Kid’s furniture selection: safety consideration.
Choosing the furniture for your children’s room can be a really daunting experience. This is especially true if your child has already developed a particular taste and knows what they want. Parents usually make a compromise when it comes to design, but going for bright and funky options. After all, they want children to feel comfortable in their room and enjoy spending time in it. However, appearance is not the only thing that should be considered when furnishing the children’s room.
There is one aspect that is much more important and that is safety. Parent should not forget that children spend a lot of time in their room unsupervised and we all know that their curiosity can be potentially dangerous. So, what should parents consider in terms of safety when choosing the furniture for their children’s rooms?
No place for sentiment
No matter how sentimental you feel about a particular item, if it poses a threat, you should simply ditch it. For instance, you may hope that the cot you used to use would be great for your kids too, but old-fashioned drop-side cots are actually quite dangerous. Namely, a child could slip down between the drop side and the base, get trapped and even suffocate. If you can insert more than two fingers between the edge of the mattress and the sides or bed rails, your child should not use it.
Forget faulty items
Under no circumstances should you use any item of furniture which is unstable or shaky or missing slats or rails. Also, old high chairs often came without safety trap, an obligatory feature of new ones. Also, make sure no items with rough edges, splinters and rusty or missing parts end up in the room. Finally, some upholstery is highly flammable, making it a potential risk. If you have such an item, make sure you reupholster it using a material that conforms to current safety standards.
Pay attention to materials
What might be great for the living room or your bedroom might not suit your children’s rooms. For example, a glass coffee table or any other item made using fragile and breakable material is potentially hazardous, since we all know you can’t expect your children to be extra careful around such item. Instead, opt for sturdy and smooth plastic or polished wood. Pay attention to affordable furniture sale options online and you should be able to find good deals for quality pieces.
Slipping is an issue
Every item that is easily pushed over or moved is a bad choice, especially if you need it to put hot food and drink on it. Equally important is avoiding furniture that can easily fall over if your child is placed in or on it. So, don’t fall for the looks, but think about how dangerous an items is before introducing it to the children’s room.
No sharp elements
Each sharp edge can cause damage to your children, especially while they are still young and not so stable when walking. They might fall over and injure themselves on an item with sharp edges or corners, making the incident potentially extremely hazardous. Some parents are cautious enough to protect all sharp corners and edges in the house by installing some kind of insulation over the edges that might harm their kids.
Non-toxic paints only!
The walls and furniture items in the kid’s bedroom should only be painted using non-toxic paints and finishes. Don’t forget that your child spends a lot of time inhaling the air in the room and that they are prone to gnawing at the edges of the bed or high chairs while teething. So, make sure no lead-based or toxic paint is used.
Bunk beds only for older kids
Regardless of how attracted your kid may be to a bunk bed, until they are six they should avoid the top bunk. Even when they are older, you should still keep a guard rail on each side. Also, inspect the ladder occasionally to ensure that there are no missing rungs and that they are firmly attached to the side of the top bunk.
Lower dressers for storage
Every child likes to have their favorite toys somewhere where they can reach them easily. That’s why you need to avoid placing such items on higher shelves, since your child might easily fall trying to reach them. Instead, opt for storage that is low-level and features a firm and wide base. Finally, make sure all furniture, such as cupboards, drawers and wardrobes are anchored to the wall, so that your child can’t pull them down. Also, very young children should have their lower drawers equipped with safety locks.
In a nutshell, before you focus on the design, think about safety, since no-one can guarantee that your child won’t get hurt or injured while spending time in their room. Luckily, prioritizing safety doesn’t mean the room can’t be fun and funky.
Author BIO
If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out LinkedIn.