Tips For Choosing Family Friendly Living Room Furniture

A growing family can take its toll on your home, more specifically, your furniture. As children are introduced into your home, there are changes that need to be made to keep your home child friendly. Many growing families install child gates on the stairs, child locks on cabinets and drawers and even add rugs to help protect a crawling baby’s knees. Most often their choice in furniture is overlooked until it is too late. When your child reaches the age where they start exploring your home, you may want to consider these tips on choosing kid friendly furniture.

Child Friendly Upholstery and Fabrics

You can ask any family member who has children and they will tell you the one piece of furniture that is always a victim of a growing child is the sofa. Before having children, you chose your sofa or sectional based on your taste. This often means it is not kid friendly. Choosing a sofa, chair or chaise fabric or upholstery that is kid friendly can keep your furniture looking great through the younger years of your child.

Keep in mind that your furniture will be subject to spit-up, spills, crayons, and even shoes being worn on your couch. These are the most common causes for damage. This makes it highly important to choose spill and tear resistant upholstery. Some of the more popular choices include:

• Leather: Leather has been a popular choice for many families. As leather is spill resistant and harder to rip than cotton fabrics, most leather furniture will stay looking great for years.
• Sensuede: Sensuede is a man-made fabric made from recycled fibers. It is easy to clean, supple, and comfortable.
• Crypton: Crypton is an extremely stain resistant fabric that was originally intended for hospitals, restaurants, and public areas. Recently interior designers have brought this fabric into homes for use where the stain resistant and antibacterial properties of the fabric would be useful.
• Microfiber: The tight -knit weave of microfiber creates an upholstery that is highly stain resistant while offering a comfortable seating area.

Rounded Furniture Offers Child Safety

A report published in 2004 by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign showed that 80% of fall related injuries among children ages 4 and under occur in the home. Many of these falls include furniture. Children have an uncanny ability to find one of the 4 corners of a coffee table when they fall. This is why it is suggested to consider a round table and round furniture without sharp corners. This will help reduce the risk of injury if your child falls into the furniture.

If you choose to keep your furniture that has corners, there are child safe rubber corner cushions that are easy to install without damaging your furniture. They are a cheap alternative to purchasing a new table and have self-adhesive pads so no tools are required.

Choosing Family Friendly Flooring For Your Living Room

Many homes come with wall to wall carpeting. However, there are homes that have hardwood flooring that can easily be damaged from toy car tires or falling toys. If you are preparing your living room for your child, consider area rugs to protect installed carpeting or your beautiful hardwood floors. This will also help protect your child from falling on the floor and reduce injuries. If you have a crawling infant, you will also want to offer a soft surface for protecting the knees.

Another option many parents are choosing is fiber flooring. This type of flooring often comes in a large roll much like a carpet would. For those with hardwood floors, the flooring can lay directly on top of your existing flooring without the need to be adhered to the floor. Simply roll it out, trim it to the size you want or need, and offer your child a safe, warm, and soft area to enjoy.

As your family changes, your furniture choices should do the same. If you want to offer a child friendly space while keeping your home reflective of your style, look into the many different fabrics, flooring and furniture options available to the growing family. Keeping your child and furniture safe should go hand in hand.