A home should be the safest space for the little ones. Yet even the most doting parent or careful adult cannot personally prevent accidents from happening. This is where clever home design can cover the bases.
Even if it’s just to prevent little nicks and scratches, you’d want to do everything possible to make sure your home is designed with kids in mind.
Here’s how to make key areas of the home as safe as possible:
The living room
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Choose multi-purpose furniture. Buying furniture that can also act as storage makes it easy to gather toys in one place. There’s a better chance of avoiding accidents without clutter around, like stepping on wheeled toys or a Lego when you or your kids are barefoot.
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Go for wall-mounted TVs. With TVs having gotten considerably larger over the years, stop worrying about kids accidentally knocking them over. If you’re buying a new TV, make sure they are VESA compatible (the universal mounting standard for TVs and monitors), allowing you to set up the device in various ways.
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Eliminate sharp corners. Identify areas in the living room where kids are likely to bump themselves. Consider buying a round table or an upholstered sofa, or installing soft corner protectors for tables, counters, and other sharp corners around the house.
The kitchen
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Galley kitchens may be useful. If you’re buying new construction, consider opting for a galley kitchen. It’s built with a central corridor that allows parents (and kids) to quickly move from one part of the house to another. It also serves to contain an area of the house that can be a potential hazard.
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Put sharp objects in hard-to-reach areas. Make sure knives and small electric appliances like coffee makers are out of the reach of children. Keep them in locked drawers, upper cabinets, an under-cabinet storage area, or the topmost pantry shelf.
The bathroom
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Rethink the design of your shower and bath area. While a shower-and- bath-in-one is functional and space-saving, consider separates. A shower stall provides better footing for kids and adults alike.
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Ditch swinging glass doors. Some kids may struggle opening these types of bathroom doors with wet or moist hands. Or run into them if left open. Install a fixed glass panel instead.
The front and backyard
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Install fences. Adding kid-friendly vinyl and aluminum fences will help keep small kids from crossing streets and wandering into potentially dangerous areas of the yard (a slippery patio, an open pool).
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Build a toolshed and lock it up. The last thing you want your children to do is mess around with outdoor tools and cleaning chemicals. Stow these items in the garage or a locked shed.
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Keep the grill safe. Install screen barriers on your grill to keep kids from touching the hot surface when you’re momentarily elsewhere.
Consult Heller Coley Reed for all things real estate
If you are considering a home in or around Bethesda, Maryland, seasoned real estate agents from Heller Coley Reed are ready to assist you.
Whether helping you find kid-friendly homes or providing helpful insight into neighborhoods, our team is more than up to the task. You may contact us via phone call or email.