Author: Mr.Andrew Caxton -
Source: articledashboard.com
Homes with children and homes without children have to be decorated differently, for many obvious reasons. Babies and toddlers are curious and will reach out for anything and everything, so their homes must be "child-proofed."
Preparing a baby's nursery is one of the most enjoyable activities that the parents can do. But it is also one of the most important. Indeed, when a new baby - or toddler - is on the way, the entire house must be prepared for them. Babies and toddlers will stick their fingers into light sockets, stick their heads through bars in their cribs, and place anything and everything in their mouths. So the whole house must be child-proofed.
But decorating the nursery, just like decorating any new room for a new start, is fun.
The crib
The baby must have a crib, and the crib must be safe for the baby. Babies will chew on the bedding, so its important that the blankets don't have chemicals that can get into the baby's bloodstream. Care must be taken with toys for the same reason - and no small toys must ever be given to babies or toddlers.
As the child grows and becomes mobile, they will start investigating everything. So you'll want to make sure the crib has railings so close together that there's no chance that the baby can get its head through those railings, and become trapped. You also don't want the crib easily broken.
There are plenty of stores that will sell cribs and other nursery furniture, including Babies R Us, which is dedicated only to that age group, but also the larger chains such as Walmart or overstock. If you're on a budget it is of course possible to pick up furniture, Nursery Furniture, and clothing from used-clothing stores and garage sales. Buying used is perfectly fine - why pay a lot of money for clothing that will only be worn for a month or two before the child grows out of it? Used cribs have probably seen several year's use, but as long as the crib is made solidly, it should last for a long time.
Security
Baby monitors have been in use for several years now, so that parents can put a baby down and relax in another room, confident that if the baby should wake and start crying they'll be able to hear it immediately. Now that security cameras are so inexpensive, it's a good idea to incorporate one of those as well.
If a light socket is not used, make sure you place a plastic tab in the empty socket to prevent little fingers from poking them and getting a shock.
Furniture
Bassinets, changing tables, toddler beds, strollers/walkers, and portable cribs will each need to be used, for varying lengths of time. Again, unless you're planning on having multiple kids, it's usually not necessary to buy these things new - when used will do. Simply make sure that anything you do buy is not broken - or cheaply made to begin with!
All furniture, from beds to bookcases to wardrobes (for those growing toddlers!) should be child-sized. This will enable kids to easily put things away, instead of leaving items on the floor for their long-suffering parents to pick up.
Wall Decorations
Babies and toddlers are too young to know what they do or do not like, so of course the parent has to make that decision for them. You can go for stereotypes - pink for girls and blue for boys, or explore a whole range of colors and decorations.
Wall paint is no longer made with lead, which was the bane of children everywhere for many years. Nevertheless if you're going to paint the walls of the room make sure that it's an easily washable paint. Wallpaper is good, just apply it properly so little fingers can't get between any cracks, peel off the paper and eat it!
With a little imagination and a lot of care, baby and toddler will have a safe nursery in which to grow.
Showing posts with label child-proofed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child-proofed. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Decorating A Baby's Room
Author: Mr.Andrew Caxton -
Source: articledashboard.com
Most parents depend on their common sense in decorating their baby's new room, but common sense should dictate that you educate yourself on what's the best way to protect your new baby when decorating their room.
When introducing a new little one to the house, it's always fun to decorate their new bedroom, or nursery. Most of the fun comes from the shopping - seeing all the items available from furniture to clothing to wall hangings, and mixing and matching everything together to make a perfect whole.
However, attractiveness in a baby's room must take second place to safety. So before you buy - or make - anything, make sure you check for the latest safety guidelines. Using your common sense is of course the main thing, but sometimes issues arise that hadn't occurred to even the most devoted parent, so it's always a good thing to do some research and see what the latest studies say.
The crib
Cribs manufactured, Nursery Furniture, after 1974 have to meet certain safety guidelines. For example: Don't use cribs with stylish or decorative cutouts - babies can get their heads or arms stuck, corner posts - babies can hit their heads, or lead paint.
The space between slats should be no more than two inches apart - again, to make sure the baby can't get its head, or arm, between them. The baby will grow rapidly, so once it's able to stand and the rails of the crib are less than three-fourths the child's height, time to get a new crib.
The mattress fit is also important - don't use a mattress covered with plastic, and make sure the mattress fits into the crib snugly, and does not slide around. Don't have large pillows in the crib, either.
Convertible cribs
Kids grow so fast that they'll grow out of their first crib and soon need another. There are "convertible" cribs on the market - cribs that change and adapt as your child grows. These can be expensive to start with, but as you won't need to buy a new bed every few months...they become economic in the long run. However, make sure you know what the crib looks like once its been "converted" to make sure you like the design!
Furniture and Decorations
If you're on a budget, or even if you're not, many items for a baby's nursery can be bought second hand. You simply have to use common sense and caution when examining these materials to ensure that they're still sturdy, that nothing's loose - no splinters, etc.
There are many official sites on the web that talk about crib and nursery safety: the National Safety Council has a website, as does the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. (The US CPSC has webpages in Spanish as well as English.) The American Academy of Pediatrics also has safety tips on their website.
So, have fun with your decorating, and use some common sense. And common sense dictates that you check all available material and educate yourself on what's best for your new baby.
Source: articledashboard.com
Most parents depend on their common sense in decorating their baby's new room, but common sense should dictate that you educate yourself on what's the best way to protect your new baby when decorating their room.
When introducing a new little one to the house, it's always fun to decorate their new bedroom, or nursery. Most of the fun comes from the shopping - seeing all the items available from furniture to clothing to wall hangings, and mixing and matching everything together to make a perfect whole.
However, attractiveness in a baby's room must take second place to safety. So before you buy - or make - anything, make sure you check for the latest safety guidelines. Using your common sense is of course the main thing, but sometimes issues arise that hadn't occurred to even the most devoted parent, so it's always a good thing to do some research and see what the latest studies say.
The crib
Cribs manufactured, Nursery Furniture, after 1974 have to meet certain safety guidelines. For example: Don't use cribs with stylish or decorative cutouts - babies can get their heads or arms stuck, corner posts - babies can hit their heads, or lead paint.
The space between slats should be no more than two inches apart - again, to make sure the baby can't get its head, or arm, between them. The baby will grow rapidly, so once it's able to stand and the rails of the crib are less than three-fourths the child's height, time to get a new crib.
The mattress fit is also important - don't use a mattress covered with plastic, and make sure the mattress fits into the crib snugly, and does not slide around. Don't have large pillows in the crib, either.
Convertible cribs
Kids grow so fast that they'll grow out of their first crib and soon need another. There are "convertible" cribs on the market - cribs that change and adapt as your child grows. These can be expensive to start with, but as you won't need to buy a new bed every few months...they become economic in the long run. However, make sure you know what the crib looks like once its been "converted" to make sure you like the design!
Furniture and Decorations
If you're on a budget, or even if you're not, many items for a baby's nursery can be bought second hand. You simply have to use common sense and caution when examining these materials to ensure that they're still sturdy, that nothing's loose - no splinters, etc.
There are many official sites on the web that talk about crib and nursery safety: the National Safety Council has a website, as does the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. (The US CPSC has webpages in Spanish as well as English.) The American Academy of Pediatrics also has safety tips on their website.
So, have fun with your decorating, and use some common sense. And common sense dictates that you check all available material and educate yourself on what's best for your new baby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)