Buying a Child-Proof Home
The genesis of this month’s topic is something that happened to friends of ours. They bought their first house, a fabulous contemporary design, before they started a family. And when they were expecting their first child they realized that the house wasn’t at all safe for small children. Between the open sleeping loft and the main floor below was only a minimalist railing consisting of posts and wire cabling. They had to move before their son could crawl.
If you plan to start a family some day, here are some things to consider when looking at properties to buy.
Railings. As my example highlighted, child-safe railings need to be 2’ 7” tall with the spaces between the balusters no wider than 3.9” to prevent kids from getting stuck or falling through.
Stairs. Open stairs, meaning those with treads but no risers, could also pose a problem. Particularly steep stairs, such as those sometimes found leading to lofts or attic conversions could be difficult to manage, not only for children but also for parents carrying their little ones.
Flooring. Learning to walk requires a lot of trial and error. Carpet or even wood floors are more forgiving to fall on than stone, porcelain or ceramic tile.
Pools/ponds. In fact anything that holds even a small amount of water is a drowning danger for children. And it only takes a moment of parental distraction for the unthinkable to happen.
Fireplaces. Woodburning fireplaces are an obvious watch out for parents of small kids, but even enclosed gas fireplaces become hot enough to seriously burn anyone who touches them.
Glass. While not necessarily a safety hazard, large amounts of decorative glass will be difficult to maintain once children start to crawl. There will be fingerprints everywhere.
Tip. Similar to the comment about flooring, raised stone or brick fireplace hearths can be a real danger if a child falls into one. When our kids were small, one of our friends showed us how to cover our dangerous hearth with a custom-fit cushion made from thick styrofoam and upholstered in a decorative fabric. This would help in the case of a fall – the child would still hurt, but hopefully not be seriously injured.
If you plan to start a family some day, here are some things to consider when looking at properties to buy.
Railings. As my example highlighted, child-safe railings need to be 2’ 7” tall with the spaces between the balusters no wider than 3.9” to prevent kids from getting stuck or falling through.
Stairs. Open stairs, meaning those with treads but no risers, could also pose a problem. Particularly steep stairs, such as those sometimes found leading to lofts or attic conversions could be difficult to manage, not only for children but also for parents carrying their little ones.
Flooring. Learning to walk requires a lot of trial and error. Carpet or even wood floors are more forgiving to fall on than stone, porcelain or ceramic tile.
Pools/ponds. In fact anything that holds even a small amount of water is a drowning danger for children. And it only takes a moment of parental distraction for the unthinkable to happen.
Fireplaces. Woodburning fireplaces are an obvious watch out for parents of small kids, but even enclosed gas fireplaces become hot enough to seriously burn anyone who touches them.
Glass. While not necessarily a safety hazard, large amounts of decorative glass will be difficult to maintain once children start to crawl. There will be fingerprints everywhere.
Tip. Similar to the comment about flooring, raised stone or brick fireplace hearths can be a real danger if a child falls into one. When our kids were small, one of our friends showed us how to cover our dangerous hearth with a custom-fit cushion made from thick styrofoam and upholstered in a decorative fabric. This would help in the case of a fall – the child would still hurt, but hopefully not be seriously injured.
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