How to Baby-Proof Your Home and Keep Your Style
It’s essential to baby-proof your home to keep your children safe, but it can also cramp your style. Luckily, there are some great products on the market for parents who need to baby-proof while staying true to the style they’ve already laid out in their home. Here are some of our favorite picks.
Furniture
These coffee table corner protectors from the Parents’ website cover your sharp corners while maintaining the look and feel of a wooden table. And these clear, circular corner covers blend while baby-proofing your existing furniture.
Not feeling like putting sticky protectors on your coffee table? One mom suggests swapping it out for a comfortable ottoman, like this one from West Elm.
Whatever furniture you have in your home, consider anchoring it to prevent dangerous situations with dressers and other heavy items. (More from Consumer Reports on how to anchor your furniture here.)
Outlet covers
In addition to protecting corners, it’s also important to baby-proof your electrical outlets. Many new homes are built with TRR (Tamper Resistant Receptacles) outlets, and therefore, you don’t need to cover them. If you have a home that does not have TRR outlets, you will want to look into baby-proofing these. Unfortunately, some outlet protectors can stick out like a sore thumb.
Try these outlet covers on Amazon -- they can be installed on your existing outlets. They’re sleek and they slide back and forth so you can easily plug something in while protecting your little explorer at the same time.
Baby corrals & baby gates
Both babies and parents alike enjoy a baby corral. It contains babies and toddlers just learning to crawl or walk, and frees up parents to get some tasks done while baby is playing. Sadly, many baby corrals can be rather bulky and unattractive. Some companies are wise to this and have started to make trendier alternatives. Take this adorable baby mat for example, for babies who might not be “on the go” just yet. With its neutral colors, sleek design and low walls, it can look good in any room in your house.
Now, when the baby gets a little older, that mat is not going to contain him or her. In which case, you can upgrade to this activity center with higher walls to keep your babies entertained and contained.
It’s not just baby corrals, baby gates can also be an eyesore. If you’re willing to spend some money, there are elevated baby gates on the market. Some exist that look more like stained glass windows and are designed to match most homes’ style from Fusion Gates.
Others are clear from Qdos -- keeping babies safe, while keeping your home looking as sleek as ever. And, there are also some amazing options on Etsy.
Bathroom
Then, there’s the bathroom. Bath toys and accessories can overwhelm your bathroom and eliminate sophistication for the adults in the house. But, who wouldn’t want to add this adorable whale faucet cover for baby’s bath? It looks cute when it’s on the faucet, and you can easily remove it and hang it up to dry.
Playroom
For a playroom or any room in your home, you may want to soften some of your floors to create a play space for your baby. Carpet tiles from FLOR tiles, are very popular with parents right now and can add a chic or fun look to any play area.
Kitchen
There are also simple changes you can make with your everyday items to make you feel more relaxed about your active little one cruising around the house. Dwell suggests switching to flameless candles and acrylic glassware. Good news -- there are great acrylic glassware options at Crate and Barrel.
We love helping homeowners and parents maintain their style, but obviously, safety comes first. Blessedly, there are many products on the market that are both chic and safe.
Pick the products that will keep your babies safest, then think about keeping your home stylish!