Kid-Friendly Home Decorating for Single Parents

Are you thinking about decorating your house? When you have kids, you need to make wise choices unless you don't mind wasting your money. Kids can be destructive, and you don't want to spend lots of time cleaning or keeping your kids off of the white couch.

You may want to replace your flooring. Kids and pets combined with carpet can be a cleaning nightmare. Laminated floors or ceramic tile may make more sense maintenance-wise. Carpet tiles might work if you really want carpet. Then, you can easily replace only the damaged sections. And, this type of carpet is usually industrial grade which should wear better.

Upholstered furniture can look tattered fast with active kids. Think twice about getting a couch that has pillows for the back, as they make great projectiles. You can keep after your kids to not throw the pillows, but you might want to save yourself the stress and get a couch that has anchored cushions on the back. The fabric that you select is also important. Choose something that is easy to clean and have it treated with stain repellent. You might consider having the piece upholstered in fabric designed for the outdoors which you can clean easily.

Sturdy antiques can be a good choice for wooden furniture since it is often made of solid wood. You can refinish the item if it is damaged or paint it to cover damaged areas. Actually, scratches and imperfections add to the charm of antiques. Furniture made of particle board won't hold up for long and often can't be repaired. Window coverings should definitely be chosen with the kids in mind.

Flowing curtains that pool on the floor are lovely until your child steps on them or uses them as a climbing rope. Any window covering with a cord is dangerous as small children and pets can become tangled in the cord and be injured or even die. Choose only cordless window coverings. A strategy of only using valances will help your budget and ensure that your child won't be able to reach your window coverings. Wall coverings can also be kid-friendly.

You can find paint by leading manufacturers that is developed specifically for households with children. Semi gloss paint also wipes clean easily and is a good choice. With flat paint, you may find yourself painting over marks instead of being able to wipe them off. Some wallpapers have versions targeted toward kids. Be sure to at least get wallpaper that is labeled as scrubbable so you have a fighting chance of wiping off fingerprints and other marks.

Instead of displaying your precious breakables on open shelves, buy curios for them, preferably ones that lock. Then, you don't have to worry about your child breaking your valuables, and you won't have to dust them as often, either! You can decorate your home nicely and minimize the chance that your kids will damage your purchases. In addition, you can save yourself cleaning time and the headaches of trying to keep your kids away from your valuables.

As you consider each purchase, ask yourself how the item will hold up to your kids and choose accordingly.