Familial Foresight – 6 Tips For Making Your Home Family Ready

Whether you’re starting a family, expanding your family, or welcoming extended family or children into your home, there are some simple changes and challenges you’ll need to confront in order to prepare your home for the change.

Below are 6 simple tips to get your home family-ready and family-friendly.

Think Safety
The first consideration when readying your home for more members is perhaps the most important one. Consider the overall safety of your home for its occupants – is it an easy target for would-be burglars and prowlers? Are there multiple entrances and exits? Are there street-facing windows?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, you’re in need of a security update.

 
The easiest way to do this is through the use of security barriers such as security doors and blinds. Blinds are cost-effective and they provide an easy-to-operate and maintain form of protection for your home. They block the interior of your home from stray eyes, while also providing extra comfort and protection from the elements – check out Wynstan Blinds to see what blinds can do to enhance the security of your family home.

Power Up
A very easy-to-fix and basic step you can do to family-proof your house is to perform an audit of the power points and power supplies in your household. Check to see if they’re accessible to the small hands of children and babies, and if so, make arrangements to plug them up. There are many safety devices and plugs on the market for this purpose, and you won’t be sorry you made the effort.

On a similar note, sharp objects such as knives, razors and glass should also be kept from the reach of small hands. Place them either in a locked cupboard or drawer, and make sure to take note of where you’ve put them.

Cats In The Cradle
If you have pets, then you’ll also have to prepare them for the new arrival (or arrivals).

Dogs and cats need to be gradually introduced to new family members – and there are many ways you can do this. A tried and tested method involves leaving possessions with the scent of the new member around the pet so that they become familiar to it gradually.

If your pet is particularly large or ill-tempered, it may be a good idea to physically separate the pet from the new family member temporarily until the pet has calmed down, or until boundaries have been established on both sides.

Stay On The Level
Stairs present a tangible physical danger to young people and those with impaired vision and movement, like the elderly. Try to make any stairs or changes in gradient/levels visually obvious. Use coloured strips on staircases, and place barriers at the top and bottom to stop small children from taking a nasty tumble.

 
Break Away
A tip which will enhance your convenience and pleasure is to create separate areas for adults and for children within your house. Creating a room or space for children will allow them to move freely and confine any mess or fuss to that space. Adult only spaces can contain items which are either dangerous or unwise to leave around children (alcohol, electrical items).

Precious Things
If you own (and wish to protect) any precious or expensive objects, find a way to either place them into storage or to put them out of reach from any unwanted hands. Items such as musical instruments, paintings and sporting goods may be better kept in special storage spaces so that they’re neither broken or harmful towards new family members.

With some extra attention to detail and some small preparations, your home will be ready for new family members or additions in no time – and with next to no sweat.