How to childproof your living room

Minnie Bhatt, Design Director at her eponymous design studio, sheds light on how you can create a safe living room design for your little one

Delightful as they are, babies can create havoc once they start crawling or walking. To prevent accidents that may cause serious harm to your child and/or ruin expensive furniture, take measures to babyproof your house.

1.    Sharp edges / corners of tables and other furniture pieces need to be covered to ensure kids don’t hurt themselves. Plastic
        corners available in stores like IKEA (abroad or online) serve as a temporary solution. These can be removed and replaced
        easily if the living room is being used to entertain guests.

2.    Artefacts and art pieces should be affixed to shelves or surfaces with double sided tape to hold them in place. This way the
        child cannot easily topple the pieces.

3.    Switches and power sockets covered with child guards are important, however also make sure there is no mishap even if
        the child plays with the switch boards. In such a system, the plug cannot be operated unless a sharp device is inserted
        into the socket. Ensure switches for geysers/air conditioners are at a height so the child cannot access them.

4.    Install door closers so that doors shut very slowly and gently to prevent the child’s hand or leg from getting caught when
        the door shuts.

5.    Appliances like vacuum cleaners, set top boxes, toasters etc should be covered and out of reach of the child. These should
        never be left plugged in with a child around to avoid mishaps.

6.    Heavy coffee table books should ideally be put out of the child’s reach.

7.    Keep room layout as open as possible by moving loose furniture. This will give your child enough obstacle free space to run
        around.

8.    Door handles and cabinet knobs should be round to prevent toddler’s from getting hurt.