Unintentional Destruction: Protecting Your Possessions from Curious Children

As many parents have discovered over the years, kids can be incredibly destructive—especially when it comes to the possessions that are most precious to you. Here are a few ways to protect your home and your possessions from destructive children.

Walls

Kids love drawing—but sometimes paper just isn’t good enough. They want something else, and your walls look perfect. There cannot be a home in the country that has not had its wall drawn on by a young artist at some point.

Ensure that you buy washable pens so you can quickly wipe the walls. Also, painted surfaces are easier to clean than textured wallpaper, and use semi-gloss paint to make cleaning even easier.

Consider buying some pens designed to be used on glass. That way, your kids can get their cravings out of the way by drawing on the windows, and you can quickly clean them at the end of the day.

Floor

Carpets pick up a lot of dirt from kids. Even if your kids don’t intend to, they are almost certain to spread their muddy footprints through the house at some point, and crumbs and spills are also going to have an impact.

Consider wooden or tile floors instead of carpets, because these are easier to keep clean. If you still want a carpet, choose a stain-resistant fiber—nylon is a good option.

Car

Why is it that whenever you take the kids anywhere in the car, it always ends up looking like a bomb has exploded when you arrive? Kids love to make a mess in the car. To reduce the impact, ensure they only eat and drink sensible food and water, and that means no chewing gum or sticky sweets. Also keep a trash bag handy throughout the journey.

You may even want to protect your seats from the inevitable spills by using special seat covers, like those provided by Shear Comfort. These will protect your seats over the years, and they could even help you to get a better price for your car if you sell it a few years later.

TV & DVD Player

The TV is very tempting for all young children, what with all those buttons to press. If they push a button too hard, you could end up having to fix it. Scratched or smeared TV screens are also very frustrating, so put your TV on a wall mount high out of reach.

Also be careful with your DVD player. Kids love to put things inside the drives, and they have no idea that this can break them. Again, keeping your DVD player out of reach is the only real way to prevent this from happening.

Small Valuable Items

You probably have countless small items in your home that you would rather the kids never got their hands on, from old books to expensive vases to souvenirs from vacations. The best thing you can do is keep them out of reach. Install a shelf high up on the wall well out of reach, and you won’t have to worry about the kids using them as toys.

By the way, if your child is constantly breaking things, there could be a reason behind it—here are some tips on what to do in this situation.

Furniture

Your furniture is almost certain to take a hit when you have kids. The best tip you can follow is to avoid buying expensive furniture until your kids are older and know how to respect it.

However, for the time being, you may want to cover your sofas and chairs in stylish throws that provide some protection against spills, stains, and scratches. You can also choose furniture made from a more resistant fabric like polyester.

Mattresses

Keep your kids’ mattresses in better condition so they last longer by placing a plastic cover underneath the sheets. This will help when those inevitable accidents occur, and it will help your mattresses to last for many more years.

Protect Your Home

Kids can be destructive, and there is nothing you can do about that. But you can take preventative measures to ensure your home and your belongings have a better chance of staying safe. So follow these tips and do what you can to protect your belongings from your kids over the years.

Summer Parkes is Mom to two kids ages 4 and 7, and as a part-time child minder she has kids under her feet most of the time! Once her kids are in bed and the others have gone home she enjoys blogging. Her parenting and lifestyle articles mostly appear on Mommy blogs.