Change Up Your Home To Be Kid Friendly

01/28/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Are you preparing for the arrival of your first child or even children? If so, it’s crucial that you get the house in order and cleaned up. If you don’t do this, then you’ll find that there will be a lot of dangers present in your home that could lead to a catastrophic accident. Of course, it’s not just about injuries and incidents. It’s also about making sure that your house is easy to maintain and handle without tremendous levels of effort. This can be quite difficult with kids, but there are ways to prepare for the changes that they bring.

You might think that you can complete some of the work along the way. While this is a possibility, it’s also best get some of the heavy liftings out of the way immediately. Particularly when you realize that there are major home changes that could help you and indeed your family a tremendous amount. So, let’s look at some of the dangers, the questions and the considerations that you will have when keeping your home safe and cleaned up for kids.

Think About Flooring

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One of the biggest changes that you can and perhaps should consider is the flooring of the property. You might currently have carpet and believe this is the best option for a home with kids. There are a few reasons why this isn’t the case. Let’s start with the mess. Kids are known for making a mess, often completely by accident. This is where the help of a deep Carpet Cleaning company can come in useful, as they can keep your floors clean and safe if they’ve taken a particularly messy beating. As a result, carpets can certainly be used when there are children around, although there are certain types of mess that you need to be particularly attentive to.

Muddy footprints, spills and when they’re young, issues with sick can lead to your floor looking like a disaster zone. With carpet, it becomes a nightmare to clean and there will be stains that you’ll never fully remove. As well as this, kids are going to drop crumbs. There’s no way to avoid this and these can get smushed deep into the under layers of the carpet. That can become a feeding ground for the dreaded carpet beetle. You might be thinking, wait, isn’t this the worst case scenario?

It is, but it’s still one that you have to consider. The far better alternative is laminate flooring. With laminate flooring, you can keep your home beautiful and clean with far less trouble or issues. Laminate flooring marks can be quickly wiped away and immediately will look clean and brand new once more. There are no issues with crumbs either as rather than being hidden, they can be swept or vacuumed up easily.

You might be worried about issues with laminate and falls. However, laminate flooring has two distinct advantages. The first is quality guaranteed non slip surfaces. Since this is often a guarantee on the product, if a slip or fall does occur the company could be held legally accountable. You would still need help with a personal injury claim but this can be reassuring for parents worried about this type of incident.

As well as this, while you might think that laminate flooring is going to result in a hard hit during a fall. However, laminate flooring actually provides a surprising amount of give. Unlike hardwood this acts like a cushion for a fall and is also a lot cheaper.

Clearing Up The Clutter

If you are looking for ways to avoid the issue of bumps and bruises, then you might want to consider getting rid of the clutter in your home. It’s not just the child’s welfare that we’re thinking about here. You could also end up tripping up over toys for kids or even extra pieces of furniture. Aside from this by keeping the level of clutter under control, you can also keep your home looking neat and tidy even with kids.

If you are having issues with clutter, you might want to think about investing in some storage containers. These are cheap and easy to set up in minutes. As well as this, they come in a wide range of different styles and designs. That means they can fit in any room or interior area of your home.

Alternatively, you might also want to think about storage options outside of your home. This can simply be another monthly bill and the options on the market are surprisingly affordable. In fact, you can save more by opting for more space which is useful if you have large amounts of furniture.

Age Issues

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You do need to think about dangers in the home that are specifically related to age. An example of this would be the stairs. When you have a small child who is starting to crawl, it’s absolutely essential that you install a gate across both ends of the stairs. By doing this, you can make sure that there are no falls here that can actually be fatal at an early age. You’ll then need to decide when it’s time to remove this precaution. While some parents think it’s time to remove it as soon as the child starts to walk, it’s perhaps best to leave it on until they are sure of their feet. As such, a stair gate will typically be necessary until the little one is two or three. This is just one example of danger and a solution that is age specific.

Another would be dangerous materials. After a certain age children will know not to consume dangerous or even deadly materials such as bleach. It’s crucial that you know the right age when children begin to understand dangers like this. The typical accepted age is around ten. By this age, children are aware enough to protect themselves from these types of threats.

Don’t Forget About DIY Jobs

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Lastly, one of the issues that a lot of parents forget is repairs around the home. Repairs such as a loose floorboard or even nails sticking out the walls that haven’t been taken care of could present a danger for your children. That’s why you should make sure that these issues are taken care of immediately. Don’t wait around for an accident to happen.

We hope you find this advice useful when cleaning up your home in preparation for having kids.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Parenting

Hobbies That Keep You Fit

01/28/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

When we’re young, we spend a lot of time on our feet. As kids, we run around playing. Then we get older and start playing sports and riding our bikes with friends. When we’re at school, we walk there and back and spend our lunch hours on our feet. Even if you go away to college, you spend a lot of time on your feet between classes, you might work part-time in a bar or restaurant, constantly running around, and you spend your evenings dancing and having fun. The first chunk of our lives, we barely stop moving. We burn off calories. We’re strong, fit and healthy.

Then, you get a job. Some of us work on our feet and maintain a naturally active lifestyle. But, many of us don’t. We have office jobs, we work from home, or we have a desk in a larger space. We spend most of the eight-plus hours that we are at work sat down. We barely move for hours at a time. You might even drive to and from work. Then, you get home, and you feel too tired to do much. Suddenly, you aren’t burning the calories and keeping fit. It’s not uncommon for people to gain weight and feel a noticeable drip in their fitness levels as soon as they settle into a job.

