shouldn’t touch. Furthermore, be sure to use special covers to protect the electrical outlets, as these are very interesting for kids at a young age.
Alt-tag: Two kids grabbing chalk from a box
8. Moving with kids
Once you purchase a new family home and prepare it for your loved ones, it’s time to organize the move. Moving with kids is undoubtedly one of the most challenging events for parents. That’s why you should do everything to make the process easy.
Start the preparation time, prepare the budget, and hire professional movers to help you out. These steps will ensure you save time and energy and avoid getting overwhelmed. Taking care of your kids while moving is pretty demanding, so be sure to simplify the process and save energy wherever you can.
9. Involve the kids in the process
If they are old enough, your kids can participate in moving preparation and the decoration of the new home. Valuing their opinion and asking for help will ensure they feel like a part of the moving process.
It’s essential to make your new home safe and child-friendly, but don’t forget to include the kids in the process. They will accept the new home much more quickly, and they will enjoy every step of the way to this new adventure.
Hopefully, this checklist for a new, safe, and child-friendly home will help prepare you as best as possible for your home move.