Congratulations on the birth of your little one! You’re welcoming the perfect addition into your home, but you’re also welcoming all sorts of dangers into your home – have you checked that your home is fully baby proofed? While you may have taken every precaution to ensure that your baby is safe from any potential hazards, dangers can arise in the least likely of places.
With babies learning to crawl at around eight months, they quickly learn how to pull up too – meaning no top or counter is safe when they’re around. Thankfully our experts are on hand to offer up some essential upcycle tips for a baby-proofed household:
-
Coffee table. If you love picking up a bargain, then get yourself to your local car boot sale – where you can take your pick of stylish or vintage coffee tables at discounted prices. Paint it in your chosen colour, then once dried, cover your table with several layers of quilt and other soft fabrics. Finish with batting and fringe along the edge of the coffee table, and there you have it – a simple and sustainable baby proofed solution!
-
Baby-proofed stairs safety gate. Your child’s started to walk – which can be a blessing as well as a disguise. While it’s a huge achievement for your little one, it can be a hindrance when they attempt to explore places they shouldn’t! Prevent your toddler from roaming free by repurposing a pallet into a safety door – sand the pallet, cut to measure (the space you’ll be fitting the gate) then add a splash of colour or two with some paint. Not only is it eye-catching, but it’ll also keep your child entertained and distract them from wandering off!
-
Baby-proof sharp corners. Got a chest of drawers or a desk that could prove tempting to your tot? If you’re going to be making some major safety improvements, then it’s not a bad time to consider making some minor design enhancements. Uplift your upcycling project with a bold new colour palette, then once dry, cut some foam pipe insulation, make a V shape out of the middle, then angling the V alongside the corner, bend so you have foam pipe insulation covering either side of your corners (and when cutting through the foam pipe insulation, you’ll find that peeling back the foam reveals a sticky surface – which is ideal when sticking down on the corners).
For those who thought it was tough work baby proofing the home, our tips have shown that it’s child play! Want advice on which paint types suit certain surfaces? Search our site for helpful tips or alternatively, call into your nearest store to speak to a member of our team.