If you are a gym bunny, that’s great. If you love working out, running and lifting weights, you are unlikely to struggle with your weight or fitness. But, not everyone does. If you don’t enjoy going to the gym, you won’t stick to it. You’d be better off finding hobbies that you enjoy, that keep you moving and active and improve your health and overall strength. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you could try.

Judo

Judo, and other sports like it, can be great for your mind and your body. Your muscles will tone and strengthen, you’ll get a cardio workout, and you’ll learn to focus and maintain concentration. Look for more information about Judo, and check for classes in your local area.

Dancing

Have you ever wondered how you used to spend hours in nightclubs drinking sugary, high-calorie drinks without gaining a pound? It was because dancing is incredible exercise. Whether it’s ballroom or street, dance burns a massive amount of calories and helps to tone your core, back and arms, and legs.

Gardening

Gardening can be utterly exhausting. Even if you are sat planting and digging flower beds, and you barely feel as though you are moving, you can feel tired and achy the day after. If you haven’t got a garden, consider an allotment.

Cooking
Cooking can be surprisingly active. You move around the kitchen, bending, reaching and stretching. While you cook, you aren’t still for a second. Kneading bread is a fantastic example of a recipe with a workout. Cooking more also gives you an opportunity to learn more about healthy eating, and ways to make more positive choices with your food and eating habits, which can also go a long way to improving your fitness and looking after your body.

Life, Parenting

Gadgets Your Kids Will Love

01/24/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

We live in an age where technology is taking over the world – in a good way! It’s understandable that with all of the new tech and gadgets coming out, that your children want in on a piece of the action! Not only is technology super fun and exciting, but it can also be very helpful towards educational uses too. With that in mind, you may be wondering what kind of gadgets to buy for your children for both fun and learning. So, take a look at these gadgets that we’re sure your kids will love!

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Smartwatch

At some point or another your children will need to learn how to tell the time. This can be difficult for some children to grasp the concept of because of the difference between analogue and digital times. Let’s face it, in this day and age your child is more likely to encounter a digital clock both at home and at school so why not get them a smartwatch to help them along the way? Not only will they be able to tell the time, but they will be able to take pictures, record voice and video, listen to music, and also play games at the same time. So, even though the watch is meant for the simple role of telling the time, you’ll now find that your child will be able to learn this skill much faster – while having fun at the same time!

Hoverboard

One of the biggest crazes technology wise over the last few years is, of course, the hoverboard. Kids and teens alike are going mad at the idea of being able to travel around, hands-free, and without any effort on a super stylish hoverboard. We understand that the instability that some viral videos may have shown could be off putting to you as a parent, but they’re now built with self balancing technology that reduces the chance of your child falling and hurting themselves. Trust us, you’ll kids will thank you for it!

Nightlight

The boogeyman and anything else that your child might feel frightened of is enough to drive any parent to the verge of worry but luckily, there are now smart night lights that can help soothe your child and also provide an aspect of fun too! The Honey Bunny plays mp3s, glows to help calm even those that struggle with sensory issues, and also has rhymes and stories included to soothe your little one when they’re feeling a little frightened. Not only that, but it makes for a perfect gadget for your child!

Anything leapfrog

Leapfrog are well known for their electronic gadgets for children, and for good reason too! All of their products provide a huge aspect of learning that your children won’t even notice! Using tablets, gaming consoles, and even the LeapFrog TV will help accelerate your child’s learning processes all while they’re having fun doing so.

Pretend play

Kids love anything to do with outer space and aliens, so why not use that to your advantage? There are a plethora of UFO resembling gadgets that you can get your hands on for kids. Many drones in this day and age even have the added bonus of being able to attach a camera to it so that they can turn their mini UFO into a spy gadget too!

Boy, girl, young, or teen, pretty much every child loves the idea of being able to fly something at their control in the air. Of course, the UFO route is one way to go, but there are other gifts that will wow your children such as:

Flying helicopters
Planes
Turning their favourite animal into a flying gadget

Console gaming is always a big hit when it comes to children, and now you’re able to get your hands on virtual reality headsets for children so that they can join in on the fun too! However, if you’re not keen on the idea of a VR headset for your child, there are now plenty of games that you can buy for the consoles you already have that are totally child friendly. We understand the stigma that comes around gaming for children, but did you know that many of the games that are created for children are in fact, educational? Take a look at these computer games designed for children and see what you think!

Decoration

Did you know that you can now turn simple things in their bedroom into a gadget that they will absolutely fall in love with? We touched on nightlights earlier and how the lights on them can help calm sensory issues in children, so take a look at these other super cool gadgets that can do that and so much more:

Moonlight cushions are currently a huge hit with children and teens alike because they’re able to control it with a simple remote and it can completely change the feel and mood that they are in. Definitely worth considering for the prepubescent teen!
Glow pads are a massive success at the moment. They’re essentially a picture frame that’s surrounded with lights that they can control by remote. Not only that, but you’re provided with chalk pens to write their own personal messages and drawings on, and when the light interacts with the chalk pen, it gives the illusion of a glow on the pad.
Whether your child is worried about the boogeyman, or they’re tied up in school work and struggle to sleep or relax, there’s nothing worse than seeing it as a parent and not being able to do anything about it. Well now you can! With Star projectors, you’re able to help your child or teen relax by letting them watch the gentle, yet pretty lights twinkle around their room. Many projectors like these come with the chance to play soothing music too!

As you can see, there are plenty of gadgets that you could buy for your children that will earn you massive brownie points! And this is only scratching the surface too. Which ones are you getting for your children?