Safe and healthy living environment is essential for the good development of children. Designing a suitable house for young children not only involves elements of architecture, interior and decoration, but also must ensure safety. Here are some important rules that parents should follow when designing a new house for the family with young children.

1Note the safety of balconies and windows

Children are often very active and curious, which can lead to dangerous situations if the house has unsafe balconies or windows. Therefore, to ensure the safety of children, it is very important to prepare and design protective measures. Specifically, there are some notes as follows:

• Avoid using horizontal bars in balcony railings, as children can climb or climb on them.
• For multi-story buildings, the balcony area usually needs to be fenced or designed safely, often called a tiger cage.
• To ensure the safety of young children on the balcony, ensure the size of the gaps in the railing is less than 10cm and use safety nets.

Balcony and window safety precautions

• Safety nets must be able to be cut with a pair of pliers in emergency situations. At the same time, independent escape areas should be designed to deal with fire situations.
• On the balcony and near windows, avoid placing objects at high altitudes, as young children can climb up on their own.
• The minimum height from the floor to the window should be at least 1 meter. Especially for families with young children, due to their curiosity and activeness, using only curtains is not enough, but safety nets need to be installed to ensure safety.

2Pay attention to stairs and railings

This is often one of the top concerns of parents when buying houses or apartments with multiple floors. Young children can easily cling, grasp, or even slip down, creating dangerous situations. Therefore, designing railings in houses with young children needs to be carefully considered. Specifically:

• It is best to install guardrails at the stairway for families with newborns or children under 4 years old.
• The distance between vertical bars of the stairs needs to be designed so that there is not enough gap for children under 6 years old to crawl through.
• The handrail of the stairs needs to be designed with the appropriate height, it must be rigid and have a firm grip.
• Stairs with open steps also have the potential to be dangerous for children, especially if the gap between them is too wide.
• To ensure safety, the surface of the steps needs to be equipped with anti-slip layers to prevent children from slipping and falling, which is particularly important.

Attention to stairs and railings

3Furniture without sharp edges

Items made from materials such as crystal, porcelain, and glass can bring beauty and attractiveness, but they have sharp edges and can be dangerous for young children, especially for curious and mischievous children.

To ensure safety, especially for families with young children, it is best to wrap or cushion sharp edges on these items. Alternatively, choose products with oval or round shapes.

Furniture without sharp edges

According to experts, it is important to focus on avoiding materials that can cause allergies or have negative effects on health. Limit the use of heavy materials such as metal, as they can cause harm to young children. Prioritize the use of lightweight materials such as wood, plastic, cotton, etc. to ensure safety.

4Floors need to be anti-slip

This is also a factor to consider, especially for young children who often like to run, jump, and play. Some types of flooring materials are popular because of their safety and convenience, such as wooden floors. Wood surfaces have good adhesion, reducing the risk of slipping for both adults and young children. In addition, wooden floors are also relatively easy to clean.

Floors need to be anti-slip

If you do not want to use wooden floors, you can choose other flooring materials such as marble, artificial stone, or high-grip tiles, which are also useful choices to ensure safety in the living environment for young children.

5Note the position of electrical outlets

Due to the curiosity and exploration of children, there have been quite a few cases of children being shocked due to playing with electrical outlets using objects such as hands, pens, or other hard objects. Therefore, it is necessary to design electrical outlet positions in places that are not easily visible or accessible from the child’s eye level. Using outlet covers is also an important solution to ensure safety for children.

In addition, to help children understand and be proactive in avoiding dangerous situations when exposed to electricity, parents can also educate children by showing them videos about the dangers of electricity!

Note the position of electrical outlets

Above are 5 particularly important notes when coming up with ideas for designing a house with young children to ensure safety that we introduce to you. Please refer to and comply with these rules to protect your children!

Source: Trí thức trẻ – Tổ Quốc Electronic Newspaper

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