With our son becoming increasingly more mobile, he’s discovering all kinds of things in our condo that he shouldn’t which means it’s time to start baby-proofing. I’m on a mission to prove that baby-proofing doesn’t mean the end of having nice things! It just means that we need to be cognizant that whatever we have laying around WILL end up in his mouth, thrown around, chewed on, dragged around, and thrown up on. It’s going to happen! But I refuse to keep him in a play pen or put up baby gates in front of my TV. He came into my life and not the other way around.
My mission to baby proof the living room started when I saw our little guy go to pull himself up onto the coffee table but because the one we have is too tall and not sturdy enough, it started to topple toward him. Fortunately I was right there and prevented any major accidents but that was the end of that coffee table for us!
Now comes the fun part! The shopping and decorating of our new baby safe living room! My goal is a safe, practical, space without losing our sense of style or our personality.
Rug: IKEA | Drawer/Cabinet Catch: IKEA | Safety Plug: IKEA |Light: Marks & Spencer| Pouf: Kate spade for West Elm | Storage Boxes: West Elm | Art Work: Kate spade for West Elm | Coffee Table: Cookes Furniture |
Our little guy is furniture walking and loves to stand up at the coffee table. That’s why we need to opt for something safe with no glass and a sturdy base that can’t easily be pulled over. This coffee table from Cookes Furniture would look so incredible in our space and still be so functional with it’s sturdy base. Some nice storages boxes underneath could easily hide our guys toys when he’s not playing with them so they are out of sight. I personally love this option for storage baskets from West Elm.
Majority of the time our little guy will be playing on the floor in the living room so we need a nice rug for him to be on, ideally with a nice bold print. This rug from IKEA is a great option for only $100! Not too pricey and the right amount of boldness for the space.
When it comes to safety supplies, IKEA is where it’s at. They have lots of baby-proofing gear to choose from and at such great prices. We will be plugging all the electrical outlets and installing these drawer and cabinet catches on our entertainment centre.
Our condo has no overhead lighting in it so we have floor lamps to warm up the space. This is proving to be a big hazard for the little guy because a) he pulls on the cords and b) they topple over fairly easily. We’re planning to go the route of hanging lights in the place of our floor lamps. This hammered pendent ceiling light from Marks & Spencer is jaw droopingly gorgeous and is as much function as it is a work of art!
Putting up artwork on the walls is a great way to make a bold impact on a space. Not to mention our little guy can’t knock them down unless you gets some super powers over night! I am in love with the Kate Spade line of prints at West Elm. A great way to make a splash! And while we are on the subject of Kate Spade’s line at West Elm, they’ve got this pouf that I adore! I love the neutral colour of the beige with the pop of colours. It’s also soft and totally baby friendly!
Do you have any tips or pointers for baby-proofing your home without losing your style or personality in the process? Let me know in the comments!
PS: I’ll be sharing this post at these lovely blogs.
