As a stay-at-home-mom, I find that having a beautiful environment that my kids and I actually want to spend our days in is what helps our overall sense of well-being. For myself, I need an environment that is peaceful, easy on the eyes, and is warm and inviting enough that I can kick my feet up and fully relax, not worrying about messing up my home but still have it be enjoyable. For my kids, they need an environment where they can learn by making occasional messes, places to jump and run around safely, and wrestle on the ground. As I've helped many families make turn their home into a design-worthy but kid-friendly environment that serves both the parents and the kids, I have found that keeping the home simple, comfortable, and versatile is what sets the home and all individuals up for success. Even when setting up my own home, I am constantly thinking of ways to incorporate furniture and decor that suit the needs of small children, without compromising my desire for it to be neat and aesthetically pleasing. After watching some of my clients settle into their newly designed home, I had watched them struggle in the balance of keeping their new home tidy while letting their children and busy lives play out in real time. All they needed were some tools, baskets, and the willingness to stick it out and practice these tools, and it wasn't long until they got the hang of it. I can attest that with 3 small children (boys, in particular), it does take diligence but is something I have joyfully taken ownership in keeping my home and teaching my boys how to steward our home and belongings together. I hope these tips leave you feeling like keeping a beautiful kid-friendly home is totally manageable for an average person, and can even be enjoyable!
1. Invest in Beautiful Kid-friendly Goods
Let's just face it, chances are you are going to want to buy your little ones jumpers, mini-size furniture, and maybe a tent and a trampoline. Especially if they are going to be in plain sight and part of the main focal point, you are more likely to enjoy it if you spend money on buying good quality and aesthetically pleasing items. Gathre is an amazing
company that specializes in making beautiful kid-friendly goods, that are easy to clean, neutrally colored, and have so many adorable play sets to choose from. Anywhere from storage bins, to play mats, wall decor, to having tents, climbing structures and trampolines, Gathre is by far my absolute favorite as my house is filled with their items from the walls, to my surfaces and floors. Other beautiful kid-friendly goods include natural wooden montessori shelves, climbing structures, table and chairs, and kid sofas (check out Nugget). Even for my kids clothes, I personally prefer neutral colors as the clothes get passed along and I would much rather buy clothing and home goods pieces that focus more on the form (beauty) and function (purpose).
2. Keep Colors Neutral, Textures Natural, and Accessories Minimal
You can still play around with colors and have fun with cozy textures and memorable accessories, but I've discovered with kids, the simpler, the better. You don't have to get rid of all your dark furniture, but it is said that having lighter, softer and neutral colors tend to provide a calming effect (especially for parents of littles), providing a steady, quiet, and soothing atmosphere. Natural textures like jute or wool, and flatweave rugs are easy to clean, and can be soft to play on. Other natural textures include baskets and wood accents, as they provide warmth and add depth to a space. When it comes to accessories like pillows, candles, books, vases, and picture frames, I like to keep it minimal but also memorable. If anything becomes an eyesore or keeps getting moved out of the way, it might be time to remove and repurpose the item.
3. Invest In Baskets & Containers
Next to diamonds, I'd say baskets are a mom's best friend. In a kid-friendly home, organization is essential and baskets can help create an easy system! Especially if you're lacking storage space, baskets are a great way to add functionality while also adding some warm touches to a living room, playroom, office, bedroom, a closet, the entryway, hallway, you name it. Having some sort of storage system is particularly important to creating a kid-friendly space because everything that belongs to a child is usually tiny, gets trailed across the house, and usually comes in a million pieces like toys, activities, clothes, books, and everything else! Kids love to travel with things in their tiny hands and having a catch-all basket for those misplaced items is something I use daily! For playroom, bedroom, bathroom and closet storage, containers and baskets are also helpful in creating designated spaces based on category, using larger baskets for larger items, and smaller containers for the smaller items. If you are going to be using multiple baskets in one area, keeping them the same basket will create a unison look, and prevent it from looking cluttered and out of place.
