– Design Ideas to make your home Children Friendly –
Have you ever knelt down and looked around your home through the eyes of your child? You might discover the biggest threats to your children’s safety and well-being — in their own home. We may be surprised at how many things suddenly pose a threat to their safety. Be the sharp edges of the furniture, bare electrical wires and sockets within the easy reach of little fingers, and toxic chemicals or medicines that could be mistaken for tasty drinks.
Though following simple precautionary measures like having stable and balanced furniture for toddler’s to lean on, installing grills on the balconies, fully covered sockets, or simply lowering or raising the kitchen counters would definitely reduce the risks and dangers that a child might encounter at home, simple design ideas as appended would help in shifting the perception of the house from a “adult house” to a Kid’s den. Experts say there are many benefits to an environment where children are welcome, there is the likelihood that the child who is free to explore in his home will become more alert, self-sufficient, and content to play alone than a one confined to an adult house.
For families building a new home or remodeling an older home, there are a number of ways the new design can be made child friendly, but for those who are not looking for a new home or renovation; making few adjustments to the design element of your home can make the home comfortable for the youngest member of the family. Some of the design elements of a Child Friendly home are as below:
Anti skid tiles
The flooring needs to have a good grip for kids to walk on, run or move around safely in the house. Use of anti skid tiles can reduce the risk and dangers of slips and falls and the resultant potential of a kid’s injury.
Shock Proof Switches
Advanced sockets have built-in automatic shutters to stop children sticking their fingers or other objects into them. Using shock proof switches/ sockets in all electrical outlets and sockets will prevent the risk of any electrical hazard in the house.
Low height basins/ Adjustable Sinks
Use of adjustable basins and sinks to a kid’s height would help the parent from accompanying the kid every time to wash his/her hands or face or put their plates to wash in the kitchen sink.
Small Fittings
You will probably want to add small fixtures to make it easier for your child go get independence in the bathroom if they have small fittings to use. So the bath, sink and toilet should be something that will be suitable to their own size.
Traffic free zones – Do make space for kids
Children love to play and roam in open areas or spaces. With the increasing transformation of playgrounds to parking spaces, carving out areas at the podium level and declaring it to be traffic free would let the children roam, play or do the things they enjoy in the area be it cycling or playing indoor cricket on a heavy downpour day, or allowing the junior gymnast to practice his/her cartwheels, the traffic free zone can be the preferred and safe area in the premise.
No sharp edges- Rounded corners
Many a times sharp corners have injured kids moving in the house. Though use of special foam rubber bumpers on such edges can avoid injuries, making the corners rounded certainly is an innovation that can be adapted while designing a child friendly home.
Anti Fungal Paints
Paints play a very important role in creating the look and feel of the house. Use of anti fungal paints increases the duration of a paint life as the anti-fungal paints contain toxic compounds, which kill any fungi attempting to feed from it and are also low on VOC emissions. Use of the paint in exterior also helps in controlling the temperature and cooling the interiors of a house.
Baby Proofing Kitchen
Kitchen obviously is the heart of a home and also the area where you have to be extra careful. Aside from teaching them about kitchen safety and danger points, a regular check of the smoke alarm and extinguisher to hand is very essential. Not just using high storage cabinets to store hazardous chemicals, applying locks on appliances and cabinets also help. Always make sure that all sharp objects are kept away from children’s reach.
Child Sensor in Lifts
Contemporary glass elevators are synonymous with modern architecture and innovative design. Use of elevators with sensors placed at the bottom of every lift will ensure that it senses the presence of a child and hence the doors of the lift will be prevented from closing in onto kids and causing then serious injuries.
Safety measures in swimming pool
While kids are the happiest when they get water to splash and having a kiddies pool definitely adds on to their joy but it is important to ensure the height of a kiddies pool is correct. A play pool can be 1.5 feet to 2 feet deep and for a higher age group can touch a depth of 4 feet or 5 feet.
Over & above all this, there are Cricket Pitches, Tennis Courts, Giant Sized Chess Boards designed to bring out the best sporting spirits. The kids Playgrounds have been thoughtfully installed consisting of sit on soft, child-friendly surfaces that includes slides, Jungle Gyms, See-saws etc.
Article authored by Mr. Percy S Chowdhry, Director, Rustomjee
(Rustomjee pioneers the concept of creating Children Friendly homes in Mumbai)
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