Having children is one of the biggest life adjustments you will ever face, even down to the design and functions within the home. What you may have preferred as a couple may now need to be reconsidered in terms of practicality and safety and make your home environment a much more comfortable and convenient place to live as a family. Many factors need to be considered when it comes to planning your dream family home – and it isn’t as difficult as you may believe. Take a look below to get an insight into how to make your home more child-friendly:
Open-plan layout
When you have young children, an open-plan layout would be extremely beneficial for a young family set-up – whether you’re relaxing or running errands. The difficulty usually occurs when preparing and cooking meals in the kitchen, forcing you away from your family for several hours each evening. As a result, you not only miss out on precious bonding time but it can also be a worry when children are left without supervision. If possible, consider knocking down partitioning walls within the downstairs of the property to create a free-flowing space through the living room, kitchen and dining areas. Even when your kids have grow up, this layout will still make a great space for entertaining your guests.
Hard flooring
Having children and pets means spillages and muddy footprints are highly likely. While carpet is most comfortable underfoot, it isn’t the most practical option for a family home. As an alternative, you should consider kitchen tiles Leeds flooring, which is wipeable and means dust and crumbs can be swept up quickly with minimal hassle.
A wet zone bathroom
If you have been planning to upgrade your bathroom in the near future, incorporating a wet zone may be an idea when you have very small children. Wet rooms are typically waterproof, which allows them to have plenty of fun in one area without the worry of splashing and flooding. What’s more, they are also a much safer design than standard baths and showers due to the flat tray flooring, complete with non-slip tiles.
Rounded furniture
Accidents can happen in the home, even more so when your child starts walking and exerting their newfound sense of freedom. Most furniture is at head height for toddlers, so it would be highly advisable to swap sharp-edged pieces with rounded furniture. If you already own furniture, you could consider purchasing rubberized edge protectors to reduce the number of incidents
Washable wall paint
It’s no secret that kids can cause mess and chaos within the home and when they’re especially young, they may wish to explore their creative side by drawing on any surface that takes their fancy – even the walls. While the damage is pretty much done when it comes to wallpaper, you could consider coating the existing walls with washable interior paint that can be easily wiped to remove pen marks, dirt and food stains.
