Baby proofing is an essential part of the nesting period before giving birth. It’s not just the nursery you have to get ready; the whole home needs tweaking too! However, many people can think of baby proofing as boring, and that it might even ruin the impact of the decor you’ve worked so hard to curate in the first place. But we’re here to say it doesn’t have to be that way!
Baby proofing doesn’t have to mean putting away your favourite items to keep them from falling or breaking, or covering your home in white plastic to ensure your baby doesn’t bump their head. And as long as your new bundle of joy is safe at home, that’s all that matters. So, with all that in mind, here are some baby proofing methods that’ll fit right in.
Use Plenty of Sticky Tack
Strong sticky tack works amazingly well on keeping fragile items in place. Indeed, if they use it in museums to secure the exhibits down, you can be sure it’ll be fine in your home too! And many people use tack like this to stop their pets from knocking things over, so your newborn won’t be pulling vases and statues down on top of them anytime soon.
A quick $5 to $8 for a packet you can use again and again from the local hardware/DIY store and everything will be secured just in time! Really this is a great hack for anyone who’s worried about the precious things we keep on the bookshelves.
Create Plenty of Baby Areas
Baby designated areas will help your home look more soft as well as function as a more baby friendly place. From soft play furnishings to loads of blankets and cushions to baby mats and cradles, baby areas should crop up in every other room at least. The living room, the nursery, and the dining room or family room if you’ve got the space. For any empty corners, this’ll work a treat in filling them out.
Make sure each baby area has plenty to do that’s fun. If you need a bit of inspiration, you can go through this nursery essentials checklist for items to pack your places out with. Otherwise just make sure you’ve got age appropriate toys available, as well as space for yourself to sit with your baby. If you can spend time together, that’s all the better!
Use ‘Invisible’ Corner Protectors
Babies have soft heads, and if they’re crawling around and bang their head into the side of a coffee table or the TV stand, they could do some damage to themselves. It’s why corner protectors exist, but the size, shape, and color of them can vary and even look obtuse within your space.
But there are many ‘invisible’ corner protectors out there as well, made of silicon and other similarly soft materials. Not only do these look a lot better when applied, but they make the room even softer than it was before.
Give Yourself Plenty of ‘Drop Boxes’
Drop boxes are just that: for dropping items in. Anything that doesn’t have a permanent home of its own, or can’t fit in any drawers or cupboards, go into these boxes. Whatever you have in your hand that you can’t put anywhere else, drop it in the box and move on.
When you’ve got a newborn on your hands, you don’t have much time or energy to clean, and this is a great way to compromise. Just throw things in a box that’s out of your baby’s way (and out of yours), and then you can just easily grab stuff out later on again.
Make Sure Your Storage is Soft
The storage in your home could do with a soft upgrade! From padded cushioning on top of ottomans or footstools, to under bed drawers that are covered by a sheet, hide any storage solutions behind the softest items in your home.
Not only does this look really good next to any kind of decor, but you won’t have to worry about your baby grabbing onto these items to help themselves stand up or pull items down to their level.
Take a weekend to baby proof your home. It won’t ruin the way your living room looks, and it’ll certainly make your home feel a lot more child friendly! And as they’re growing up, your baby will see that for themselves – it’ll really make them feel like the space is theirs as well.
