Is Your House Ready For Kids?

Kids will bring lots of love and laughter to your home. They’ll also bring a lot of destruction. Their infinite curiosity and impulsivity will often lead them to destroy your property without thinking twice about it. They’ll cover your white walls with their drawings, spill juice on your furniture and flush a month’s worth of toilet paper down the drain for fun.

What can you do to save your property from destruction and save yourself from the expense of fixing it?

Wall Drawings

One day, your kid might get inspired to show off their art skills and draw all over your walls when you’re not looking. To prepare for this problem, you should use semi-gloss paints to cover your walls. These are easier to clean than paints with matte finishes. Then you can use baking soda paste, vinegar or toothpaste to wipe off the mess.

A creative solution is to put up a chalkboard wall. Hopefully, they will keep their artistic endeavors to this part of the house.

Toilet Clogs

Your kids will think the toilet is a fun toy that makes things disappear down the drain. If you don’t keep an eye on them, they could flush your entire roll of toilet paper down there — or worse, something that shouldn’t go down the drain at all. They could try to flush one of their toys, your house keys, your jewelry — anything they can get their hands on.

This is why it’s always good to have an emergency fund set up. If your kid decides to cause an expensive plumbing problem when they’re bored, you don’t have to panic over how you’ll afford a plumber. You can withdraw the essential savings from your fund right away.

If you don’t have an emergency fund, you could use credit to cover the urgent plumbing fix. Use your credit card or go to a website like CreditFresh to apply for an online loan. If your application gets approved, you can use the borrowed funds to cover the emergency expense in a short amount of time. Then, you can focus on repayments.

You can stop your kid from using your toilet like a toy by getting a childproof lock for the seat. They won’t be able to open up the lid and drop anything into the bowl and down the drain, saving you from unnecessary clogs and overflows.

Stains

Kids are going to wipe their dirty hands on your couch. They’re going to spill juice on the carpet. They’re going to get ketchup on your throw pillows.

How can you prevent your house from becoming a mess of stains? These are some simple tips:

●        Get leather or faux leather furniture. It’s easy to wipe down.

●        Choose dark-colored fabrics. These will hide dirt, while light-colored fabrics will display it.

●        Get stylish slipcovers to put over your furniture. When they get dirty, throw them in the wash.

●        Spray your furniture with fabric-protecting spray.

“Accidents”

It’s normal for kids to have nighttime accidents. Apparently, 40% of 3-year-olds wet the bed. The problem typically disappears by the time they’re 5.

Unfortunately, mattresses are expensive, and you don’t want them to get destroyed because of a few accidents. So, you’ll want to invest in some waterproof mattress protectors to keep the fabric safe from getting soaked. Add one to your own bed — your little one might have an accident after crawling into bed with you.

Your belongings can make it through your kids’ early years relatively unscathed. Just follow these steps, and they’ll get through it in one piece.