Hey guys! Something you may not know about me, is I love interior design, but I also struggle with commitment. So I switch up my living room like every six months according to the latest trends, and our families needs. Our latest transition, baby proofing.
Since Banks’ was born I’ve known that the days of “baby proofing” we’re short to come. Just when I had my house just right, he was army crawling around, trashing the place. It wasn’t long before I decided I needed to transform our downstairs into a safe space for our littlest family member. So that’s what I did.
Here are my tips + tricks to baby proofing your home, whilst keeping your house a space that you love.
Rug – What? Why would a rug matter? Well let me tell you something. When your rug is 100% wool and 100% sheds like a damn sheep (or whatever animal you can think of that excessivley sheds) 24/7…Oh and is casually WHITE, it’s not going to work for you when you have a baby. Not a chance.
I fell deeply in love with our first rug..It’s Moroccan beauty made all of my interior design dreams come true. But when the baby came, and everything went in his mouth, the rug was the first to go. We sold it to this cute couple who had like four huskies and said it would be fine. SWEET. You go.
Our downstairs went rug-less for a long time. Owning a store that sells Vintage Turkish rugs…I was bound and determine to rep one of my own in my house. Well. That didn’t happen. They rarely make them big enough to cover the space that I needed, so I found THE BEST AND GREATEST ALTERNATIVE. Little Nomad. Little Nomad Play Mats are beautifully illustrated, and look like rugs..WHAT! I loved the idea of a play mat to keep my little one safe, and my carpets clean..But always hated the bright, obnoxious colors. Here are some of the best things about them.
- Constructed from super soft and durable eva foam, perfect for babies who are learning to walk!
- Designed with the highest child safety standards in mind
- Attached boarders, completing the look
- Easy to assemble and expandable to fit any room size. BOOYA!
- Super, SUPER easy to wipe clean!
- EVERYONE’S reactions when they find out it’s a play mat and not a rug…Never gets old.
Next on the list, Push Up Blinds-
I once saw a terrifying video of a child who had accidentally strangled themselves with the blind cord..Luckily the mom found him in time and he suffered only minor injuries. I knew in that moment, that their HAD to be an alternative. When we were building our house, and it came time for the window covering selection, I knew I wanted something cordless, for my future babes. Now, I am SO glad I have them, and that it is one less thing I have to worry about! I have these ones and I love them! The ones in my downstairs are nice because they still let light in, and in our bedrooms we have the blackout version which keep our rooms PITCH BLACK! Here are some of the things I love.
- Easy to put up
- Affordable! Have you ever purchased blinds? They’re FREAKING EXPENSIVE PEOPLE.
- Sleek in design and look
- Fully customized sizing with a perfect fit guarantee! This is a huge relief when ordering online, because of this, we went for it! We just measured our windows and they did the rest. We had one that didn’t fit perfectly, and they refunded us our money, and sent us a replacement without any questions asked!
- SAFE, SAFE, SAFE!
Baskets, Baskets, and more Baskets-
I once asked on social media ways to baby proof without having to ruin my decor that I had worked so hard to perfect…The best advice I got, was BASKETS! I replaced my breakable / spillable decor that was within his reach, with baskets. Baskets full of toys and books, and blankets. Though his toys are always everywhere…I love that I have an adorable, non-fragile place to “hide” them! My favorite basket finds are at Target, World Market, and TJ Maxx! I found these giant ones at World Market and they are a total-game changer. I swear they each hold like 200 toys lolz. They were a little pricy but so worth it!
Cabinet Locks-
I bought the Safety 1st Spring and Release Latches for our cabinets downstairs, and I’m not quite sold on this particular style. My little Banks can rip the cabinets open still, but it does prevent him from slamming his fingers! I am going to try out a different style, in these because I would love for him to not be able to open the cabinets. However, I am putting this on the list because it is SUPER important to save their little fingers from being smashed!
Baby Gates-
Devastated to report that my little one took a pretty rough tumble down the stairs last week…It traumatized me, though he wasn’t injured! I mean he full on TUMBLED you guys…It was so sad and killed me. We have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs, but we will be installing one up top this week. Not risking that again. Nope. Cya.
Glass Corner Covers-
We have this glass table with sharp corners. We just purchased some glass corner covers on amazon that give me a piece of mind! I was worried they would ruin the look of my breakfast nook, but you really can’t even notice them and they were super easy to install!
Those are just some of the main things I have done to make my home more of a save haven for my Banks! I would love any other suggestions or advice, please comment them below!