4. Encourage Tidiness & Cleanliness
Mom is not the only one who is in charge of the home! Creating a beautiful kid-friendly space takes intentionality, just like everything else, and everyone must be notified and on the same page about expectations ahead of time. One way I incorporate tidiness and cleanliness in our home is through creating a routine for my boys! I created a routine chart that encourages them to tidy up and keep clean like making their bed, brushing their teeth, and washing their hands regularly. I got these routine cards that help provide a visual and instead of me reminding them all the time, I point them to their routine chart on what to do next, it works like a charm! I'll let my boys clean the windows, blot up a spill, and even vaccuum, and they love being apart and take pride in contributing as a family member! In our family, we also like to go to bed with the whole house tidy and clean, as we do minimal regular cleaning throughout the day, putting dishes in the dishwasher after eating, cleaning the counter tops, picking up our toys when we are done playing, before we watch any tv, or before bedtime. These little habits will go a long way if we can remain consistent and can help us slow down to where we can show appreciation and gratitude towards our home and how it takes care of us.
5. Designate a Space
Kids are natural mess makers. When we can designate a space where they can make all the mess they want, then it's a lot easier to clean up one really messy room, than it is to clean up little messes in every room in the house! If you are able to, it's typically best to keep toys all in one room, and if they occasionally end up somewhere else, that basket
you have on hand will be perfect to pick up all the stragglers. Giving the children a place of their own will help them feel free to be themselves, where they don't have to worry as much about knocking something over, and kids have a huge need for independence and ownership where they can even have a say in how their play area is set up. Their space should be only for them, free of breakables, sharp objects, and easy to clean items. Keeping their play area organized, aesthetically pleasing, and completely theirs, you'll be happy that you can have your living room all to yourself again. Even if their play area is in your living room, you can use a gated play pen, or a section of the room and communicate to them that they can have that whole area to themselves.
6. Remove Excess
For sanity's sake, I like to keep surfaces clear, remove unnecessary pillows, knick knacks, and clutter. This doesn't mean remove everything in sight! The goal is to eliminate clutter. I keep some plants purposefully close to the ground so that my kids can learn about taking care of something with gentle, care, and watering here and there! Since counters are the easiest for collecting clutter, I like to use a small basket in my kitchen for anything misplaced and help keep my counters clean and clear. But with little fingers grabbing things off counters, it's best to remove any loose items like papers, dangerous and breakable objects out of their sight and reach. You also don't need every little baby
gadget. Seasonal purging is a great way to go through what you don't need and if something doesn't fit in the vision of your home, you can donate, toss, or sell the item, making room for what you're only going to need and use. Clutter can create more stress, more time cleaning up, and can definitely be avoided. Remove clutter at all costs in all spaces of your home!
7. Purchase Only the Baby-Proof Essentials
Outlet plugs, baby play pens, soft play mats, and child-proof locks are absolutely understandable! Safety is important and keeps your mind at ease. But you probably don't need the rubber guards on every corner of every piece of furniture. If you have something like a coffee table with edges that sharp, maybe replace it with a soft pouf they can bump into, sit on, and even play with. Encourage them to feel at home wherever they are and save yourself some stress while you're at it! Again, make sure some of the larger pieces meet your form and function criteria when selecting your child goods!
8. Utilize Wall Space
Save your floors from clutter and try hanging baskets on the wall, using racks, and hooks. If you're wanting to be creative and add some fun to your walls while also creating functionality, your walls are great canvases to utilize for adding shelves for books, cute wooden toys, and hanging racks for multiple uses. You can even hang racks and shelves at kids' height for their accessibility, and they will be so happy that you did! No more staring at the floors, adding storage to your walls will help lift yours and your little ones' gaze and will instill a sense of ownership, creativity, and tidiness for all!
The best part about creating a beautiful kid-friendly home is that you get to tailor your home towards your family's needs and desires! As you include your kids in the design of your home, they will reap the benefits of learning how to take care of home with you as they get to be apart of the process and get to enjoy the home as much as you do! It's important to create a win-win for everybody in the home for who lives there, and your home can be a place of peace and enjoyment for all! Your home life deserves to be filled with peace, connection, and joy, and it can be beautiful AND kid-friendly too! For more inspiration on beautiful kid-friendly goods, you can follow my LikeToKnowIt Page, where I share all my home finds! Thanks for following along, and I wish you a very warm and happy home+life for you and your loved ones!