If you and your partner are on the verge of starting a little family together, you will have 101 things to do in order to ensure that your future together is as fulfilling as possible. One of the biggest tasks on this all-important to-do list of yours is readying your house for what lies ahead. You want to create a space that both you and your little ones can prosper in, and you want visitors to your home to feel comfortable within it.
Making your house family ready is not an easy task, but it is incredibly rewarding. Follow the advice laid out below to see how it can be achieved.
Child-proof it
As your children grow, so will their appetite to explore your house. A crucial part of making your house family ready, then, is child-proofing it.
When it comes to this essential task, you should, quite literally, start from the ground up. Lay down floors that are stable to ensure that the potential for trips and falls is minimised — the high-quality engineered wood flooring sold at Kens Yard will do the job in this instance, as it doesn’t succumb to dangerous swells and hazardous shrinkage. Once stable footing is achieved, you should move on to making sure that all electrical items are kept out of your child’s reach and that electrical cords are hidden away safely. If you don’t, your kids could be in for a nasty shock.
Make sure there’s something for everyone
In order for your house to be something that the whole family can grow within, including yourself, you need to ensure that there’s something for everyone in it. This means that you have to create space for both your children to clutter-up with their toys and for you to relax. It’s only fair!
To create a house that is both kid- and parent-friendly, you should:
- Make your walls child-friendly by choosing a washable paint — this will allow your kids free rein to release their artistic creativity without you having to worry about permanent damage
- Create rooms that are designed especially with those that are going to use them in mind (i.e., a playroom for the kids, a conservatory area for you and your partner)
- Designate sections in the garden for your kids to play in, and leave some areas for you and your other half to relax in
Ensure that the space is welcoming
All good family homes are welcoming to visitors, and yours should be no exception.
To make sure that you are capable of welcoming people into your home at all times, first and foremost, you should ensure that your home is as clutter-free as it can possibly be. Of course, as you have kids, nobody who visits your home is going to expect the area to be 100% clean. Any parent will understand that it is an impossible feat! You shouldn’t allow for your bins to overflow, though, and you certainly shouldn’t dump all of your belongings on the dining table! Now small homes and flats will struggle with overflowing bins even if there aren’t a lot of things. The reality of smaller spaces is that you have to compromise constantly. You can rent a storage facility in London and move everything you don’t need. Make space for the toys and children’s books without descending into a glorified pre-school. Try to make it a place that welcomes all ages.
To make your home family ready, you’re going to need to put all of the above advice into practice.